Abstract
The rise in sea level is expected to considerably aggravate the impact of coastal hazards in the coming years. Low-lying coastal urban centers, populated deltas, and coastal protected areas are key societal hotspots of coastal vulnerability in terms of relative sea level change. Land deformation on a local scale can significantly affect estimations, so it is necessary to understand the rhythm and spatial distribution of potential land subsidence/uplift in coastal areas. The present study deals with the determination of the relative vertical rates of the land deformation and the sea-surface height by using multi-source Earth observation—synthetic aperture radar (SAR), global navigation satellite system (GNSS), tide gauge, and altimetry data. To this end, the multi-temporal SAR interferometry (MT-InSAR) technique was used in order to exploit the most recent Copernicus Sentinel-1 data. The products were set to a reference frame by using GNSS measurements and were combined with a re-analysis model assimilating satellite altimetry data, obtained by the Copernicus Marine Service. Additional GNSS and tide gauge observations have been used for validation purposes. The proposed methodological approach has been implemented in three pilot cases: the city of Alexandroupolis in the Evros Delta region, the coastal zone of Thermaic Gulf, and the coastal area of Killini, Araxos (Patras Gulf) in the northwestern Peloponnese, which are Greek coastal areas with special characteristics. The present research provides localized relative sea-level estimations for the three case studies. Their variation is high, ranging from values close to zero, i.e., from 5–10 cm and 30 cm in 50 years for urban areas to values of 50–60 cm in 50 years for rural areas, close to the coast. The results of this research work can contribute to the effective management of coastal areas in the framework of adaptation and mitigation strategies attributed to climate change. Scaling up the proposed methodology to a continental level is required in order to overcome the existing lack of proper assessment of the relevant hazard in Europe.
Highlights
Sea-level rise (SLR) is one of the most significant effects of climate change that has been the focus of international attention due to its high future projected rates that would impact coastal areas around the world [1]
We present the localized deformations detected by MT-InSAR processing and sea-surface height, following the methodological approach detailed in the previous section (Figure 2) in the three Greek coastal areas under investigation effectively covered by Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) acquisitions
Platforms, and processing techniques is fundamental for improving the understanding of the ongoing processes along coastal urban and natural protected areas, such as land subsidence and sea-level rise
Summary
Sea-level rise (SLR) is one of the most significant effects of climate change that has been the focus of international attention due to its high future projected rates that would impact coastal areas around the world [1]. In the early 1990s, 33.5% of the global population lived within. Vousdoukas et al [5] indicated that extreme sea levels (ESLs) in the European region could probably rise up to 1 m or more by the end of this century, aggravating the impact of coastal hazards. Potential impacts such as the increase of the frequency of floods, acceleration of coastal erosion, salinization of surface and ground waters, and degradation of coastal habitats such as wetlands are expected to be significant in the future [6]. Recent research works confirm that the human factor has played a significant role, over the last century, in increasing vulnerability and exposure all around the world, indicating that, in the absence of adaptations, this trend will continue [7]
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