Impact of sea level rise in the coastal zone of Puerto Rico island

Khrisia A. Torres Camacho

September 2, 2015

CIAM 6117: Coastal Resources

What is a climate change?

What is a sea level rise?

What is an island?

How the increase in sea level has impacted the coasts of Puerto Rico?

Control and Mitigation Measures

Discussion

• Puerto Rico v.s other Carribean Islands

Outline

Climate change is referring to any long-term change in the climate of the Earth, or the climate of a region or city.

This includes both heating and cooling, change in average precipitation and heavy rain events, sea level rise and other changes.

What is a climate change?

PRCCC,2013

What is a sea level rise?

Sea level, is the height of the sea surface averaged over all stages of the tide over a long period of time (Encyclopædia

Britannica,2015)

Causes of global mean sea level rise

1. Warming the ocean (thermal expansion)

2. Loss of ice by glaciers and ice sheets

3. Reduction of liquid water storage on land

(IPCC,2013)

Regional sea level rise by the end of the 21st century

Global Mean Sea Level Projections

An island is land completely surrounded by water

What is an island?

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/carib.htm

How the increase in sea level has impacted the coasts of Puerto Rico?

(PRCCC,2013)

Forest- Increase the risk of salt intrusion- Tolerance levels-Increase Mortality

Tourism- Coastal erosion, Loss of beach area, Higher cost to protect and maintain waterfronts and sea defense

Livelihoods- increased can lead to coastal erosion and related damage to structure that can affect livelihoods, increase could results in the loss of coastal habitat that serve as natural barriers

Sea level rise Impacts

(PRCCC,2013)

Sea level rise impacts

Shorebirds and sea birds- starvation during migration stopovers for re-fueling, displacement in to less optimal habitat, potential increased in predation in less optimal habitat, nest abandonment and mortality egg and chicks

Loss of smalls islands (Guayanilla case)

(PRCCC,2013)

Coral Reef

Other Impacts

(PRCCC,2013)

Coastal Zone Impacts

South area of Puerto Rico

Loiza

Control and Mitigation Measures

(Nicholls,2011)

Future impacts of sea level rise

The magnitude of sea level rise

Coastal physicography

The level and manner of coastal development

The success (or failure) of adaptation

(Nicholls,2011)

Discussion

A short, medium and long term Puerto Rico we are prepared to work with this situation? What remains to be done?

As you can compare with other Caribbean islands?

Other recommendations?

References

Intergovernmental Panel on climate change. 2013. Projections of sea level rise. https://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/unfccc/cop19/3_gregory13sbsta.pdf

Nicholls,RJ. 2011. Planning for the impacts of sea level rise. Oceanography 24(2): 144-157, doi: 10.5670/oceanog.2011.2011.34.

Puerto Rico Council (PRCCC).State of Puerto Rico Climate 2010-2013 Excecute Summary. Assesing Puerto Rico Social-Ecological vulnerabilities in a changing climate. Electronic Version. Puerto Rico Coastal Zone Management Program, Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resources Management(NOAA-OCRM), San Juan, Puerto Rico. pp 27

Sea level. 2015. Enciclopedia Britanica. http://global.britannica.com/science/sea-level

Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Sea level Rise Viewer http://coast.noaa.gov/slr/

Google Images

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/carib.htm

http://www.miprv.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/DSC_0202_1-e1348427237147.jpg

http://recend.apextech.netdna-cdn.com/images/tn/0/36/3000/1530/900/447/2015/02/28/5685506.jpg