Forecasting land-height change and coastal flooding using geodesy and remote sensing

Overview

Flooding that coastal cities will experience can occur either because the sea surface rises or because the land sinks. Estimating accurate rates of relative sea-level rise requires knowing how both sea surface and land height are changing. In this project, we will use measurements from satellites to monitor where, and how quickly, the land is sinking in Southeast Asia’s coastal cities.

In addition, we will map land heights in Southeast Asia and combine this map with our estimates of land-height change and new estimates of climate-related sea-surface change to forecast which areas will become flooded. We will also develop new innovative ways to use satellite data to monitor coastal flooding and the changing shapes of coastlines due to sea-level rise.

Funding Sources

Project years

This animation illustrates how land subsidence and rising sea-levels both lead to relative sea-level rise. (Source: Phuong Nguyen/Earth Observatory of Singapore)

The animation illustrates a few uses of the Global Positioning System (GPS): measuring changes in land height, sea level, and estimating the amount of water vapour in the air. GPS is one of a few Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) that send positioning, navigation, and timing data to receivers (Source: Phuong Nguyen/Earth Observatory of Singapore)

We have partnered with the Singapore Land Authority to use data from GNSS stations located all around Singapore for our research (Source: Jay Wong/Earth Observatory of Singapore)

SAR, GNSS, LiDAR, and other satellite systems will be used for monitoring and forecasting land-height changes and coastal flooding (Source: Emma Hill/Earth Observatory of Singapore)