Scientists have analysed a record storm surge which devastated the Norfolk coastline to help predict future flooding as climate change causes more extreme weather across the UK.
Oceanographers at the University of Southampton have conducted the most detailed analysis to date of storm surges on coastlines from 1980 and 2017.
This includes the storm surge of December 5, 2013, in which 36 flood warnings in East Anglia resulted in the loss of properties along the coasts of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.
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A storm surge is defined as an abnormal rise in seawater levels, caused by wind pushing water onshore and influenced by a storm’s size, speed and where it tracks in relation to the coast.
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The team identified 270 extreme storm surge events over the four-decade period, with the stormiest season being the winter of 2013 and 2014, which effected Norfolk and neighbouring counties.
Storm surges are “the most important driver of flooding in many coastal areas,” according to Ivan Haigh, a professor at the University of Southampton and co-author of the study.
He said: “If we can understand how the characteristics of storms affect surges in different coastal locations, we can more accurately predict the impact, how best to counter the effects, and how they may increase with climate change."
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