Difference between revisions of "Template:This weeks featured article"

From Coastal Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
(Flood risk analysis study at the German Bight Coast)
(Carrying capacity and development of the Wadden Sea)
Line 1: Line 1:
==Flood risk analysis study at the German Bight Coast==
+
==Carrying capacity and development of the Wadden Sea==
  
[[Image:Study_area.jpg|thumb|300px|left|'''Figure 1: Map and coastal defence structure of the pilot site St. Peter-Ording.''']]
+
[[Image:Waddenzee.jpg|right|300px|''The Wadden Sea in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands''|frame]]
  
The [[Intergovernmental Panel Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report (2007) | 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change]] (IPCC 2007<ref>IPCC (2007): Climate change 2007: The physical science basis - Summary for policymakers. Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Genf, 21 p.</ref>) made evident that an ongoing global [[climate change]] will cause increased storminess and [[sea level rise]] in coastal zones. There is little doubt that the North Sea will also be affected by an accelerating rise of the sea-level, an increase in extreme weather events and a greater tidal range. In order to be prepared for future conditions, prevention measures have to be improved and methodologies to assess and manage upcoming risks have to be further developed. As there are still deficits in assessing the full range of [[flood]] impacts, new approaches have been developed for hazard analysis, [[vulnerability]] assessment, and flood risk management in the framework of the EU-project [http://www.floodsite.net FLOOD''site''] (Integrated Flood Risk Analysis and Management Methodologies). In order to apply some of these new methodologies, a pilot site application was conducted for the community of St. Peter-Ording at the German North Sea Coast combining failure probabilities of the [[coastal defence]] system with micro-scale socio-economic vulnerability analysis.
+
Development in or nearby a protected area like the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadden_Sea Wadden Sea] can only proceed under special conditions and as long as there is no adverse effect on the [[Carrying_capacity|carrying capacity]] and conservation targets. Meeting the legal requirements in coastal and estuarine areas presents great challenges when it comes to assessing the potential impacts of projects and activities. These challenges lie in assessing the potential impacts of a project or activity in these highly dynamic environments against a changing baseline due to e.g. climate change. This complexity and uncertainty means that the significance of effects is often subject to debate. In addition, coastal zones are generally already heavily developed, and subject to increasing ressure for more development. Therefore almost all new developments have a potential for significant effects on protected wildlife and there is little space left for alternative locations or compensation areas. The aim of this article is to identify ways to handle some of the development issues in the Wadden Sea.

Revision as of 14:22, 17 November 2008

Carrying capacity and development of the Wadden Sea

The Wadden Sea in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands

Development in or nearby a protected area like the Wadden Sea can only proceed under special conditions and as long as there is no adverse effect on the carrying capacity and conservation targets. Meeting the legal requirements in coastal and estuarine areas presents great challenges when it comes to assessing the potential impacts of projects and activities. These challenges lie in assessing the potential impacts of a project or activity in these highly dynamic environments against a changing baseline due to e.g. climate change. This complexity and uncertainty means that the significance of effects is often subject to debate. In addition, coastal zones are generally already heavily developed, and subject to increasing ressure for more development. Therefore almost all new developments have a potential for significant effects on protected wildlife and there is little space left for alternative locations or compensation areas. The aim of this article is to identify ways to handle some of the development issues in the Wadden Sea.