Broad Scale Coastal Simulation: New Techniques to Understand and Manage Shorelines in the Third Millennium details research underpinning the 'Coastal Simulator' developed by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. The Simulator provides a framework to analyze long term coastal evolution taking account of all the relevant factors. These include the uncertain future climate and other conditions, such as land use change and allows evaluation of diverse management responses.
Coastal zones exemplify the environmental pressures we face: their beauty attracts settlement, they offer potential for diverse economic activities, and they are sensitive natural habitats for important species, as well as providing a range of ecosystem services. They are also extremely vulnerable to the vicissitudes of climate change, which include rising sea levels and changes in extreme events such as storms. With large populations living in coastal and estuarine cities facing the ongoing threat of inundation, coordinated management is essential, especially as coastal zones form a linked system in which piecemeal, uncoordinated management could be counterproductive.
The Simulator's current detailed application to the Norfolk coast goes from global climate modelling and broad socio-economic change to the details of evolving coastal habitats, coastal erosion and coastal flood risk and their societal implications. This framework reflects the work of a multi-disciplinary team of key players who analysed these diverse factors in a coherent and integrated manner. Broad Scale Coastal Simulation: New Techniques to Understand and Manage Shorelines in the Third Millennium offers a compelling synthesis of the lessons learned so far at national and international levels, drawing on the expertise of policy makers as well as respected figures in the field.
Chapter 1 - The Challenge for Coastal Management During the Third Millennium
Chapter 2 - Climate Downscaling: Local Mean Sea-Level, Surge and Wave Modelling
Chapter 3 - Broad-Scale Hydrodynamic Simulation, Wave Transformation and Sediment Pathways
Chapter 4 - Land Use Dynamics and Coastal Management
Chapter 5 - Evaluating Broad-Scale Morphological Change in the Coastal Zone Using a Logic Based Behavioural Systems Approach
Chapter 6 - Coastal Wetland Habitats: Future Challenges and Potential Solutions
Chapter 7 - Simulating the Shore and Cliffs of North Norfolk
Chapter 8 - Broad Scale Coastal Inundation Modelling
Chapter 9 - Broad Scale Flood and Erosion Risk Analysis
Chapter 10 - Visualising Potential Coastal Change: Communicating Results Using Visualisation Techniques
Chapter 11 - The Coastal Simulator Interface: Integration and Application
Chapter 12 - Many Stakeholders, Multiple Perspectives: Long-Term Planning for a Future Coast
Chapter 13 - Living with Uncertainty: Difficult Choices for Coastal Management in the UK During the Third Millennium
Chapter 14 - Generic Lessons for Coastal Management in the Third Millennium