Coastal flood risks in Europe in the context of sea-level rise: methods and preliminary results from the CoCliCo project

Abstract

Present days and future coastal flooding is a key concern for Europe due to sea-level rise, storm surges and the importance of infrastructure at risk in low-lying areas. To support adaptation, information on future risks such as people exposed and economic damages are required. The CoCliCo project aims to contribute responding to this need by informing users about coastal risks via an open-source web platform. This platform aspires to improve decision-making on coastal risk management and adaptation in Europe. Here, we present the methods used in CoCliCo to compute risks and provide early results of risk calculations at the European scale. The results take the form of costs calculated for different flooding scenarios on different infrastructures (residential buildings, roads...) as a function of flood water levels. Flood water levels are determined for each infrastructure based on flood modelling. Then, using vulnerability curves, a damage associated with the type of infrastructure as a function of the water level is assigned. The damage ratio then is used to calculate the cost of flooding. Coastal risk can also be presented in social terms, by assessing the number of people potentially affected by flooding. The results are illustrated for two case studies: Dieppe and Hyère in France using detailed flood modelling and complemented by preliminary results for Europe. Our results are compared results from with previous studies. Finally, flood risk projections will be presented for several return periods at different scales and for different integrated scenarios considering climate change and associated socio-economic pathways as well as different adaptation options. These results will be made available on the CoCliCo platform.