Navigating Climate Chaos: Exploring the Impact of Rising Ocean Levels and Tropical Cyclones on Sub-Saharan Africa's Coastal Regions

Rising ocean levels, fuelled by climate change, present a profound threat to coastal cities within sub-Saharan Africa. Climate change induces thermal expansion of water bodies and melting ice caps, which result in sea levels rising (Church & White, 2011). Consequently, these shifts have devastating implications for coastal communities, particularly in regions with minimal infrastructure capable of handling the environmental changes. Key among these effects is the gradual reduction of land area. As Ching and Kroeze (2019) noted, rising sea levels erode the coastlines, leading to a reduction in land surface. This can displace communities, affect agricultural activities, and disrupt local economies. Besides, the lost lands potentially include critical infrastructure such as transport systems, buildings, and hospitals. Increased sea levels also exacerbate the threat of coastal flooding, which becomes recurrent and more devastating. Prolonged flooding can render some coastal areas uninhabitable, increase health issues-connected with stagnant water, and disrupt local economic activities (Neumann et al., 2015). The risk of water contamination is also high during flooding, impacting the availability of potable water. Another significant concern springing from climate change is the intensification of tropical cyclones. These extreme weather events bear severe winds and major rainfall, leading to catastrophic flooding and structural damage (Zhang et al., 2017). Elevated sea levels can intensify storm surges accompanying these cyclones, which can compound the destruction on the coastal regions (Vitousek et al., 2017). Amid these escalating threats, the need for effective mitigation strategies can't be overstated. Investment in coastal defenses, the promotion of climate-resilient farming practices, provision of early warning systems, and enhancement of disaster readiness capacity could reduce the climate change-induced harm (Seneviratne et al., 2018). In conclusion, the effects of climate change on sub-Saharan Africa’s coastal regions present a significant threat to the livelihoods of the communities in these areas. The intensification of risks posed by extreme weather events such as tropical cyclones further complicates the situation, necessitating comprehensive climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. References: Church, J. A., & White, N. J. (2011). Sea-level rise from the late 19th to the early 21st century. Surveys in geophysics, 32(4-5), 585-602. Ching, J., & Kroeze, C. (2019). Coastal eutrophication in Africa: Current status and future trends. Journal of Marine Systems, 195, 85-101. Neumann, B., Vafeidis, A. T., Zimmermann, J., & Nicholls, R. J. (2015). Future coastal population growth and exposure to sea-level rise and coastal flooding - a global assessment. PloS one, 10(3), e0118571. Zhang, J. A., Rogers, R., Nolan, D., & Marks, F. D. (2017). On the characteristic height scales of the hurricane boundary layer. Monthly Weather Review, 145(10), 3917-3935. Vitousek, S., Barnard, P. L., Fletcher, C. H., Frazer, N., Erikson, L., & Storlazzi, C. D. (2017). Doubling of coastal flooding frequency within decades due to sea-level rise. Scientific reports, 7(1), 1-9. Seneviratne, S. I., Nicholls, N., Easterling, D., Goodess, C. M., Kanae, S., Kossin, J., ... & Villarini, G. (2018). Changes in climate extremes and their impacts on the natural physical environment. Managing the risks of extreme events and disasters to advance climate change adaptation, 109.