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Establishing relative sea level trends where a coast lacks a long term tide gauge
Citation
Ellison, J and Strickland, P, Establishing relative sea level trends where a coast lacks a long term tide gauge, Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 20, (7) pp. 1211-1227. ISSN 1381-2386 (2015) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
DOI: doi:10.1007/s11027-013-9534-3
Abstract
Vulnerability assessment of coastal areas to projected sea level rise requires incorporation
of historic trends in relative sea level change as an exposure factor. Most shorelines of
developing countries lack long term tide gauges, such as the Pacific Islands region, which are
especially vulnerable to climate change impacts. This study has the objective of demonstrating
how long-term relative sea level trends can be derived from proxy records, on the tectonically
unstable main island of Fiji. At Tikina Wai on the western coast, while elevations of present
mangrove zones of Rhizophora stylosa, Rhizophora samoensis and Bruguiera gymnorrhiza
were <1.2 m around mean sea level, sediment cores down to 3 m showed mangrove
occurrence meters lower than they can grow today. Pollen analysis identified past locations
of these mangrove species zones, and the present day elevations of the species were used to
reconstruct past sea levels. Results of this study showed that relative sea-level has been slowly
rising for the last several centuries at about 2.1 mm a−1, yet mangrove communities have
remained resilient with nearly equivalent net sedimentation rates, though with some zone
retreat landwards.With such local subsidence, the TikinaWai district is more exposed to future
sea level rise projections than stable coastal areas elsewhere, with additional exposure in
having a micro-tidal range. Adaptation actions identified to address this risk include enhancement
of sedimentation under mangrove communities through coastal and catchment planning
to remove obstructions to sediment supply, reducing non-climate stresses to increase organic
production, and replanting of degraded areas. Such information on relative sea level trends can
be used to identify where adaptation resources are best concentrated.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | adaptation, climate change, mangrove communities, Pacific Islands, sea level rise, vulnerability assessment |
Research Division: | Environmental Sciences |
Research Group: | Climate change impacts and adaptation |
Research Field: | Ecological impacts of climate change and ecological adaptation |
Objective Division: | Environmental Policy, Climate Change and Natural Hazards |
Objective Group: | Adaptation to climate change |
Objective Field: | Ecosystem adaptation to climate change |
UTAS Author: | Ellison, J (Associate Professor Joanna Ellison) |
UTAS Author: | Strickland, P (Ms Pippa Strickland) |
ID Code: | 88554 |
Year Published: | 2015 (online first 2013) |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 9 |
Deposited By: | Geography and Environmental Studies |
Deposited On: | 2014-02-06 |
Last Modified: | 2016-11-17 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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