Challenges and responses to sea level rise in the context of climate change: A case study of the Paranaguá Estuarine Complex

Abstract

Understanding the dynamics of sea surface variation and its direct effects on the coastal population has been a central issue of study for oceanography in conjunction with other areas of geosciences. One of the main challenges in a changing global ocean is continuously monitoring on an adequate scale that can detail locally varying phenomena. This study reviews the methods to obtain coastal topo-bathymetric data and the tools available to produce flood maps and coastal sea-level rise monitoring models. The advantages and limitations of the main tools are described, highlighting the difficulties related to implementation time and financial investment in contrast to the quality of the obtained data. A case study of the Paranaguá Estuarine Complex — of great environmental, economic, and tourism importance — is presented as its sea-level fluctuations have been poorly studied. For this reason, we describe the Paranaguá Estuarine Complex, highlighting and discussing the structural and methodological challenges and the lack of resources that limit the possibilities of a detailed study of the Paranaguá Estuarine Complex from the point of view of natural disasters, thus stimulating the debate on the necessary actions to address climate change at the local level.

Keywords:  Sea level; Tidal flood; Vulnerable areas; Climate change