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Freshwater is essential for a functional society and the human well-being. However, it should not be taken for granted. Freshwater aquifers in coastal are subject to current and future risk of becoming saltwater contaminated – reaching a tipping point. Freshwater security on islands is vulnerable. The aim of this empirical study is to identify the effects of a 2-meter sea level rise and the current risk of well salinization at the Baltic Sea island of Öland, Sweden. A Geographical Information System (GIS) was used to conduct a quantitative risk assessment analysis. Natural and physical parameters affect the risk of intrusion into wells including hydrology, geomorphology, and climatology. Anthropogenic causes and climate change also add to the risk of salinization. However, they are not included in the quantitative study. The spatial distribution of the current risk is mapped in this study and can be used as a tool to identify wells at risk. Moreover, a future sea level rise has been visualized and show that 3% of all wells on the island will get directly inundated along with 5% of the total land area. Important land such as urban areas, nature reserves, and animal protection areas will get inundated including the loss of environmental and socio-economic values. A precautionary approach needs to be implemented in future planning since many wells are already at risk of salinization. The complexity of the problem is vast, and this study aims to fill the gaps in literature and previous research in a more multi-criterion way. Nevertheless, the political discussion urgently needs to address the topic and a mitigation and adaptation strategy must be on the agenda.

The purpose of this thesis was to determine the extent of sea level rise (SLR) impact on sea turtle nesting beach habitat on Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) as well as impacts on management strategies. The Archie Carr NWR is of exceptional importance due to the high density of Loggerhead, Leatherback, and Green sea turtles that nest there in the summer months. GIS data provided by the Archie Carr NWR and various SLR scenarios, provided by both the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as well as leading scholars, were used to determine inundation area loss across the Refuge as well as nearby parcels targeted for possible acquisition. Inundation losses for the six scenarios were calculated to be in the 20-25% range. Approximately 26% of current lower priority parcels are reclassified as high priority when integrating this information. Therefore, a significant revision to future acquisition strategies is recommended.

Flood risk increases with rising sea levels and coastal settlements need to adapt to this increasing risk. For that, hazard and risk assessments are an important step. Coastal floods have caused problems in Iceland in the past and are thought to do so in the future as well. Therefore, a coastal flooding risk as- sessment needs to be made for Iceland. A risk assessment is currently in the early steps of preparation and a fitting method needs to be developed. To facilitate the process, an overview of the methods used in neighbouring countries is provided here and the suitability of the methods for Iceland is discussed. Building on these methods, a coastal flood scenario is produced for both present and future conditions as a preliminary hazard assessment for the country. The scenario produced is an upper bound scenario, highly unlikely but still possible. As a result, flooded areas are mapped and areas that need to be studied further in regard to flood hazard and risk are identified. It is shown that hazard estimation can be per- formed for Iceland through scenario production and that scenario results can be used in risk assessments. / De nuvarande klimatförändringar i världen kommer påverka människor på många olika sätt. En av de många saker som förändras är havsnivån. Havsnivån har stigit allt snabbare sedan i början av 1900 talet och kommer nästan säkert att fortsätta stiga i flera århudraden. Förhöjda havsnivåer föl- jer ökad översvämningsrisk som vi måste anpassa oss efter (Church, Clark, et al., 2013). Därför är riskbedömningar, alltså systematiska förfarande för att värdera risk, viktiga så att passande förebyggande åtgärder kan användas för att minska negativa påverkan från havsöversvämningar. En bedömning av översvämningsrisk från havet fattas för Island men för närvarande förbereder Is- ländska Meteorologiska Byrån att genomföra en. En tillämplig method behövs hittas och för att un- derlätta arbetet beskrivas i denna rapport metoder för preliminära bedömningar av översvämningsrisk från några av Islands grannländer; Danmark, Norge, Sverige och Storbrittanien. I huvudsak använder alla dessa länder liknande metoder, även om de har olika fysiska förutsättningar. De använder statis- tiska återkomsttider från mareograf data och informationer om historiska översvämningar för att bedöma faran. Sårbarhet identifieras inom fyra sårbarhets klasser, ofta genom ett index. Till slut sammanställs faro- och sårbarhetskartor för att bedöma risken och utpeka områden med översvämningsrisk. Eftersom Island har inte tillräckligt mycket data för att använda samma metoder som grannländerna, produceras i den här rapporten ett scenario för att värdera översvämningsfaran. Scenariot bygger på idéer från grannländerna och ska vara osannolikt men möjligt. Det är beräknad för både nuvarande och framtida förhållanden. Genom att subtrahera landhöjden från scenario havsnivån är översvämningsdju- pet beräknat. Några områden vart vattnet sannolikt skulle flöda och måste vara grundligt forskade är identiferade. Många påverkande faktorer är inte inkluderade i scenariot och därför anger resultatet inte noggranna översvämningskartor utan grovt överblick över översvämningsfaran. Resultaten ger alltså en idé om vart faran från havsöversvämningar är som störst och i vilka områden framtidiga havsnivåförän- dringar kommer bli som största. De visar också att ett scenario kan användas för farobedömning på Island, som sen kan kombineras med sårbarhetsbedömning via en index för att bedöma översvämn- ingsrisken på samma sätt som i grannländerna.

The consequences due to sea level rise are many, and will affect the environment and societies all around the world. There is uncertainty about how much and how quickly the sea will rise. Despite the uncertainties, society must be adapted to a changing climate. The climate change adaptation work is relatively new in Sweden, and there are still uncertainties about how this work should be carried out, and by whom. This thesis examines to what degree the Swedish parliament parties’ view on how to plan and adapt to sea level rise differ. The study is based on interviews with representatives from a majority of the political parties in the Swedish parliament. The results show that the interviewed representatives all agree that climate change and sea level rise are important issues to work with. The result also shows that the different parties have managed to agree on what they want to achieve, but not how or when it is best to implement adaptation measures towards sea level rise and other climate change-related effects. / Konsekvenserna av havsnivåhöjningar är många och kommer att påverka miljön och samhällen över hela jorden. Det råder osäkerheter om hur mycket och hur snabbt haven kommer höjas. Trots osäkerheterna så måste samhället anpassas till ett förändrat klimat. Klimatanpassningsarbetet är relativt nytt i Sverige och det råder fortfarande oklarheter om hur detta ska genomföras och av vem.   Uppsatsen undersöker i vilken utsträckning de svenska riksdagspartiernas åsikter angående planeringen och anpassningar till havsnivåhöjningen skiljer sig. Studien bygger på intervjuer med representanter från en majoritet av de politiska partierna i riksdagen. Resultaten visar på att de intervjuade representanterna alla håller med om att klimatanpassning är viktigt att arbeta med. Resultaten visar även på att de olika partierna har lyckats enas om vad man vill uppnå, men dock inte på vilket sätt man ska gå till väga eller när det är bäst att implementera åtgärder mot havsnivåhöjning och andra klimatförändringsrelaterade effekter.

The fast urbanization produces a large and growing population in coastal areas. However, the rise of sea level, one of the most significant impacts of global warming, makes coastal communities much more vulnerable to flooding than before. This Master’s thesis study investigates sea-level rise impacts on parcel-level property in the specific coastal city of Tampa, Florida, USA. An improved sea-level rise model based on satellite altimeter data is first used to predict future sea levels. Based on high-resolution LiDAR digital elevation data and property map, flooded properties are identified to evaluate property damage cost. This empirical analysis provides an in-depth understanding of potential flooding risks for individual properties with detailed spatial information at a fine spatial scale. The spatial and temporal analyses can be potentially used by researchers or governments to mitigate the impact of sea-level rise and make better urban management plans to adapt to climate change.

Vietnam is considered as one of the countries having rich resources from forest and sea, with a high average annual rainfall. However, in view of IWRA, water volume per capita annually in Vietnam is lower than the standard for nations having water resources at average level. Vietnam was recognized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as having three out of more than 200 biological zones of the world. Flora and fauna in Vietnam are very rich and abundant, but due to indiscriminate exploitation, along with weak management, biodiversity levels are significantly reduced. This is also one of the causes of environmental pollution and degradation in Vietnam, besides the impacts from production activities, population migration from rural areas to urban areas, rapid urbanization, climate change and sea level rise, etc. / Tảo đóng vai trò quan trọng trong mạng lưới thức ăn và chu trình sinh địa hóa của thủy vực và chúng chịu sự chi phối của nhiều yếu tố môi trường như ánh sáng, pH, nhiệt độ và dinh dưỡng. Nghiên cứu này trình bày đa dạng thành phần loài và biến động sinh khối thực vật phù du tại hồchứa Hòa Bình từ tháng 3 đến tháng 12 năm 2011. Các mẫu thực vật nổi được thu thập hàng tháng tại 4 điểm. Kết quả đã xác định được 6 lớp tảo chính bao gồm: Vi khuẩn lam, tảo lục, tảo silic, tảo mắt, tảo giáp và tảo lông roi hai rãnh. Nhóm tảo silic và Vi khuẩn lam chiếm ưu thế với độ phong phú tương đối là 61% và 32% tương ứng trong quần xã thực vật nổi. Vi khuẩn lam dạng tập đoàn và dạng sợi (Microcystis aeruginosa, M. wesenberg, Oscillatoria sp. tương ứng) chiếm ưu thế trong quần xã thực vật nổi vào các thời điểm đầu hè và mùa thu (tháng 4 và tháng 9). Tổng mật độ tế bào thực vật nổi dao động từ 84210 đến 100 x106 cell/L. Mật độ thực vật nổi biển động theo mùa với sinh khối tê bào cao vào đầu hè và mùa đông (tháng 4 và tháng 12) và sinh khối tếbào thấp vào các mùa hè và thu (tháng 6 đến tháng 10).

Sea-level rise and inland flooding driven by climate change threaten the health, economic development, and social stability of Native American Tribes and Indigenous Nations. Further, loss of traditional lands threatens the cultural practices and ties to heritage that provide ontological grounding for many Indigenous Peoples. While the Federal Trust Doctrine implies a responsibility for federal policy to aid Tribes by compensating them for impacts of sea-level rise, there is no legislation securing compensation for Indigenous Nations not recognized as Tribes. Due to the incommensurable nature of the damage to Native American and Indigenous communities who lose their lands to sea-level rise, any processes of compensation must transcend relocation measures and monetary transactions. Further, to combat aid programming that perpetuates the social, legal, and cultural disenfranchisement of Native Americans and Indigenous Peoples, legislation for compensation must endorse and empower Tribes’ and Nations’ autonomy by meaningfully including their insights. This study records the perspectives of members of the Seminole and Miccosukee Tribes and Gullah/Geechee Nation on climate change in the Southeastern U.S., specifically, sea-level rise washing out ancestral lands. This study’s ultimate purpose is to understand how Tribe and Nation members perceive the response and responsibility of the U.S. government in these situations. This study also presents a legal/political analysis of climate justice in these contexts, an exploration of Truth and Reconciliation Commissions as a mechanism for climate justice, and culminates in a policy proposal regarding climate justice for Native Americans and Indigenous Peoples.

Klimatfrågan växer sig större i dagens samhälle och det blir alltmer relevant att diskutera dess följder och negativa effekter. En av de effekter som drabbar jorden på grund av klimatets utveckling är översvämningar. Översvämningar har visat sig vara kostsamma för samhället på många sätt. Sedan år 2000 har 2800 stora översvämningar skett världen över som har kostat samhällen 538 miljarder amerikanska dollar vilket även spås fortsätta i framtiden. Eftersom antalet översvämningar ökar och blir alltmer allvarliga kommer det att vara viktigt för samhället att bli upplysta om hur dessa kan drabba fastigheter sett ur ett ekonomiskt perspektiv. Syftet med examensarbetet blir därmed att skapa en allmän förståelse för hur extrem nederbörd och havsstigning som leder till översvämningar, kan komma att påverka fastighetsvärden i Sverige. Arbetet skall ge allmänheten ett nytt perspektiv på frågan om deras ägda eller tilltänkta fastighet kan påverkas negativt ekonomiskt av framtidens möjliga översvämningar. Liknande forskning har presenterats i omvärlden men informationen saknas inom Sveriges gränser och frågan behöver lyftas. Informationen som behandlas i arbetet kommer främst att inhämtas från intervjuer med sakkunniga samt en litteraturstudie där olika typer av statistik presenteras. Tilltänkta respondenter är fastighetsvärderare och mäklare. Studien visar att översvämningsrisker i de utpekade städerna Gävle och Göteborg inte är en faktor som spelar in vid bedömningen av marknadsvärde idag. Data som presenterats för respondenterna i studien i form av översvämningskartor och liknande används inte alls i det dagliga arbetet vid värderingar av fastigheter idag. Dock visar information från studien på att större händelser i form av extrem nederbörd eller översvämning ger effekter på diskussionen av ämnet. Media har också visat sig spela en stor roll i påverkan på människors inställning till frågan. Studien kan inte utesluta om människor vet om dessa typer av översvämningsrisker eller självmant väljer att bortse från demsamma. Efter studien återstår det fortfarande arbete för att se hur framtidens översvämningsrisker kommer att påverka bostadsmarknaden i Sverige. Från intervjuerna i studien är det möjligt att utpeka att det kan komma att ske en påverkan på marknadsvärden men det är svårt att avgöra dessa i dagsläget. / The climate issue is growing larger today, and it then becomes increasingly relevant to discuss its consequences and negative effects. One of the effects affecting the earth due to climate change is floods. Floods have proven to be costly to society in many ways. Since the year 2000, 2,800 major floods have occurred worldwide that have cost the world $538 billion, which is also predicted to continue in the future. As the number of floods increases and becomes increasingly serious, it will be important for society to be informed about how these can affect properties from an economic perspective. The purpose of the thesis will thus be to create a general understanding of how extreme precipitation and sea level rise that lead to floods, may affect property values in Sweden. The thesis will give the public a new perspective on the question of whether their owned or intended property can be negatively affected financially by future possible floods. Similar research has been presented to the outside world, but the information is lacking within Sweden's borders and the issue needs to be raised. The information that is processed in the work will mainly be obtained from interviews with experts and a literature study where different types of statistics are presented. Prospective respondents are property appraisers and brokers. The study shows that flood risks in the designated cities of Gävle and Gothenburg are not a factor that comes into play when assessing market value today. Data presented to the respondents in the study in the form of flood maps and the like are not used at all in the daily work of valuations of properties today. The media has also been shown to play a major role in influencing people's attitudes to the issue. The study cannot rule out whether people know about these types of flood risks or voluntarily choose to ignore them the same. After the study, there is still work to be done to see how the future flood risks will affect the housing market in Sweden. From the interviews in the study, it is possible to point out that there may be an impact on market values, but it is difficult to determine these at present. With this, a similar future study would be interesting to see how the subject developed.

Sea levels are rising due to global warming, which is induced by anthropogenic activities increasing the concentration of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. Sea level rise is already causing a severe impact on coastal wetland ecosystems, and the influence will intensify in the future. One of these coastal ecosystems is mangrove forests, which grow in intertidal zones and are therefore subject to tidal water level fluctuations. Mangrove forests provide essential ecosystem services to coastal environments and societies, and their exposure to sea level rise is a significant concern. The consequences of sea level rise, such as inundation, erosion, and lack of accommodation space, will increase the extent of mangrove loss. It is therefore essential to fully understand how sea level rise is influencing mangrove ecosystems in different geographical locations, and how likely they are to adapt and survive under different scenarios. This research used a systematic literature review to assess scientific articles from various regions, investigating the current knowledge regarding the impacts of sea level rise on mangrove ecosystems. The information was collected from 40 articles, which covered studies from five continents. The findings affirmed that the negative effects of sea level rise on mangrove ecosystems are recognized globally. It is well understood that, by the second half of the century, mangrove ecosystems will face severe issues if the highest IPCC emissions scenarios are reached. It is further well acknowledged that mangrove forests provide important ecosystem services, for example, by protecting the coastal areas under extreme weather events, benefiting natural resources sectors and recreation, and further delivering crucial climate change mitigation services by sequestering and storing blue carbon. It is therefore essential to recognize mangroves as an important ecosystem and treat them adequately. Mangrove ecosystems’ resilience under sea level rise was commonly found to be dependent on their hydro-geomorphological environment. Under sea level rise, one of the most significant factors contributing to mangroves’ survival and resilience was the availability of accommodation space, which they need to be able to migrate inland as the sea levels rise, along with their ability to adapt to changes in sediment elevation rates. To secure the needed accommodation space and to further help mangrove ecosystems grow and live under the sea level rise scenarios, adequate climate change adaptation strategies must be planned and adopted. These strategies include prioritizing high-priority areas for vegetation growth, estimating areal habitat suitability, strengthening the understanding of land use impacts on mangrove forests, and implementing hybrid solutions for coastal protection. Although the issue of sea level rise influencing mangrove ecosystems is well recognized globally, there was an observed lack of adequate research. Further research and improved understanding are needed to ensure that preparation for all emission scenarios, even for the worst ones, is possible and that climate change adaptation strategies will be well implemented.