Global mortality from storm surges is decreasing
Changes in society’s vulnerability to natural hazards are important to understand, as they determine current and future risks, and the need to improve protection. Very large impacts including high numbers of fatalities occur due to single storm surge flood events. Here, we report on impacts of globa...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2018-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa98a3 |
| _version_ | 1797748145126375424 |
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| author | Laurens M Bouwer Sebastiaan N Jonkman |
| author_facet | Laurens M Bouwer Sebastiaan N Jonkman |
| author_sort | Laurens M Bouwer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Changes in society’s vulnerability to natural hazards are important to understand, as they determine current and future risks, and the need to improve protection. Very large impacts including high numbers of fatalities occur due to single storm surge flood events. Here, we report on impacts of global coastal storm surge events since the year 1900, based on a compilation of events and data on loss of life. We find that over the past, more than eight thousand people are killed and 1.5 million people are affected annually by storm surges. The occurrence of very substantial loss of life (>10 000 persons) from single events has however decreased over time. Moreover, there is a consistent decrease in event mortality, measured by the fraction of exposed people that are killed, for all global regions, except South East Asia. Average mortality for storm surges is slightly higher than for river floods, but lower than for flash floods. We also find that for the same coastal surge water level, mortality has decreased over time. This indicates that risk reduction efforts have been successful, but need to be continued with projected climate change, increased rates of sea-level rise and urbanisation in coastal zones. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:00:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7ce0d50893244e5abc630b5b8d2aa00a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:00:40Z |
| publishDate | 2018-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-7ce0d50893244e5abc630b5b8d2aa00a2023-08-09T14:37:47ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262018-01-0113101400810.1088/1748-9326/aa98a3Global mortality from storm surges is decreasingLaurens M Bouwer0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3498-2586Sebastiaan N Jonkman1Deltares , Delft, The Netherlands; Author to whom any correspondence should be addressed.Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Department of Hydraulic Engineering , Delft, The NetherlandsChanges in society’s vulnerability to natural hazards are important to understand, as they determine current and future risks, and the need to improve protection. Very large impacts including high numbers of fatalities occur due to single storm surge flood events. Here, we report on impacts of global coastal storm surge events since the year 1900, based on a compilation of events and data on loss of life. We find that over the past, more than eight thousand people are killed and 1.5 million people are affected annually by storm surges. The occurrence of very substantial loss of life (>10 000 persons) from single events has however decreased over time. Moreover, there is a consistent decrease in event mortality, measured by the fraction of exposed people that are killed, for all global regions, except South East Asia. Average mortality for storm surges is slightly higher than for river floods, but lower than for flash floods. We also find that for the same coastal surge water level, mortality has decreased over time. This indicates that risk reduction efforts have been successful, but need to be continued with projected climate change, increased rates of sea-level rise and urbanisation in coastal zones.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa98a3loss of lifestorm surgecoastvulnerabilitymortalityclimate change |
| spellingShingle | Laurens M Bouwer Sebastiaan N Jonkman Global mortality from storm surges is decreasing Environmental Research Letters loss of life storm surge coast vulnerability mortality climate change |
| title | Global mortality from storm surges is decreasing |
| title_full | Global mortality from storm surges is decreasing |
| title_fullStr | Global mortality from storm surges is decreasing |
| title_full_unstemmed | Global mortality from storm surges is decreasing |
| title_short | Global mortality from storm surges is decreasing |
| title_sort | global mortality from storm surges is decreasing |
| topic | loss of life storm surge coast vulnerability mortality climate change |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa98a3 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT laurensmbouwer globalmortalityfromstormsurgesisdecreasing AT sebastiaannjonkman globalmortalityfromstormsurgesisdecreasing |