Abstract:
The increasing rates of sea level rise caused by global warming within the 21st
century are expected to exacerbate inundation and episodic flooding tide in low-lying
coastal environments. This development threatens both human development and natural
habitats within such coastal communities. The impact of sea level rise will be more
pronounced in developing countries where there is limited adaptation capacity. This paper
presents a comprehensive assessment of the expected impacts of sea level rise in three
communities in the Dansoman coastal area of Accra, Ghana. Future sea level rises were
projected based on global scenarios and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial
Research Organization General Circulation Models—CSIRO_MK2_GS GCM. These were
used in the SimCLIM model based on the modified Bruun rule and the simulated results
overlaid on near vertical aerial photographs taken in 2005. It emerged that the Dansoman
coastline could recede by about 202 m by the year 2100 with baseline from 1970 to 1990.
The potential impacts on the socioeconomic and natural systems of the Dansoman coastal
area were characterized at the Panbros, Grefi and Gbegbeyise communities. The study
revealed that about 84% of the local dwellers is aware of the rising sea level in the coastal
area but have poor measures of adapting to the effects of flood disasters. Analysis of the
likely impacts of coastal inundation revealed that about 650,000 people, 926 buildings and
a total area of about 0.80 km2 of land are vulnerable to permanent inundation by the year
2100. The study has shown that there will be significant losses to both life and property by
the year 2100 in the Dansoman coastal community in the event of sea level rise.
