Assessment of inundation risk from sea level rise and critical area for barrier construction: a GIS-based framework and application on the eastern coastal areas of Qatar

Al-Mannai, A.Aziz (2021) Assessment of inundation risk from sea level rise and critical area for barrier construction: a GIS-based framework and application on the eastern coastal areas of Qatar. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

Climate has changed throughout geological history as part of the natural process, which consequently altered the extent and the level of seas. However, the rate of these changes has accelerated from the second half of the last century. There is much scientific evidence that climate change has and will continue to accelerate the rate of sea level rise in the 21st century. This creates a significant risk for many countries in terms of flooding, coastal erosion and wetland inundation, which in turn will impact human communities (socially and economically) and ecosystems. It is
therefore vital to have reliable strategies for modelling and reducing the impact of climate change.

This study provided a methodology based on geospatial technology to provide stakeholders with a decision-making tool for better understanding of uncertainties in climate change study and
future flood defence planning. This study integrated the uncertainties from both DEM and RCPs to provide a better projection of flooding that results from sea level rise. The study also looked at the errors and the spatial autocorrelation aspect and provides evidence that the independency of the error did not improve the outcomes significantly.

Identifying the critical area in studying sea level rise inundation is crucially important for the decision makers to plan to and prevent future flooding by building barriers. This study developed a method to include the factors affecting the site selection by integrating the multi-criterial evaluation with GIS tool for site selection. In Qatar and many other countries, industrial activities, especially from the oil and gas industry, are concentrated in the coastal areas. The economic benefit of protecting the coastal areas from flooding is important for the wider economy of the country. Therefore, prioritising the areas based on the risk of flooding and identification of the critical areas to build barriers will help in making decisions on future investments by governments and companies operating in those areas.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	04 Aug 2021 09:51
Last Modified:	04 Aug 2021 09:51
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/80965
DOI:

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