Coastal erosion to worsen over next decade as storms wash WA beaches away

Western Australia could be hit with some of the worst flooding and coastal erosion it has ever seen in the next decade, as the tidal cycle combines with increased water levels caused by global warming.

A gazebo in the WA town of Lancelin was undercut by
erosion. It was later demolished

Recent storm damage has pounded the Western Australian coast, with the beachside town of Lancelin losing its gazebo at one of the community's main beaches, and a holiday home sliding into the ocean at nearby Wedge Island.

Other parts of the state, including Fremantle's Port Beach and Geographe Bay have copped the brunt of recent ferocious cold fronts.

Read the ABC News story by Rebecca Trigger - “Coastal erosion to worsen over next decade as storms wash WA beaches away.”

Sea-level rise, erosion, coastal flooding greatest human challenge

Many island homes are close to sea level.

Sea-level rise, erosion and coastal flooding are some of the greatest challenges facing humanity from climate change.

Recently at least five reef islands in the remote Solomon Islands have been lost completely to sea-level rise and coastal erosion, and a further six islands have been severely eroded.

These islands lost to the sea range in size from one to five hectares. They supported dense tropical vegetation that was at least 300 years old. Nuatambu Island, home to 25 families, has lost more than half of its habitable area, with 11 houses washed into the sea since 2011.

This is the first scientific evidence, published in Environmental Research Letters, that confirms the numerous anecdotal accounts from across the Pacific of the dramatic impacts of climate change on coastlines and people.

Read The Conversation story - “Sea-level rise has claimed five whole islands in the Pacific: first scientific evidence.”