Coastal inundation due to tropical cyclones along the east coast of India: an influence of climate change impact

• Published in: Natural hazards (Dordrecht) Vol. 101; no. 1; pp. 39 - 57
• Main Authors: Rao, A. D., Upadhaya, Puja, Ali, Hyder, Pandey, Smita, Warrier, Vidya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.03.2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Civil Engineering; Climate change; Climate change influences; Coastal climates; Coastal zone; Coasts; Computation; Cyclones; Cyclonic winds; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Environmental impact; Environmental Management; Geophysics/Geodesy; Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences; Global warming; Hurricanes; Hydrogeology; Natural Hazards; Original Paper; Pressure drop; Storm surges; Storm tides; Storms; Tidal flooding; Tides; Tropical climate; Tropical cyclones; Water levels; Winds; India; Climate change; Tropical cyclones; Storm tides; Coastal inundation; Numerical model; Bay of Bengal
• ISSN: 0921-030X; 1573-0840
• DOI: 10.1007/s11069-020-03861-9

Coastal inundation due to storm tides is computed using ADvanced CIRCulation (ADCIRC) model along the east coast of India. Inland inundation due to storm tides is calculated every 10 km along the coast by using synthetic tracks as described in Rao et al. (Nat Hazards, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-019-03804-z ). The cyclonic winds are computed using a maximum pressure drop of the cyclone based on a 100-year return period. The coast is mapped for the maximum possible extent of inland inundation with water levels at the district level. The influence of climate change impact as a result of global warming on the coastal inundation is evaluated by enhancing the intensity of the cyclones. Peak water levels of about 10–12 m are found along the north of Odisha coast. The most vulnerable region in terms of coastal inundation in the present scenario is found in the districts of West Bengal; however, they are the least affected by about 5–6% due to climate change scenario (CCS). The most affected inundated districts by more than 50% due to CCS are observed in the Godavari deltaic region in Andhra Pradesh. Though the water levels in the Ramanathapuram District in Tamil Nadu reach more than 8 m in any scenario, the region is unaffected by the coastal inundation due to high local topography. By examining the inundated area of different water levels, it is revealed that more than 75% of the total area is inundated with greater than 2 m water levels in the northern districts of Odisha and Ramanathapuram District in Tamil Nadu.