The risk of flooding on Germany’s North Sea coast

DW (English)

Rising sea levels are also a concern for residents of Germany’s North Sea coast. Flooded dykes would destroy many livelihoods and impact tourism. One local authority is already taking action by making them more robust.

Transcript

00:00Wind and sunshine.

00:03Perfect conditions for a kite contest in the small German village of Hallesiel.

00:08It lies in the north of the country, on Germany's north sea coast.

00:14But the weather doesn't always play nice.

00:17There's a high risk of flooding and storm tides,

00:20because this region is at the same height as the sea level.

00:23And that sea level is rising.

00:26By the end of the century, it could have risen by one meter, possibly more,

00:30depending on how quickly the planet warms.

00:33It's a problem for the local area, which depends largely on agriculture and tourism.

00:40Markus Haratzim, who manages the local campsite, is concerned.

00:45Just in August, the water here was one meter higher than it is now.

00:49The whole area was flooded.

00:51We had to tell all the campers to vacate the site,

00:53because it would have endangered their equipment, and essentially their lives.

01:00He can only open the site in the summer months between April and October,

01:04because in winter it looks like this.

01:09But not everyone here shares his worries.

01:12Tourists, who come here to relax and enjoy themselves,

01:15free from their everyday lives, aren't too bothered.

01:19I read that the nearby islands will likely flood in the future.

01:25I don't like the sound of that. It would be a shame.

01:33I'm probably at an age where I feel like it is what it is, if you know what I mean.

01:39It won't affect me personally, but everyone else, of course.

01:45To many, the danger seems distant and abstract.

01:48But that doesn't mean it's not real.

01:51All of this is in danger of flooding.

01:53The Wadden Sea, the German mudflats.

01:56It's a tourist hotspot and a UNESCO World Heritage Site

01:59because of its unique geological and ecological features.

02:03The tides create rare habitats of sand and mud.

02:06They are home to more than 10,000 plant and animal species,

02:11like the logworm, that exist exclusively in the mudflats.

02:15Some 10 million birds travelling all the way from the Arctic to southern Africa

02:19take a stop over here, looking for food.

02:23Rising sea levels will likely shrink their habitat and feeding grounds.

02:27Ultimately, the sea could submerge the mudflats permanently.

02:31And the threat doesn't stop there.

02:35If seawater seeps further inland, the salt could poison farmland,

02:39making it impossible to grow crops in a region

02:42that calls itself Germany's top agricultural producer.

02:46To prevent that, local authorities have constructed dikes

02:49to keep the seawater at bay.

02:51But are they robust enough to withstand rising sea levels?

02:57At HafenCity University in Hamburg,

03:00researchers have developed a digital map to investigate the situation.

03:04This is how the coastline could look by the end of the century in 76 years.

03:09The parts in red show what would be flooded.

03:12Without the dikes, the region would look like this.

03:17We were genuinely impressed by how good the dikes would perform 76 years from now.

03:24That was the case for everyone involved in that research.

03:28Also, seeing the area that would be impacted if the dikes would not be there

03:34was also kind of shocking.

03:37Councils are making extra sure the dikes hold.

03:40Like here in Hallesiel.

03:42Every 10 years, Edda Held and her team calculate how high they need to be,

03:47based on the predicted sea level 100 years from now.

03:50This one needs work.

03:53Of course we're protecting an entire region by raising this dike.

03:56If it was too low, or if it were to break somewhere,

03:59then not only the villages directly behind it would be affected,

04:02but the whole region of East Frisia, because the water spreads far and wide.

04:08These dikes protect the homes of more than one million people

04:11living near the coast in the German state of Lower Saxony.

04:14However, there's a limit to how often the dikes can be raised.

04:18It's expensive, and if they get too high, the ground beneath them can weaken.

04:23In the long run, scientists say living in these coastal areas might become difficult.

04:28But the people here will likely be safe until the end of the century.

04:35Still, campsite manager Harazim understands what they are up against.

04:39He has witnessed the sea's extraordinary power.

04:45We, the people who live here, we have a great deal of respect for the sea,

04:49because we know that it will rise.

04:51All the forecasts support it.

04:53We're not afraid of it, but we certainly have respect.

05:00It's always wet here. These puddles are a quiet reminder of it.

05:04But Harazim walks on, hoping the waters won't claim his campsite any time soon.

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