Coastal Flooding in Asian Megadeltas: Recent Advances, Persistent Challenges, and Call for Actions Amidst Local and Global Changes

Abstract

Asian megadeltas, specifically the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna, Irrawaddy, Chao Phraya, Mekong, and Red River deltas host half of the world's deltaic population and are vital for Asian countries' ecosystems and food production. These deltas are extremely vulnerable to global change. Accelerating relative sea-level rise, combined with rapid socio-economic development intensifies these vulnerabilities and calls for a comprehensive understanding of current and future coastal flood dynamics. Here we provide a state-of-the-art on the current knowledge and recent advances in quantifying and understanding the drivers of coastal flood-related hazards in these deltas. We discuss the environmental and physical drivers, including climate influence, hydrology, oceanography, geomorphology, and geophysical processes and how they interact from short to long-term changes, including during extreme events. We also jointly examine how human disturbances, with catchment interventions, land use changes and resource exploitations, contribute to coastal flooding in the deltas. Through a systems perspective, we characterize the current state of the deltaic systems and provide essential insights for shaping their sustainable future trajectories regarding the multifaceted challenges of coastal flooding.