Contributions to coastal flooding events in southeast of Vietnam and their link with global mean sea level rise

Abstract

This work analyzes the components of the total water level (TWL) that cause flooding in a tropical coastal area (Nha Trang beach, Southeast of Vietnam), and examines their link with global mean sea level rise (GMSLR). Interactions between the wave induced run-up (R) and astronomical tide (AT) were responsible for 43% of the 35 flooding events identified between 1993 and 2015. Most of these events (97%) took place during the winter monsoon season, when long-lasting extreme R and positive non-tidal residual (NTR) are likely to occur. Removal of the GMSLR trend from the NTR was found to affect the flood occurrence of 17% of these events, while the trend in wave height did not have any detectable impact. Our research highlights the direct connection between global climate changes and coastal flooding events.