Coastal areas of the Gulf of Guinea faced with relative sea-level rise: knowns and unknowns

The densely populated and low-lying coastal areas of the Gulf of Guinea are particularly vulnerable to sea-level rise caused by global warming. However, another phenomenon could exacerbate the exposure of coastal populations and ecosystems to sea-level rise: land subsidence, i.e. the gradual lowering of the land surface itself. An issue which is critically under-quantified in the region. Which areas are most exposed to these two combined risks? Could subsidence rates increase in future decades ? To answer these questions, we need a reliable mapping of elevation in coastal zones, but also reliable measures of current subsidence rates and knowledge of the hydrogeology of the subsurface.  This webinar will provide an overview of the current state of knowledge on these issues in the region.

Animé par Marie-Noëlle Woillez, research program officer on climate change impacts (AFD)

Intervenants :

-          Philip Minderhoud, Assistant professor in Land subsidence and coastal-deltaic systems, Wageningen University (the Netherlands)

-          Pietro Teatini, Associate Professor in Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering, University of Padua (Italy),

-          Kwasi Appeaning Addo, Professor in Coastal Processes, Director of the Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies, College of Basic and Applied Science, University of Ghana (Ghana),