Effects of sea level rise in coastal Bangaldesh.

What is it about?

The Ganges-Brahmaputra coast is vulnerable to flooding and has experienced great loss of life in storm surges caused by tropical cyclones. We use a model to investigate how the combined effect of sea level rise and changing weather patterns could change the frequency and size of high sea level events at the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta. We found that water levels that occurred once in 10 years under present-day conditions occurred in most years by the middle of the 21st century and 3–15 times per year by 2100.

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Why is it important?

Global and regional projections of sea level rise are available, but they do not translate directly into impacts at the local level. Our results indicate how sea level rise will affect this low-lying area, with implications for decisions about sea defences and population movement.