Week 16: Sweden Blog Final

Sweden, overall, has been a very interesting country to learn about. During the past couple months, we have learned about Sweden’s tectonic plates, earthquakes, volcanoes, mass wasting, fire danger, coastal erosion, extreme weather events, etc. Each week, it was prevalent that Sweden does not experience most of these things mentioned. The two dangers that occur the most in Sweden are sea level rise which in turn leads to coastal flooding and erosion. 

Around the world, countries are seeing sea level rise. Global warming is causing this. With climate change, glaciers are melting causing the sea level to slowly rise. This is affecting all countries with a coastline. With the sea level rising, Sweden and other countries are experiencing coastal erosion and flooding. What is coastal erosion? "Coastal erosion is the process by which local sea level rise, strong wave action, and coastal flooding wear down or carry away rocks, soils, and/or sands along the coast." High tides and strong waves can be seen every day and lead to the erosion of the coast. There has been a substantial amount of coastal erosion and flooding in Sweden. "Land uplift is taking place in most of Sweden as a result of the melting of the massive land ice of the last ice age, but in the southernmost part of the country uplift has come to a halt. The ongoing rise in sea level is therefore leading to substantial coastal erosion along Sweden’s southern coast where the land consists of easily eroded soils."

There are a couple different things Sweden as a country can do to limit the amount of coastal erosion and flooding, they are seeing. Of course, the first place to start is the coast of Sweden. To limit the amount of coastal erosion over time, they can build sea walls, and plant beach friendly vegetation along your property. To help with the flooding, Sweden needs to make sure there are plenty of drains in the area as well. If the coast of Sweden is somewhere you would like to live, make sure your house is well elevated away from the sea. 

To avoid these main hazards in Sweden, I would not construct any house near the coastline of Sweden. I would recommend anywhere inland and far away from the coast, since they are seeing lots of erosion of the coast and flooding. I would also make sure that wherever I constructed my house, there were lots of drainage holes. Again, if you are constructing a house by the coast make sure it is well elevated. 

In conclusion, Sweden’s main hazards they face include, sea level rise and coastal erosion/ flooding. This can be very scary for Sweden and all the other countries experiencing this. As mentioned above, many things can be done to slow these issues down. While these fixes can slow down the progression, these issues will continue to be a problem for all countries with coastlines. That is why it is so important for people to be educated on climate change, and what they can do as individuals to take care of our one earth that we all call home. 

Below is a map of Sweden, where you can see their 2,000-mile coastline. You can also see some beach friendly plants, and a sea wall.

   

https://toolkit.climate.gov/topics/coastal-flood-risk/coastal-erosion

https://www.climatechangepost.com/sweden/coastal-floods/

https://woodsholegroup.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/bio-engineered-solution-for-coastal-erosion-protection-pt-6/