Rising sea levels: East Anglia Flashcards
We know that the Maldives will be flooded… but what will happen closer to home, here in the UK?
East Anglia is likely to be one of the worst affected places, being low lying and relatively flat land.
Will flooding only affect houses and settlements, such as King’s Lynn?
No - valuable agricultural farmland, known as the Fens, will also be at risk. Even occasional flooding would spell disaster as soil used to grow crops would be contaminated with salt.
The Norfolk Broads are a popular tourist attraction, but how much is this industry worth to the area?
£ 5 million a year, which would be lost as the Broads will flood.
Coastal settlements are at risk. Why not protect them?
Defences are very expensive and could be ‘overtopped’ anyway - making them hard to justify.
In 1953, what happened?
A storm surge killed 300 people. With higher sea levels, people are worried it could happen again…
The Thames Barrier currently protects £80billion of property. With rising sea levels, it will need replacing… when?
Estimates believe this will need to happen in the next 30 -50 years.
1/4 of East Anglia’s _____ _______ could be lost by 2050?
Salt marsh - this is a very valuable habitat and is being lost all around the coastline.
