Rising Sea Level and Its Impacts

Rising sea level will mean coastal flooding will happen more often and will cause more damage, especially in low-lying parts of the world like Bangladesh and the Maldives. Coastal flooding has a variety of impacts.

1) Loss of tourism - many coastal areas are popular tourist destinations. Flooding can cause tourist attractions to close and it can put people off visiting.

2) Damage repair - repairing flood damage can be extremely expensive.

3) Loss of agricultural land - seawater has a high salt content. Salt reduces soil fertility, so crop production can be affected for years after a flood

1) Ecosystems affected - seawater has a high salt content. Increased salt levels can damage or kill organisms in an ecosystem.

2) Vegetation killed by water - the force of floodwater uproots trees and plants. Standing flood water also drowns some trees and plants.

3) Increased erosion - a large volume of fast-moving water can erode lots of material, damaging the envrionment.