Massive flooding could endanger European coastal communities

American Geophysical Union

Massive coastal flooding in northern Europe that now occurs once every century could happen every year if greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) continue to rise, finds a new study published in Earth’s Future, a journal of the American Geophysical Union.

Northern Europe will see the strongest increase in extreme sea levels. Areas along the Mediterranean and the Black Sea could see these 100-year extreme sea level events several times a year. In the North Sea region, extreme sea levels could increase by nearly 1 meter under the worst-case scenario. The Atlantic coasts of the United Kingdom and Ireland could see similar increases in extreme sea levels while lower but still considerable increases in extreme sea levels are projected for the Norwegian and Baltic seas.