Climate change impacts on sea level rise in small islands of East Coast Sabah

Tan, Zhong Qing (2016) Climate change impacts on sea level rise in small islands of East Coast Sabah. Masters thesis, Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

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Abstract

Within the Coral Triangle, the islands and their surrounding in the East Coast of Sabah are known as the most biologically diverse and ecologically rich regions on earth. The considerably low-lying area of the coastal setting makes it vulnerable to the impact of sea level change due to its major climate change-related impacts in coastal ecosystems. Thus, it is an indication of urgency to investigate the impacts of climate change and sea level change on coastal inundation and the ecosystem at the coastal areas. Using the statistical downscaling method, the establishment of the statistical relationship between the predictand (sea level) and the predictors (climate variables) allows the estimation of regional climate change by statistical means through the application of regression models to the corresponding output of GCM simulations. By the end of century, based on the worst-case scenario of RCP 8.5, almost 1 hectare (2.5 acres) of coastal land is expected to be lost due to 879 mm and 823 mm of sea level rise in Selingan and Sibuan Island respectively. About 12.3 % of Selingan Island will be inundated while 6.7 % of the Sibuan Island will be submerged due to inundation. A rise of 823 mm of sea level is estimated to submerged about 1.83 hectare ( 4.5 acres) or 15.3 % of the total land in Sipadan Island. The sand beaches and some vegetated areas would be considered the most vulnerable due to sea level rise. Coastal ecosystems, terrestrial and marine is potentially affected due to the changes of coastline landscape. The submergence of natural turtles nesting ground especially in Selingan Island, saltwater intrusion into groundwater reservoir of the islands and degradation of coral reefs around the island constitute the potential consequences of sea level rise. The high vulnerability of the ecologically sensitive island ecosystem and potentially high risk of coastal inundation may warrant implementation of specific combination of adaptation strategies to ensure sustainability of the island ecosystem.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Keyword:	Kenaikan aras laut, Inundasi pesisir, Perubahan iklim, Pulau Selingan, Pulau Sibuan
Subjects:	Q Science > QC Physics > QC1-999 Physics > QC851-999 Meteorology. Climatology Including the earth's atmosphere > QC980-999 Climatology and weather
Department:	FACULTY > Faculty of Science and Natural Resources
Depositing User:	DG MASNIAH AHMAD -
Date Deposited:	11 Jun 2025 15:20
Last Modified:	11 Jun 2025 15:20
URI:	https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/44094

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