Storm Surge Research Articles

Climate change impact on barrier island freshwater lenses and their transition zones: a multi-parameter study

Freshwater lenses and their freshwater–saltwater transition zones are affected by climate change. Both sea-level rise and groundwater recharge influence freshwater volume and transition zone thickness. This study used a semi-generic approach to investigate climate change effects on freshwater lenses: a hypothetical island cross-section was combined with real-world boundary conditions. Sea-level projections including tides and storm surges, annual mean sea-level rise data, and monthly recharge projections of several climate models of the German barrier island Norderney in the North Sea were used to evaluate changes in freshwater lens and transition zone size between 1971–2000 and 2071–2100. Firstly, impacts of sea-level and recharge boundary conditions were investigated on islands of different widths. Secondly, a multi-parameter study was conducted focussing on variations of several relevant hydrogeological parameters. Results showed that it is very likely but not certain that freshwater lens volume and depth will decrease and transition zone thickness increase as a consequence of climate change. Model predictions revealed a strong dependency on the employed climate models and to a lesser extent on the hydrogeological parameters, at least for the parameter ranges used in this study. Of all hydrogeological parameters tested, the largest effects were caused by the hydraulic conductivity and its anisotropy. Furthermore, the study showed that boundary conditions have larger impacts on smaller islands. These results illustrate the importance of using projections from climate models in a sufficiently high resolution. Furthermore, their uncertainties and changes in variability of boundary conditions should be considered in studies about climate change impacts on freshwater lenses.

The role of wave setup on extreme water levels around Australia

Estimates of extreme sea levels have mainly been derived using atmospheric and tidal forcing only, but surface gravity waves are a key process that can cause a substantial elevation of mean sea level at the coast. In this paper a coupled wave-circulation model was used to simulate storm surge and wave setup across a broad range of coastal topographies and storm types around Australia. The main aim was a practical assessment of the benefits and limitations of using a coupled wave-surge model to determine wave effects for extreme sea level studies on the continental scale. The simulations included: tropical cyclones Yasi (2011) and George (2007) on the northeast and northwest coasts of Australia; Cyclone Alby (1978) that underwent extratropical transition in southwest Australia; and a large extratropical winter storm in the Southern Ocean (2016). Predicted wave setup was highly variable both spatially and temporally, with values up to 0.45 m, 35% of maximum storm surge height, and 9% of incident significant wave heights. In general, where storm surge heights were smaller, the relative importance of wave setup increased in the presence of large waves. The model best resolved wave setup in shallow gently sloping coastal areas, whilst unrealistically low values were predicted for steep coastlines. Predictions improved when wave setup was included for most sites and events, however, these wave effects were often secondary to other assumptions implicit in modeling extreme events. This was especially true for tropical cyclones where reliable wind forcing was not available. The results showed similar contributions from wave setup to other studies but highlighted the high temporal and spatial variability of wave setup across a wider variety of storms and coastal morphologies. The results also revealed that the maximum wave setup did not always coincide with the maximum storm surge. Overall, the coupled wave-surge model presented a useful tool to predict extreme water levels including wave setup when accurate depth and atmospheric data are available, however, significant challenges still exist to model this process at the continental scale.

Integrating science-based and local ecological knowledge: a case study of mangrove restoration and rehabilitation projects in the Philippines.

Mangrove forest is an ecosystem-based solution for disaster risk reduction in the Philippines, but its historical deforestation has hampered its capacity to protect coastal communities. With the increasing occurrence of storm surge in the Philippines, mangrove reforestation projects have received renewed attention, but many have failed. Community participation was deemed to be essential in those projects that did well. Hence, this paper examines successful mangrove restoration and rehabilitation projects in the Philippines to find out how community participation contributed to the accomplishments. The study found that while the transfer of science-based ecological knowledge from project managers to the community is an important factor in ensuring successful initial planning and implementation, its integration into existing local ecological knowledge-'localisation' of science-based ecological knowledge or hybrid ecological knowledge formation-helped to facilitate long-term community-based mangrove management beyond project duration by empowering community members and enabling project acceptance and ownership. Still, continuous local institutional support is a necessary anchor for community resilience.

Explanations for the positive storm surges on the left side of landfall typhoons in China

The coastal regions of Southeast China frequently experience unusual positive storm surges on the left side of landfalling typhoons, a phenomenon historically overlooked and inadequately explained by conventional circular wind field models. In this study, a high resolution, two-dimensional storm surge model based on ADCIRC along with tide gauge data were used to investigate the spatiotemporal distribution of these surges and proposes underlying mechanisms, informed by a comparative analysis of circular and ERA5 reanalysis wind fields during typical typhoon event 9711 Winnie. Analyzing tide gauge data spanning from 1986 to 2016, the study uncovers a distinct pattern of left-side positive storm surges along the southeastern coast, notably on the Fujian coast and within the Taiwan Strait, which are found to be comparable to those on the cyclone’s right side. The research also documents a significant escalation in both the frequency and intensity of these left-side surges over the past three decades. Simulation results highlights the inadequacies of circular wind field models in operational forecasting and emphasizes the necessity of accounting for topographic influences and the structural complexity of wind fields in storm surge predictions. This is particularly pertinent in semi-enclosed seas with intricate hydrodynamics, such as the Taiwan Strait. The insights gleaned from this study are pivotal for enhancing the real-time simulation and prediction of storm surges, which are vital for coastal safety and disaster prevention measures.

Development of a Semi-Analytical Dynamic Force Model

A moving water mass generates force which is exerted on its moving path. Cyclone generated storm surge or earthquake generated tsunami are specific examples of moving water mass generated force along the coasts. In addition to human lives, these moving water masses cause severe damages to the coastal infrastructure due to tremendous force exerted on these structures. To assess the damage on these infrastructures, an essential parameter is the resultant force exerted on these structures. To evaluate the damages, there is hardly any quantitative method available to compute this force. In this paper we have developed a semi-analytical model, named as Dynamic Force Model (DFM), by using Variational Iteration Method to compute this force. We have derived the governing equation on the basis of Saint-Venant equations which are basically 1D shallow water equations derived from the Navier-Stokes equations. DFM is verified, calibrated, validated, and applied in Bangladesh coastal zone to compute dynamic thrust force due to tropical cyclone SIDR.

Stochastic coastal flood risk modelling for the east coast of Africa

Coastal flooding resulting from tropical cyclones can have large repercussions in many low-lying regions around the world. Accurate flood risk assessments are crucial for designing measures to reduce the societal impacts of coastal flooding. At continental to global scales, however, traditional flood risk assessments mostly use methods that do not capture the spatiotemporal dynamics of coastal flood risk patterns. In this study, we address these deficiencies by applying a novel modelling framework that dynamically simulates stochastic coastal flood risk for the east coast of Africa. Using 10,000 years of synthetic tropical cyclones and a cascade of hydrodynamic models to simulate storm tides and flooding, we calculate the damage of each individual tropical cyclone event and empirically derive the risk curve for each country. Results show that the largest aggregated annual losses in the region come from multiple events rather than from a single low-probability event. Results also reveal that events with the highest return periods in terms of storm surge residual levels and flood extents are not necessarily the most damaging events. Here, the 1 in 10,000-year damage event is associated with a 1 in 45-year event in terms of flood extent, showing that addressing exposure and vulnerability is essential in determining risk. Our modelling framework enables a high-resolution continental-scale risk analysis that takes the spatial dependencies of flood events into account.

Risk Exposure of Coastal Inundation from Storm Surge in the Northern part of Malaysian Borneo

Abstract Coastal communities heavily rely on marine resources for their livelihoods. The rising occurrence of extreme weather events have affected both the coastal ecosystems and socio-economic activities. One of the most prevalent extreme events in Malaysia is the storm surge. This study aims to assess the extent of coastal inundation based on three storm surge scenarios (categories by Meteorological Department of Malaysia) and to determine the risk exposure ranking of nine study sites. Field trips and interviews were conducted from March 2020 to March 2023 in Kudat located at the northern part of Malaysian Borneo. One hundred respondents were surveyed using semi-structured open-ended questionnaires to evaluate the risk exposure of coastal inundation caused by storm surges. The findings revealed that Category 1 flooded certain sites of west (Kimihang) and east (Tajau Laut) sides of Kudat. The Category 2 have significantly flooded one site in the west side (Simpang Mengayau) of Kudat. While, for Category 3 of coastal inundation affected two sites in east sides of Kudat (Tanjong Kapor and Landung Ayang). These two sites in east sides of Kudat also experienced a high level of risk exposure due to the lack of diverse coastal ecosystems and high population density. While three sites in west side of Kudat (Kimihang, Kelambu and Simpang Mengayau) faced significant impacts on social services, particularly within the tourism sector. Despite relying on multiple livelihoods, these sites were susceptible to storm surges. Additionally, the increasing development for tourism purposes posed a threat to the richness of the ecosystem. This study suggests that certain sites in east side of Kudat (Tanjong Kapor and Landung Ayang) are highly exposed to risk and require measures for adaptation and mitigation.

Storm surge time series de-clustering using correlation analysis

The extraction of individual events from continuous time series is a common challenge in many extreme value studies. In the field of environmental science, various methods and algorithms for event identification (de-clustering) have been applied in the past. The distinctive features of extreme events, such as their temporal evolutions, durations, and inter-arrival times, vary significantly from one location to another making it difficult to identify independent events in the series. In this study, we propose a new automated approach to detect independent events from time series, by identifying the standard event duration across locations using event correlations. To account for the inherent variability at a given site, we incorporate the standard deviation of the event duration through a soft-margin approach. We apply the method to 1 485 tide gauge records from across the global coast to gain new insights into the typical durations of independent storm surges along different coastline stretches. The results highlight the effects of both local characteristics at a given tide gauge and seasonality on the derived storm durations. Additionally, we compare the results obtained with other commonly used de-clustering techniques showing that these methods are more sensitive to the chosen threshold.

Storm Surge Projection and Objective-Based Risk Management for Climate Change Adaptation along the US Atlantic Coast

Storm Surge Projection and Objective-Based Risk Management for Climate Change Adaptation along the US Atlantic Coast

Public preferences for coastal adaptation: Economic evidence from a discrete choice experiment for hard structures and nature-based solutions in Miami, Florida

Coastal communities are under pressure to adapt to the increasing impacts of climate change and environmental degradation. One strategy to achieve adaptation goals is to deploy hard structures and nature-based solutions that can help reduce damages from flooding, storm surge, and sea level rise in coastal areas. Understanding how local communities perceive and value these measures helps local authorities follow strategies that not only increase efficiency, but also garner public support. In this paper, we used Miami-Dade County as a case study to establish public preferences and trade-offs across hard structures and nature-based solutions and their physical characteristics to address coastal risk reduction: specifically, seawalls and mangroves. By applying a discrete choice experiment, we showed that respondents are generally in favor of deploying any coastal measures, with a higher willingness-to-pay for nature-based solutions over hard structures. We also found that the same respondents identify the length of protected coastline as a valuable feature of these coastal measures. Our findings inform ongoing plans and policies for coastal adaptation, particularly the deployment of nature-based solutions, and also illustrate the importance of including public input in the decision-making process of coastal management policy.

Investigation of compound occurrence of storm surge and river flood in Mikawa Bay, Japan, using typhoon track ensemble experiments

The risk of high river flow and peak storm surge superimposing in the estuary of small-and medium-sized rivers can be more severe during typhoon landfalls than at other times. In this study, 30 cases of typhoon track ensemble experiments for five rivers in Mikawa Bay, Japan, were evaluated using an atmospheric-river-ocean model. The results showed that storm surges coincided with high river flows when typhoons crossed the western side of Mikawa Bay, with the highest potential observed when typhoons passed northwest of the Bay. The average time discrepancy for the five rivers between the storm surge occurrence and increased river flow in the minimum time difference case was 48 min at the river mouth. Distinct trends in the time difference between a storm surge and river flow were observed for each river mouth. The order of time differences corresponded to the drainage area scale: Toyo (188 min), Umeda (112 min), Otowa (114 min), Sana (96 min), and Yagyu (88 min). Time difference trends also varied based on the distance between the typhoon center and each river mouth. For Toyo River, storm surges and high river flows did not substantially overlap, regardless of distance. However, for medium-and small-sized rivers, the time difference increased proportionally with the distance from the typhoon. The Yagyu River showed the highest potential for compound occurrence of a storm surge and river flood because of the synchronization of storm surge peaks and high river flow peaks, with a time difference of 1–2 h for small-and medium-sized rivers within 100 km2 of the basin.

Predictability of Hurricane Storm Surge: An Ensemble Forecasting Approach Using Global Atmospheric Model Data

Providing storm surge risk information at multi-day lead times is critical for hurricane evacuation decisions, but predictability of storm surge inundation at these lead times is limited. This study develops a method to parameterize and adjust tropical cyclones derived from global atmospheric model data, for use in storm surge research and prediction. We implement the method to generate storm tide (surge + tide) ensemble forecasts for Hurricane Michael (2018) at five initialization times, using archived operational ECMWF ensemble forecasts and the dynamical storm surge model ADCIRC. The results elucidate the potential for extending hurricane storm surge prediction to several-day lead times, along with the challenges of predicting the details of storm surge inundation even 18 h before landfall. They also indicate that accurately predicting Hurricane Michael’s rapid intensification was not needed to predict the storm surge risk. In addition, the analysis illustrates how this approach can help identify situationally and physically realistic scenarios that pose greater storm surge risk. From a practical perspective, the study suggests potential approaches for improving real-time probabilistic storm surge prediction. The method can also be useful for other applications of atmospheric model data in storm surge research, forecasting, and risk analysis, across weather and climate time scales.

Evaluating Tropical Cyclone-Induced Flood and Surge Risks for Vanuatu by Assessing Location Hazard Susceptibility

Tropical cyclones (TCs) can be devastating events for vulnerable countries like Vanuatu, impacting their population, livelihoods, and infrastructure, leaving the country in need of aid and recovery. Despite this, comprehensive risk information on the nuanced impacts of each region is not well understood. Every TC event is different, and understanding the potential for impact at each location empowers decision makers in the lead-up to an event or during off-season planning to make more informed decisions to direct disaster risk reduction efforts. TC hazard model data typically describe intensity and likelihood, which can be fed into risk assessment frameworks to describe probabilistic risk. This study instead uses freely available remote sensing data to create proxies for the TC hazards of storm surge and flooding and to describe only the intensity of the hazard if the event occurs at the location. This hazard susceptibility index is fed into a risk assessment framework with Vanuatu exposure and vulnerability data for domains of populations, housing, and roads. These methods allow for the risk to be estimated for each month, as well as during specific historical time periods of TC Pam, TC Harold, and the TCs Judy and Kevin, enabling future impact validation. The results show households to have the highest risk, followed by roads and population domains, while a TC-induced surge risk is overall higher than TC-induced flooding, particularly in the road domain. The results, however, show a likely underestimation of event hazards and an overestimation of Port Vila’s resistance to impacts, which is a subject of future investigation and validation.

Improved Classification of Coastal Wetlands in Yellow River Delta of China Using ResNet Combined with Feature-Preferred Bands Based on Attention Mechanism

The Yellow River Delta wetlands in China belong to the coastal wetland ecosystem, which is one of the youngest and most characteristic wetlands in the world. The Yellow River Delta wetlands are constantly changed by inland sediment and the influence of waves and storm surges, so the accurate classification of the coastal wetlands in the Yellow River Delta is of great significance for the rational utilization, development and protection of wetland resources. In this study, the Yellow River Delta sentinel-2 multispectral data were processed by super-resolution synthesis, and the feature bands were optimized. The optimal feature-band combination scheme was screened using the OIF algorithm. A deep learning model attention mechanism ResNet based on feature optimization with attention mechanism integration into the ResNet network is proposed. Compared with the classical machine learning model, the AM_ResNet model can effectively improve the classification accuracy of the wetlands in the Yellow River Delta. The overall accuracy was 94.61% with a Kappa of 0.93, and they were improved by about 6.99% and 0.1, respectively, compared with the best-performing Random Forest Classification in machine learning. The results show that the method can effectively improve the classification accuracy of the wetlands in the Yellow River Delta.

Imprints of washover sediments by tropical storm Pabuk 2019 along the coast of the Gulf of Thailand; insight into coastal geomorphological response to storm surge

Tropical storm Pabuk (4th January 2019) struck southern Thailand, causing damage to the low-lying coastal area. The combination of waves, storm surge, and high tide resulted overwash and inundation of regions on the West coast of the Gulf of Thailand (GOT) side. After the event, we conducted a field survey from January 7–10 and 15–20, 2019 to investigate the effect of storm surges and the degree of damage from the site under the eye of storm affected area up to the north 500 km from the landfall sites. This paper investigates how variations in coastal geomorphological features respond to the storm surge generated by tropical storm Pabuk at a regional scale. Coastal damage was observed along the beach from the presence of the scour, beach scarp, knocked down trees, and destroyed buildings and infrastructure. The most damaged area was at Nakhon Si Thammarat (NST), where the tropical storm made landfall with maximum wind speeds of almost 100 km/h and a storm surge height of 5 m. At NST site, the washover deposits extended as far as 80 m from the coastline with a maximum inundation of 330 m. From this study, two types of washover deposits including perched fan and washover terrace were identified. The thickest washover sediment, 60 cm thick, was discovered in a relatively low-lying area adjacent to a small estuary. Mud rip-up clasts, planar stratification, cross stratification, foreset bedding, scouring at base, and sharp and erosional contact are characteristics of sedimentary structures found in storm sediments. Bedform surfaces, such as current ripples with indicated storm surge direction, were well-preserved at several sites. We suggest that the local geomorphological controlling factors, especially coastal elevation have played important roles in the difference of coastal geomorphological responses as well as the type of washover deposits.

Comparative evaluation of meteorological inputs for improved storm surge modeling: A case study of tropical Cyclone Vayu

The selection of meteorological inputs in storm surge is crucial, with wind and pressure fields playing a significant role in energy transfer and the study area's bathymetry. While using observed track information for wind and pressure drop has been the standard approach for the past decade, recent studies have highlighted the need for atmospheric inputs from models like the Weather Research and Forecast model (WRF) for storm surge forecast. This study aims to compare the performance of a DELFT-3D FM storm surge model forced with inputs from IMD (India Meteorological Department) observed the best track and pressure drop (EXP-1) and wind and pressure fields from WRF (EXP-2) for Tropical Cyclone Vayu, which occurred in the southern Arabian Sea basin in June 2019. The study compares the simulated storm water levels and highlights the benefits of using time and space-varying wind and pressure input for improved surge representation. Results show that the WRF-DELFT setup outperforms the IMD-DELFT setup, particularly for tide gauge locations close to the storm eye. The simulated storm surge captures the intensified stage of Vayu and provides a more realistic representation than the model forced with IMD track data. However, biases and limitations, such as inadequate representation of land surface parameterization, are identified. The study suggests further exploring wave-induced effects on total water level and multiple cyclone scenarios to enhance wind speed and track displacement prediction accuracy and improved land-sea parameterization can help address these limitations.

Characterizing Spatial and Temporal Trends in Net Sediment Accumulation in Seagrass Meadows

Seagrass meadows are known as hot spots for carbon accumulation, but there is limited field data on the variability of sediment accumulation across time and space. We developed a method to assess spatial and temporal heterogeneity in net sediment accumulation in seagrass meadows using small, inexpensive samplers, allowing for over 200 unique measurements across multiple transects within our study site. Using this method, we assessed sediment accumulation across seagrass meadow edges, and in varying weather conditions. We found the greatest accumulation of sediment 5 m outside of seagrass meadow edges, with sediment accumulation rates averaging just under 100 g m−2 day−1, though rates were highly variable. Carbon accumulation from settled sediment was generally greater outside of seagrass meadow edges than within the bed, especially at sites undergoing recent expansion. Measurements made during tropical storms showed both scouring of sediment away from sites, and increased accumulation, depending on site properties as well as individual tropical storm characteristics. In the storm that had a measurable storm surge, scouring of sediment was a more dominant mechanism, whereas deposition dominated in the storm that had high winds but no associated storm surge. Our data demonstrate the necessity of including measurements that characterize both spatial and meteorological variability to develop a more holistic understanding of the movement of sediment and particulate organic carbon associated with seagrass meadows, especially as meadow area becomes increasingly fragmented with human activity and global change.

Temporal and spatial variation of typhoon-induced surges and the impact of rainfall in a tidal river

The Huangpu River, which flows into the Yangtze Estuary, runs through Shanghai Municipality in China. During the flood season, typhoon-induced surges result in extremely high water levels in the Huangpu River, which is the main factor threatening flood control safety in Shanghai. Based on observations of water levels at three stations along the Huangpu River from 2008 to 2021, together with wind and rainfall, this paper investigates: the trends of the annual highest storm surges; the differences in periodic variation and magnitude of surges during the spring-neap cycle; the longitudinal variation of surges; and the impact of rainfall. The results show that the annual highest surges at three stations all show a significant increasing trend, which is caused by the increasing wind speed, and the intensity and duration of rainfall during typhoon events, induced by the increasing frequency of landfall and close-to-YE (Yangtze Estuary) typhoon events, and strong and very strong typhoon events. The periodic variation and magnitude of surges show clear differences during the spring-neap cycle, resulting from the largest nonlinear surge-tide interaction during spring tide and the smallest during neap tide. Heavy rainfall can reduce the probability of 6–7 h and 2.7–3.3 h periods, and change the phase of the periodic variation, inducing partial main peaks and maximum surges during ebb or low tide. The longitudinal variation of storm surge along the Huangpu River can be divided into three types: decreasing upstream, first increasing then decreasing, and increasing upstream. Heavy and long-duration rainfall increases the water discharge from the basin to the river, amplifying the surge, with the largest impact in the upper reach and the smallest in the lower reach, which is the main factor inducing the latter two types, particularly the third type.

Climate Change-Induced Livelihood Vulnerabilities in South Western Coastal Region of Bangladesh

This study focused on the impact of climate change on the livelihood of coastal people. The study used primary and secondary data to complete the study. The climatic components are changing gradually, consequently, the impact of adversity on livelihood is severe in coastal areas. This research has found the perceptions of coastal people regarding climate change and it’s devastation. Coastal people faced change-induced disasters such as cyclones, floods, tidal surges, salinity intrusion, and erosion that affected the coastal communities and their livelihoods. The study found people lost their livelihood sectors, especially agricultural activities, fish farms, fishing culture, cattle farms, business, daily working opportunities, and daily labor. However, due to the challenges during and after the disasters, they cannot easily resume their regular occupations and jobs, including agricultural activities, fishing farms, fishing and cropping businesses, daily labor, seasonal labor, and workers for fishing farms. Furthermore, the coastal people lost their property and lives, particularly settlements, agricultural land, and crops, to climate change-induced adversity. The marginal farmers and laborers are the main losers during and after disasters because they have no backup money for survival. Many of them took loans from local financial institutions and money lenders. The research will provide guidelines for the coastal community and policymakers to mitigate the impact of adversity. Jagannath University Journal of Life and Earth Sciences, 9(2): 163–178, 2023 (December)

Understanding ‘refugee resettlement’ from below: Decoding the Rohingya refugees’ lived experience in Bangladesh

While the resettlement of displaced people often denotes rehabilitation in one way or another, the paper illuminates the paradox of resettlement between repatriation and relocation with the case of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. The Rohingya, considered the most persecuted ethnic minority in the world at present as per the United Nations (UN), are an ethnolinguistic and religious minority of Myanmar but at present most of them are living in Bangladesh as refugees. About 750 thousand Rohingyas fled a deadly genocidal attack perpetrated by the Myanmar security forces in 2017 and took refuge in Bangladesh. Combining with the previously living ones, Bangladesh now hosts more than 1.3 million Rohingyas as refugees in 34 temporary camps in Ukhia and Teknaf, two south-eastern sub-districts of Cox’s Bazar. This massive Rohingya presence has heavily impacted the local lives and resources and thereby the local community gradually became reluctant, though not yet hostile, to host them anymore. To accommodate the local pressure, Bangladesh made two consecutive repatriation attempts (the first one on November 15, 2018, and the second one on August 22, 2019) to send the Rohingya back to Myanmar but failed since none willingly returned to their ‘homeland’. The refusal was interpreted as non-cooperation of the international community, and non-preparation on Myanmar's part to accept the Rohingyas back and let them resume their lives safely in the Rakhine state where they used to live. Since the repatriation attempt did not work and local pressures started mounting, Bangladesh initiated a program to relocate a few thousand Rohingya families to Bhasan Char, a newly emerged island located in the Bay of Bengal under Noakhali district. Empirical data reveal that the physical facilities of Bhasan Char seem far better than the same of Ukhia and Teknaf. Still, Rohingya refugees remain reluctant to move due to their entrenched fear of cyclones, floods and tidal surges which, they believe, could wash them away anytime. The entire process of Rohingya relocation to Bhasan Char has created huge debates about whether the Island is safe-liveable for the Rohingya people since it is a twenty-year-old island and there was no experience of people living there. Still, it does not appear to be a convincing plan to resolve the displacement problem of the Rohingya refugees. Given the background, what the Rohingya people articulate their aspiration in the name of resettlement is completely missing in the entire planning and action to redress the Rohingya crisis. Empirical findings show that the majority of Rohingyas are willing to return ‘home’ if three conditions are met: legal recognition amid conferring citizenship, social safety through the deployment of UN peace troops, and human dignity so that they can enjoy all forms of human rights. So, the Rohingya perception of resettlement is repatriation with aforesaid conditions. Therefore, the paper argues that beyond the populist idea of resettlement in the form of rehabilitation or relocation, the whole discourse of resettlement could come up from the bottom and people’s perspectives which could be both crucial and instrumental in policy framing and action planning. The Rohingya refugees desire dignified repatriation with legal recognition and social safety which is largely absent in the activism of the human rights bodies and the action of the international communities as well as the state-level movements. Given the matrix of relocation and repatriation, resettlement takes a central point of discussion and debates whether resettlement could settle the Rohingya crisis in the place of migration. The paper with the experience of decade-long ethnographic research intends to rearticulate the people’s perception and ground-level view of (re)settlement to redress the Rohingya crisis in the interface of repatriation and relocation.