COVER FEATURE
SEA LEVEL RISE IN
MALAYSIA
By Nor Aslinda Awang, Mohd Radzi Abdul Hamid,
E. M. Yahaya, N. & Shaaban, A. J.,
National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia
(NAHRIM)
S
ea level rise (SLR) is attributed to ocean
thermal expansion, melting Greenland
and Antarctic glaciers and decrease in
terrestrial storage (Dasgupta et al, 2007). SLR
can have a high economic impact especially on
low lying areas, such as the destruction of assets
and disruption to economic sectors, loss of human
lives, mental health effects, or loss of plants,
animals, and ecosystems. The severity depends
on their extremes, exposure and vulnerability
(IPCC, 2012; McLean, 2009). SLR may reduce the
size of an island or a state and its’ infrastructure
such as, airports, roads, and capital cities, which
tend to be situated in coastal areas. Inundation,
erosion, and other coastal hazards; threaten vital
infrastructure, settlements, and facilities; and
thus compromise the socio-economic well-being
of island communities and states (Handmer et al.,
2012). SLR varies spatially hence coastal nations
need to ascertain the likely extent of local impact.
The Malaysian Study on the Impact of Climate
Change on Sea Level Rise (NAHRIM, 2010) was
conducted with the purpose of first assessing the
rates of SLR by analyzing the observed tide gauge
and satellite altimeter data around the Malaysian
coast, then determining the projection of the sea
level rise along the coast.
Due to financial constraints, the SLR Study was
conducted in several phases:-
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