Summary of Change Increasing seasonality in precipitation can be expected with drier summers likely. An increase in the occurrence and magnitude of extreme rainfall events is also likely.
Climate Risks Identified Groundwater floodingPluvial floodingFluvial flooding
4.2.3 Sea Level Rise
| Observed | Observations indicate that sea level around Ireland has risen by approximately 3.5cm a decade since the early 1990s, which means an increase of up to 7.0cm between 1990 and 2015 [39]. |
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| Projected | An increase in global sea levels is projected suggest in the range of 0.26 to 0.55m for the low emissions scenario and 0.52 to 0.98 for the high emissions scenario [4]. However due to an as yet limited understanding of some of the important effects that contribute to rates of increase, a best estimate for sea level rise cannot be provided with confidence, and estimates of up to 4 to 6 m have been projected by some models [40].
The trend is likely to accelerate over the coming years with projected increases of 81 cm by the end of the century [9]. With 65% of Cork county's population living on or adjacent the coast, Cork is particularly vulnerable [14]. |
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| Summary of Change | Sea levels are expected to increase for all Irish coastal areas. |
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| Climate Risks Identified | Coastal flooding, which occurs when normally dry, low-lying land is flooded by seawater.
Coastal erosion, which is the process of wearing away material from the coastline due to imbalance in the supply and export of material from a certain section. It takes place in the form of scouring at the foot of cliffs or sand dunes and results in coastline retreat.
It is recognised that coastal systems and sediment dynamics will be altered by climate changes. Projected increases in storms and changes in wave action will result in increased levels of coastal erosion, transportation and deposition of sediments. |
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