Climate change adaptation in Australia's Coasts

Updated 19 June 2009

National focus on climate change adaptation for coastal communities
Climate change impacts and coastal communities
- National Climate Change and Fisheries Action Plan
National Coastal Vulnerability Assessment
Information about climate change adaptation in coastal communities

National focus on climate change adaptation for coastal communities

Australia's coastal zone is under increasing pressure with approximately 80% of Australians now living within 50 km of the coast. The coast also supports important activities and features such as: infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries, tourism, coastal wetlands and estuaries, mangroves and other coastal vegetation, coral reefs, heritage areas and threatened species or habitats.

The likely impacts of climate change will increase the challenge of sustainable management of the coastal zone. Current coastal development patterns may be increasing coastal vulnerability to climate change. Impacts are likely to be complex, both physically and socioeconomically, and will vary from place to place.

There is potential for considerable damage to low-lying coastal settlements and infrastructure, particularly where populations, tourism and capital investment are large and growing, and to sensitive coastal ecosystems such as coral reefs.

To support a national focus on climate change adaptation for coastal communities, the Australian Government will direct $25 million of the $126 million provided under the Climate Change Adaptation Program:

address the impacts of climate change on coastal communities and
provide information to coastal councils on the likely impacts of climate change for their communities.

The National Climate Change and Fisheries Action Plan will assist coastal fisheries and aquaculture industries and communities adapt to climate change.

Climate change impacts and coastal communities

Beaches, estuaries, coastal wetlands, and reefs have adapted naturally to past changes in climate and sea level over long time scales. However, now and in the future they are likely to face faster rates of change. In many cases landward migration may be blocked by human land uses and infrastructure. Adaptation options include integrated coastal zone assessments and management; redesign, rebuilding, or relocation of capital assets; protection of beaches, dunes and maritime infrastructure; development zone control; and retreat plans.

Potential direct physical and ecosystem effects	Potential secondary and indirect impacts
Sea level rise
Increased coastal erosion Increased inundation of coastal wetlands and lowlands Increased risk of flooding and storm damage Increased salinisation of surface and ground waters Increased risk to coastal housing and infrastructure.	Infrastructure and economic activity affected
Increases in sea surface temperature
Increased coral bleaching Pole ward species migration Increased algal blooms	Impact on tourism
Altered rainfall and runoff patterns (local increases/decreases)
Altered river sediment supply Altered lowland flood risk Water quality/nutrient impacts	Implications for erosion and flooding
Altered wave climate
Altered erosion and accretion
Altered frequency of extreme weather events
Increased waves and surges Altered cyclone zones Further damage to coastal infrastructure and natural ecosystems

Synthesised from IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and SURVAS( Synthesis and Upscaling of sea-level Rise Vulnerability Assessment Studies) summaries.

Imacge Showing Potential Vulnerabilities to Coastal Impacts

Illustration of potential vulnerabilities to climate change impacts of a typical, tropical inhabited coastal regime, indicating the dynamic nature of the coastal zone and the potential for multiple stresses. Note: Text rectangles describe the coastal systems illustrated, while text ovals indicate the potential climate change impacts
Source: CSIRO

National Coastal Vulnerability Assessment

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) and the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council (NRMMC) have both identified the coast as a priority for climate change adaptation.

The Department of Climate Change, in consultation with State and Territory Governments, is conducting a National Coastal Vulnerability Assessment to:

identify the risks to Australia’s coastal zone from climate change (including the implications of sea-level rise);
provide decision makers with a better understanding of the potential risks; and
identify priority areas for research.

The inital assessment will involve a preliminary analysis on the risks facing Australia’s coastal zone and key assets (coastline, biodiversity, settlements and infrastructure).

The final report on the NCVA is due for completion in 2009. This will be followed by extensive consultation on the results of the work and on directions for the future. Key elements of the NCVA are outlined below.

Coastal Digital Elevation modelling

A mid-resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) for the entire Australian coastline and islands is being developed through a National Elevation Data Framework (NEDF) negotiated through the Spatial Information Council, ANZLIC. It will be made available to government agencies at all levels.

The Department of Climate Change is also developing, through the Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information, an Urban DEM to map the inundation risks from climate change in priority areas such as Sydney, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.

Smartline - National Shoreline Geomorphic and Stability Mapping Project

The Department of Climate Change and Geoscience Australia are working together to provide fundamental datasets to support decision-makers in identifying those areas in Australia’s coastal zone where potential climate change impacts may be rated as high, medium and low. To assist with this, Geoscience Australia has contracted the University of Tasmania to conduct a National Shoreline Geomorphic and Stability Mapping Project.

This mapping project includes the preparation of a nationally-consistent geomorphic map of the entire Australian shoreline in a geographic information system (GIS)-based segmented line format known as ‘Smartline’. It will form the basis for detailed modelling of erosion, impacts of storm surge, and changed wave climates on Australia’s coastline. Further information is available from Geoscience Australia.

Vulnerability of coastal biodiversity to climate change

The vulnerability of coastal biodiversity to climate change is also being assessed by the CSIRO Division of Marine and Atmospheric Research. It will build on existing information for coastal ecosystems such as beaches, estuaries, wetlands, dune vegetation, mangrove, saltmarsh, seagrass, rocky reef, coral reef and macroalgae. Further information is available from CSIRO.

Coastal climate change case studies

A number of case studies are underway to provide further local scale examination of a range of coastal climate change issues, incuding in Kakadu, the Gold Coast (Pimpana River), the Hunter Region, Tasmanian coasts, the South Australian Yorke Peninsula, and the West Australian Pilbara coast.

Other relevant Australian Government activities underway include projects announced in June 2008:

$310,000 to develop an interactive web-based tool to enable planners, engineers and policymakers incorporate projections of high sea-level events into their planning codes.
$479,000 to develop a tool to project how climate change affects variations in offshore wave characteristics by combining climate modelling and spectral wave modelling.

Information about climate change adaptation in coastal communities

Information for decision makers on the coastal impacts of climate change is available from a number of reports commissioned by the Australian Government:

Variability and trends in the Australian wave climate and consequent coastal vulnerability - 2008
Reports released under the Integrated Assessment of Human Settlements initiative - 2008
Managing Australian landscapes in a changing climate - a climate change primer for regional Natural Resource Management bodies - 2008
Climate Change Adaptation Actions for Local Government - 2007
An Assessment of the Need to Adapt Buildings to the Unavoidable Consequences of Climate Change - 2007
Vulnerability to Climate Change of Australia's Coastal Zone : Analysis of gaps in methods, data and system thresholds - 2006:
(1) Provides a concise summary of the extent of knowledge (including gaps) of methods for assessing potential impacts of climate change on coastal systems; the data required to conduct such assessments; scientific understanding of the sensitivity of coastal systems to climate change, including climate-related thresholds; and (2) identifies and prioritises research needs that will lead to a feasible and practical vulnerability assessment within a reasonable timeframe.
International assessments of the vulnerability of the coastal zone to climate change including an Australian perspective - 2006
This report examines what global coastal vulnerability assessments say about Australia, and considers global, and in some cases national, assessments of vulnerability to climate change to evaluate the implications for the Australian coast, or to assess the applicability of particular approaches and methods to Australia.
Assessing and Mapping Australia's Coastal Vulnerability to Climate Change: Expert Technical Workshop - 2005
This is areport from an expert technical workshop designed to identify key issues, share information, seek clarification and develop recommendations on the knowledge and methodologies required to assess, map and communicate Australia's coastal vulnerability to the impacts of climate change.
Impacts of climate change on Australian marine life - 2006
- provides the first broad synthesis of current knowledge of climate change impacts on Australian marine life. It assesses climate impacts by (1) reviewing the scientific literature on climate change impacts on Australian marine life in the context of known impacts elsewhere in the world, and (2) developing an indicator-based ranking of the vulnerability of marine life to projected climate changes in the seven Large Marine Domains adjacent to continental Australia.