Quantifying coastal inundation vulnerability of Turkey to sea-level rise

PubMedID: 17503205The vulnerability of low-lying coastal areas in Turkey to inundation was quantified based on the sea-level rise scenarios of 1, 2, and 3 m by 2205. Through digital elevation model (DEM) acquired by the shuttle radar topography mission (SRTM), the extent and distribution of the high to low-risk coastal plains were identified. The spatio-temporal analysis revealed the inundated coastal areas of 545, 1,286, and 2,125 km2 at average rates of 5, 10, and 15 mm yr-1 for 200 years, respectively. This is equivalent to minimum and maximum land losses by 2205 of 0.1-0.3% of the total area and of 1.3-5.2% of the coastal areas with elevations of less than 100 m in the country, respectively. This study provides an initial assessment of vulnerability to sea-level rise to help decision-makers, and other concerned stakeholders to develop appropriate public policies and land-use planning measures. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2007.Acknowledgements The authors gratefully acknowledge the scientific research grant (KARIYER-TOVAG-104O550) of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK)