Vertical Land Motion and Coastal Cities: Bridging Global Science and Policy for Resilient Communities

Shirzaei, Manoochehr, Ohenhen, Leonard O., Atkins, Carmen, Awasthi, Shubham, Carlson, Grace, Dasho, Oluwaseyi, Daud, Ntambila, Feng, Guangcai, Jiang, Hongbo, Khorrami, Mohammad, Lucy, Jonathan, Reshadati, Mahmoud, Sadhasivam, Natheshnirmal, Sherpa, Sonam F., Zhai, Guang, Zhong, Wen, Becker, Claire, Wise, Clayton, Etzler, William, Isiaka, Ibrahim O., Kamaraj, Nivedita P., Onyike, Lforence, Oyedele, Esther O., Wilson, Sarah, AghaKouchak, Amir, Bukvic, Anamaria, Burgmann, Roland, Freymeuller, Jeffrey, Heck, Nadine, Nicholls, Robert, Oelsmann, Julius, Narayan, Siddharth, Teatini, Pietro, Vahedifard, Farshid, Jaramillo, Michelle and Werth, Susanna (2026) Vertical Land Motion and Coastal Cities: Bridging Global Science and Policy for Resilient Communities. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 54. ISSN 0084-6597

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Abstract

Vertical land motion (VLM) is an underrecognized hazard in susceptible coastal cities, especially those experiencing rapid urbanization. Human-induced VLM often causes elevation loss (subsidence) at rates that exceed, sometimes by an order of magnitude or more, those of climate-driven sea-level rise. Local land subsidence (LLS) also damages infrastructure, disrupts drainage, and alters flood dynamics, yet its broader impacts remain poorly quantified and systematically assessed. This review synthesizes the scientific, technical, and policy dimensions of VLM, with particular focus on LLS, highlighting how natural processes and human activities interact to amplify coastal hazards. We examine the geophysical drivers of VLM, advances in monitoring and modeling, and their integration into hazard assessment frameworks. We consider socioeconomic and infrastructural vulnerabilities of city residents, especially where limited observational capacity and governance gaps intensify risk. VLM acts as both a physical amplifier and a socio-institutional blind spot within coastal adaptation planning, requiring real-time data integration, scenario testing, and inclusive policy development. Finally, we identify key research frontiers—including subsidence mitigation strategies, dynamic VLM projections, and equitable, high-resolution risk assessment—to support more resilient, adaptive, and just coastal futures.

Item Type:	Article
Faculty \ School:	University of East Anglia Research Groups/Centres > Theme - ClimateUEA
UEA Research Groups:	University of East Anglia Schools > Faculty of Science > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Collaborative Centre for Sustainable Use of the Seas
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	16 Apr 2026 08:40
Last Modified:	16 Apr 2026 08:40
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/102786
DOI:	10.1146/annurev-earth-032524-120845

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