Author(s): R. M. Bamunawala; S. Hettiarachcht; G Samarawickrema; G S De Costa
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Keywords: Sea level rise; Climate change
Abstract: Sri Lanka has a coastal wave climate that is generally bi-modal in period and direction (consisting of both sea and swell waves with different directions) with major seasonal variations. The southern coast and much of the eastern and western coasts are affected by the swell waves generated over a wide expanse of the Indian Ocean to the south of the island. The sea waves change with the change of the monsoons and coastal winds. Sri Lanka has a vast amount of coastal lagoon and wetlands. These have been subject to resource exploitation leading to environmental degradation. There is a strong need for engineering interventions for sustaining multiple uses of these unique aquatic systems. Climate change is expected to modify the wind patterns around Sri Lanka–both locally and over the wider Indian Ocean. These changes will result in changes to both the average wave climate and the frequency and severity of extreme waves. However, detailed investigations of the impact of climate change on the wave climate in Sri Lanka have not been conducted. This paper has highlighted important areas relating to climate change, sea level rise and its impact on the Sri Lankan coastal regions. The paper has presented an approach for the assessment of risk arising from sea level rise focusing on the importance of availability and use of geo-information. A series of further studies have also been recommended for the assessment of impacts arising from sea level rise. Important issues relating to the implementation of adaptive responses have also been presented. Risk assessment is a dynamic process, which requires regular upgrading and hence high priority has to be focused on data acquisition, storage and management
Year: 2014