Sea level change
Why is this an indicator? » What is the trend? » What is being done about it? » Would you like to know more?
Why is this an indicator?
Coastal areas could face a significant risk of increased flooding, inundation and erosion as a result of sea level rise. An increase in storm frequency, along with climate change, could add to the risk of flooding from sea level rise.
What is the trend?
All the sites shown indicate a relative rise in historic mean sea level by up to 2.2mm per year. This reflects a real sea level rise of about 1mm per year combined with long-term geological movements, (where by the south and east are sinking and the north of the UK is rising). These are significant upward trends and are indicative of changing climate.
Global mean sea level has increased by 1.0 to 1.5mm per year during the 20th century. Best estimates predict a rise of around 4mm per year over the 21st century.
What is being done about it?
The Environment Agency works in partnership with local authorities to respond to sea level change. The coastline of England and Wales is managed regionally by Shoreline Management Plans. These plans consider predicted sea level rises for two planning horizons (2030 and 2100). The options for each length of coast are to:
- do nothing (allow natural processes of flooding and erosion to continue)
- maintain the present position of defence (hold the defence line)
- develop new defences seaward of the existing defence line (advance the defence line)
- pull back the defences from an established line and construct new defences inland of the existing defences (retreat the defence line).
The Government’s Office of Science and Technology (OST) are carrying out a Foresight project on flood and coastal defence looking at the impacts that climate change and other factors that could have over a 30 to 100 year timescale. It will develop a vision on how the UK can respond that can be used to inform policy and its delivery. The Agency is supporting the project.
Would you like to know more?
The science and data behind this indicator:
Related Environment Agency Indicators:
Environmental Facts and Figures on:
Further information:- Defra: Sea level rise indicator
Sea level rise also appears in the UK Government’s set of Quality of Life Counts indicators. - Proudman Oceanic Laboratory (POL)
POL is a leading world centre in tidal prediction (with related interests in earth tides and storm surges) and a leading European centre in modelling and forecasting shelf sea dynamics.
