Cecilia's Geology of Canada: Week 13: Coastal Hazards

Coastal Hazards in Canada

In Canada, coastal erosion happens for many reasons. For example, in Atlantic Canada, waves, tidal action, wind, rain, ice, storm surge, and surface runoff are some reasons for resulting in coastal erosion. Sea Levels around the Earth are rising, especially in Canada, where in the East, it's sinking, and in the North, the coastal land is lifting. By the year 2100, in areas of Canada, sea levels may rise as much as 175 cm because of the expected melt in Antarctica due to the high emissions. These changes will impact a large population in British Columbia. However, In Atlantic Canada, the sea levels will rise in the most significantly. All three coastlines with indigenous communities are vulnerable to this. "In a 2019 global analysis of population vulnerability to sea level rise and coastal flooding, Kulp and Strauss estimated there to be 320,000 to 600,000 people in Canada who currently occupy land that is subject to sea level rise and coastal flooding." The four Atlantic provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prine Edward Island, Newfoundland, and Labrador, have a coastline of about 38,000 kilometers. British Columbia's coastline is about 26,000 kilometers, and Canada's Arctic coastline is about 162,000 kilometers, a total of about 226,000 kilometers, and exposed to sea level rise.

Figure 1: Projected relative sea level rise in Canada by 2100

John Clague, an earth sciences professor, said that Fiona produced a lot of permanent. He did, however, mention a lot of Canada's surrounding erosion has to do with the imbalance of sediment. Models show by 2100, there will be a loss of between 6,400 and 14,400 kilometers of sandy beach in Canada. There are studies that show that erosion on Prince Edward Island is at an overall average rate of 0.28 metres per year from 1968 and 2010.

Canada has the world's longest coastline. It also has developed world-class expertise in managing its country's flood risk. So much so that they have also helped other countries to help them with mitigation efforts for flooding and erosion.

"Canada’s areas of strength in coastal adaptation and flood risk mitigation

Industry leading multi-hazard risk assessment and analysis
Collaboration with local partners that is mindful of local culture, heritage and economic conditions
Capacity building and technical training for local experts
Climate change impact and adaptation monitoring systems
Award-winning technology including original monitoring and forecasting tools
Adaptation program monitoring and evaluation
Transparent access to data and information
Online decision support systems for flood risk management
GIS-based hazard information and mapping
Evidence-based, replicable and auditable adaptation solutions"