Global Warming is one of the main causes for a rise in sea level. When there is a rise in sea level it can lead to coastal flooding which leaves devastating effects the coastal areas and small coastal settlements. These impacts can be split into environmental and socioeconomic.
Some of the main environmental impacts of global warming are that there is an increase in the amount and speed of erosion at less resistant cliffs, such as those in North Norfolk, Holderness. Another may include the risk of lowland coastal flooding – e.g. The Wash, Essex river estuary. This has many impacts on the environment. Lowland coastal flooding could also mean that marshlands could also be affected. This means that natural wildlife habitats could be severely damaged and even cause rarities in some species of wildlife.
Often to protect low lying land; sea walls are constructed as a defence against coastal flooding. This can also have a negative impact on the coastal environment, as it may cause a coastal squeeze, meaning that salt marshes cannot migrate landwards because of the sea wall. This means that the development of salt marshes stops and habitats and vegetation are created.
A final environmental impact could be suggested as an increase in the number of submergent coastal features. These can include rias; which impacts the floodplain of a river as it vanishes beneath the rising waters. Rias then might impact floodplains that are used for the grazing of farm animals, etc. Examples of rias include Devon and Dartmoor, Cornwall. Another submergent coastal feature could be fjords. Fjords are drowned glacial valleys commonly found on the coasts of Norway and New Zealand.
However you also have to consider the socioeconomic impacts of rising sea levels caused by global warming. Increased erosion for example, leads to the loss of land and settlements. This is especially the case in