MODELLING EXTREME WAVE EVENTS (PRESENT AND FUTURE SCENARIOS) IN SOUTHWEST ENGLAND

Abstract

Coastal areas are vital part of the local economies in terms of population, tourism, trade, industry only to mention a few sectors. As the economy in these coastal areas develops, the risk in which the assets are based will increase as well as the likelihood of extreme events. The European project THESEUS "Innovative coastal technologies for safer European coasts in a changing climate† was conceived with the idea of tackle these and to reduce coastal risks. In this paper we will present a detailed study of the results obtained with the model and how this can affect the area of the Teign estuary under the future climate scenarios and the sea level rise expected. In particular the importance (or otherwise) of the joint extreme occurrence of large waves and high surge.