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Using global tide gauge data to validate and improve the representation of extreme sea levels in 3 flood impact studies

Using global tide gauge data to validate and improve the representation of extreme sea levels in 3 flood impact studies
Using global tide gauge data to validate and improve the representation of extreme sea levels in 3 flood impact studies
The largest collection of tide gauge records assembled to date, called GESLA-2, has been used to provide reliable extreme sea level parameters at 655 locations around the world. This has enabled a rigorous assessment of the European Union-funded DINAS-COAST (D-C) data set of extreme sea level information for the global coastline that has been used in many published flood impact studies. We find the D-C extreme levels to be generally both too high, compared to those from GESLA-2, and too flat, when plotted as a function of return period. This leads to an over-estimation of the probability of extreme sea levels in the present day for most locations around the world, and also to an over- estimation of the probability of extreme sea levels in the future as sea level rises. A detailed impact study is conducted for the world’s largest coastal cities following the approach of Hallegatte et al. (2013), resulting in similar conclusions for these particular locations. We suggest that most previous studies that have relied upon D-C information should be re-assessed in the light of these findings using more recent modelling-based estimates of extreme sea level information.
Hunter, J.R.
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Woodworth, P.L.
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Wahl, T.
192e987e-1eac-4376-84da-a4c89ef91b47
Nicholls, R.J.
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Hunter, J.R.
e939d3bc-1a2c-4039-8d40-4594760c25ec
Woodworth, P.L.
87be7ad1-fdaa-479e-9750-2aef89ecdab7
Wahl, T.
192e987e-1eac-4376-84da-a4c89ef91b47
Nicholls, R.J.
4ce1e355-cc5d-4702-8124-820932c57076

Hunter, J.R., Woodworth, P.L., Wahl, T. and Nicholls, R.J. (2017) Using global tide gauge data to validate and improve the representation of extreme sea levels in 3 flood impact studies. 43 pp .

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)

Abstract

The largest collection of tide gauge records assembled to date, called GESLA-2, has been used to provide reliable extreme sea level parameters at 655 locations around the world. This has enabled a rigorous assessment of the European Union-funded DINAS-COAST (D-C) data set of extreme sea level information for the global coastline that has been used in many published flood impact studies. We find the D-C extreme levels to be generally both too high, compared to those from GESLA-2, and too flat, when plotted as a function of return period. This leads to an over-estimation of the probability of extreme sea levels in the present day for most locations around the world, and also to an over- estimation of the probability of extreme sea levels in the future as sea level rises. A detailed impact study is conducted for the world’s largest coastal cities following the approach of Hallegatte et al. (2013), resulting in similar conclusions for these particular locations. We suggest that most previous studies that have relied upon D-C information should be re-assessed in the light of these findings using more recent modelling-based estimates of extreme sea level information.

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Published date: 6 March 2017

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Local EPrints ID: 428146
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/428146
PURE UUID: ce7d6744-9db1-4afe-9cdf-185680cbe085
ORCID for R.J. Nicholls: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-9715-1109

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Date deposited: 12 Feb 2019 17:30
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:49

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Contributors

Author: J.R. Hunter
Author: P.L. Woodworth
Author: T. Wahl
Author: R.J. Nicholls ORCID iD

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