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Sea-Level Rise and Storm Surges : A Comparative Analysis of Impacts in Developing Countries

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Date
2009-04-01
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2009-04-01
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Abstract
An increase in sea surface temperature is evident at all latitudes and in all oceans. The current understanding is that ocean warming plays a major role in intensified cyclone activity and heightened storm surges. The vulnerability of coastlines to intensified storm surges can be ascertained by overlaying Geographic Information System information with data on land, population density, agriculture, urban extent, major cities, wetlands, and gross domestic product for inundation zones likely to experience more intense storms and a 1 meter sea-level rise. The results show severe impacts are likely to be limited to a relatively small number of countries and a cluster of large cities at the low end of the international income distribution.
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Dasgupta, Susmita; Laplante, Benoit; Murray, Siobhan; Wheeler, David. 2009. Sea-Level Rise and Storm Surges : A Comparative Analysis of Impacts in Developing Countries. Policy Research working paper ; no. WPS 4901. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/4095 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
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