Abstract
Climate change and its associated sea-level rise are expected to significantly affect vulnerable coastal communities. Although the extent of the impact will be localised, its assessment will adopt a monitoring approach that applies globally. The topography of the beach, the type of geological material and the level of human intervention will determine the extent of the area to be flooded and the rate at which the shoreline will move inland. Gleefe, a coastal community in Ghana, has experienced frequent flooding in recent times due to the increasing occurrence of storm surge and sea-level rise. This study used available geospatial data and field measurements to determine how the beach topography has contributed to the incidence of flooding at Gleefe. The topography is generally low-lying. Sections of the beach have elevations of around 1 m, which allows seawater to move inland during very high tide. Accelerated sea-level rise as predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will destroy homes of the inhabitants and inundate the Densu wetlands behind the beach. Destruction of infrastructure will render the inhabitants homeless, whilst flooding of the wetlands will destroy the habitats of migratory birds and some endangered wildlife species such as marine turtle. Effective adaptation measures should be adopted to protect this very important coastal environment, the ecology of the wetlands and the livelihoods of the community dwellers.
Highlights
Sea-level rise as a result of climate change (Rahmstorf et al 2007) has become a serious challenge to sustainable management of the coastal zone globally
Contours generated from the beach-face surveyed data revealed the relative differences in elevation along the beach (Figure 6). This is relevant as it shows the low areas that allow seawater to move inland during very high tide and storm surge
Climate change has increased the incidence of storm surge, which results in flooding during very high tides
Summary
Sea-level rise as a result of climate change (Rahmstorf et al 2007) has become a serious challenge to sustainable management of the coastal zone globally. The global average sea level rose at an average rate of around 1.8 mm per year from 1961 to 2003 and at an average rate of about 3.1 mm per year from 1993 to 2003 (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC] 2007). Much of the rise in sea level has been due to the rise in global temperature associated with climate change. Accelerated sea-level rise results in a spatial shift of coastal geomorphology, which is manifested through the redistribution of coastal landforms (Crooks 2004). Increasing water depth at the shore, due to sea-level rise, results in enhanced wave and tidal activities through energy dissipation along the coast. Coastal landforms responds to this hydrodynamics by migrating both normal and parallel to the shore in order to maintain their position within the energy gradient and attempt to restore their equilibrium state
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