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Artificial intelligence has been involved in several domains. Despite the advantages of using artificial intelligence techniques, some crucial limitations prevent them from being implemented in specific domains and locations. The accuracy, poor quality of gathered data, and processing time are considered major concerns in implementing machine learning techniques, certainly in low-end smart devices. This paper aims to introduce a novel pre-treatment technique dedicated to image text detection that uses the images' pixel divergence and similarity to reduce the image size. Mitigating the image size while keeping its features improves the model training time with an acceptable accuracy rate. The mitigation is reached by gathering similar image pixels in one pixel based on calculated values of the standard deviation σ, where we consider that two pixels are similar if they have approximately the same σ values. The work proposes a new pipeline approach that reduces the size of the image in the input and intermediate layers of a deep learning model based on merged pixels using standard deviation values instead of the whole image. The experimental results prove that this technique significantly improves the performance of existing text detection methods, particularly in challenging scenarios such as using low-end IoT devices that offer low contrast or noisy backgrounds. Compared with other techniques, the proposed technique can potentially be exploited for text detection in IoT-gathered multimedia data with reasonable accuracy in a short computation time. Evaluation of the MSRA-TD500 dataset demonstrates the remarkable performance of our approach, Standard Deviation Network (σNet), with precision and recall values of 93.8% and 85.6%, respectively, that outperform recent research results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past fifteen years, the concept of resilience has gained prominence in academia and practical management. Some even consider it the organizing principle of contemporary political life. Resilience is hailed as a solution to diverse issues, from international governance to climate change. Its popularity is intertwined with complexity epistemologies. However, within social sciences, concerns have arisen. Resilience's application to social systems requires a stronger theoretical underpinning, free from functionalist paradigms. There are reservations about its handling of conflicts, knowledge, and power dynamics. The concept implies adaptation to external events, potentially sidelining proactive interventions. Critics argue that resilience reinforces a neoliberal rationality, accentuating individual and community responsibility, and potentially diminishing social protection. It can function instrumentally, normalizing vulnerability and encouraging self-surveillance. This paper engages with these critiques, aiming to move beyond ideological criticism and embrace a pragmatic approach to advance resilience in social sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of the Mandarin (simplified) Chinese version of the Voice Fatigue Handicap Questionnaire (MC-VFHQ). A total of 358 participants were included from June 2020 to April 2021: 243 patients with voice disorders (patient group) and 115 vocally healthy individuals (control group). The internal consistency, test-retest reliability, content validity, clinical, sensitivity and specificity were analyzed, and the cutoff point was determined. The internal consistency of the MC-VFHQ was high, and the internal consistency assessed with Cronbach α coefficients for the subscale scores ranged from 0.821 to 0.983; the values for the total score were 0.952 and 0.943 in the patient and control group, respectively. Test-retest reliability was high for the total score (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.924) and the subscales (ICCs = 0.969, 0.939, 0.922). The patient group had significantly higher total score, subscale scores, and item scores than the control group (P < 0.001). The cutoff point for screening between the two groups was 63.5, with a sensitivity of 84.8% and a specificity of 84.30%. The MC-VFHQ is a valid and reliable tool for identifying individuals with probable vocal fatigue. It has good reliability, validity, sensitivity, and specificity in the Mandarin Chinese-speaking population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Medical Imaging & Radiation Sciences is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The increasing impacts of climate change on forest ecosystems have triggered multiple model‐based impact assessments for the future, which typically focused either on a small number of stand‐scale case studies or on large scale analyses (i.e., continental to global). Therefore, substantial uncertainty remains regarding the local impacts over large areas (i.e., regions to countries), which is particularly problematic for forest management. We provide a comprehensive, high‐resolution assessment of the climate change sensitivity of managed Swiss forests (~10,000 km2), which cover a wide range of environmental conditions. We used a dynamic vegetation model to project the development of typical forest stands derived from a stratification of the Third National Forest Inventory until the end of the 22nd century. Two types of simulations were conducted: one limited to using the extant local species, the other enabling immigration of potentially more climate‐adapted species. Moreover, to assess the robustness of our projections, we quantified and decomposed the uncertainty in model projections resulting from the following sources: (1) climate change scenarios, (2) local site conditions, and (3) the dynamic vegetation model itself (i.e., represented by a set of model versions), an aspect hitherto rarely taken into account. The simulations showed substantial changes in basal area and species composition, with dissimilar sensitivity to climate change across and within elevation zones. Higher‐elevation stands generally profited from increased temperature, but soil conditions strongly modulated this response. Low‐elevation stands were increasingly subject to drought, with strong negative impacts on forest growth. Furthermore, current stand structure had a strong effect on the simulated response. The admixture of drought‐tolerant species was found advisable across all elevations to mitigate future adverse climate‐induced effects. The largest uncertainty in model projections was associated with climate change scenarios. Uncertainty induced by the model version was generally largest where overall simulated climate change impacts were small, thus corroborating the utility of the model for making projections into the future. Yet, the large influence of both site conditions and the model version on some of the projections indicates that uncertainty sources other than climate change scenarios need to be considered in climate change impact assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Information -- Wissenschaft und Praxis is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Range of motion adaptations in the shoulders of overhead throwing athletes have been reported, but knowledge about the development of soft-tissue adaptations is limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in posterior shoulder capsule thickness and internal rotation between the throwing and non-throwing shoulder. On the basis of the sample size calculation, we assessed 63 youth elite handball players (33 boys and 30 girls, mean age: 13.6 ± 0.9 years) for glenohumeral internal and external rotational range of motion, humeral retrotorsion, and posterior capsule thickness (PCT) with a manual goniometer and a portable ultrasound device and calculated sports-specific differences between the throwing and non-throwing shoulder as well as correlations with PCT. Youth handball players showed side-to-side differences in internal rotation, external rotation, and humeral retrotorsion between the throwing and non-throwing shoulder. Posterior shoulder capsules were 1.21 times thicker (95% confidence interval: 1.1-1.3) in the throwing shoulder than in the non-throwing shoulder (1.3 ± 0.3 mm vs. 1.2 ± 0.2 mm, P <.0001). Loss of internal rotation did not correlate with PCT. In youth elite handball athletes, posterior shoulder tightness and subsequent sports-specific loss of internal rotation in the throwing shoulder are not related to PCT. Thus, in this age class, other (soft-tissue) factors must be responsible for this condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In der Stadt Freiburg im Breisgau im südlichen Oberrheingraben gab es um die Neugestaltung eines städtischen Platzes (Platz der Alten Synagoge) große Diskussionen. Im Vorfeld der Umgestaltung sollte mit Hilfe von Modellen die Auswirkung des Umbaus auf die in den Sommermonaten auf dem Platz ggf. auftretende Hitzebelastung für Menschen untersucht und quantifiziert werden. Die Ergebnisse der Untersuchung zeigen, wie man in Zeiten des Klimawandels Anpassungsmaßnahmen durchführen sollte. The re-design of the "Platz der Alten Synagoge", an urban place in Freiburg in Breisgau in South-West Germany, has led to discussions. In the run-up to the re-design, its influence on thermal heat stress on humans at this place during the summer months was analyzed and quantified using micro scale models. The results present valuable examples on how adaptation possibilities should be assessed in the era of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Klimatische Veränderungen haben mit hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit einen Einfluss auf die menschliche Gesundheit. Studien zeigen bereits die Auswirkungen, die zukünftig vermutlich noch an Relevanz gewinnen werden. Multikausale Zusammenhänge erschweren aber detaillierte Aussagen zu den künftigen Auswirkungen klimatischer Veränderungen auf die Gesundheit. Trotz Unsicherheiten kommt den Anpassungsmaßnahmen zur Reduzierung der Folgen des Klimawandels auf Morbidität und Mortalität eine hohe Bedeutung zu. It can be assumed that climatic change has probably an impact on human health. Scientific studies are already showing the first effects, which are likely to become even more relevant in the future. Multi-causal relationships, however, make detailed statements on the future effects of climatic changes on health more difficult. Despite uncertainties, adaptation to reduce the effects of climate change on morbidity and mortality are of particular importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-lying small island states whose existence is a product of sediment production from their surrounding reefs are highly vulnerable landscapes to climate change. This vulnerability derives from their low elevation and their evolutionary reliance on growth on the surrounding reef for the creation of materials from which land can form above the sea. They are also exposed to a range of climatic boundary conditions (e.g. tropical cyclones) which vary in intensity with distance from the equator. The diversity of energy environments, evolutionary history, sea level history and local ecology means reef-islands have unique characteristics (sediments and topography) that vary both within individual atolls as well as along island chains. It is also clear the majority of islands today have continued to accrete in the last century. Such development has led to suggestions that islands may be less vulnerable to sea level rise than suggested by their elevation alone. Vulnerability of an island system, however, does not equate to sustainable human occupation. In addition, projected rates of sea level rise will exceed that experienced in the last century. For understanding the stability of reef-island systems it is therefore imperative for managers to be fully cognisant of the principle drivers of island evolution, their modern dynamics and future sea level trends. In this paper, a review is undertaken of the principle physical elements, and methods to investigate them, that are a priority for quantifying when conducting an integrated assessment of the physical landscape of small island states. Advances in remotely operated vehicles combined with simple sedimentological techniques (e.g. visual grain identification) mean it is now possible for local managers to collect key information necessary for protecting their islands and, if needed, the data can be used for numerical models of island change. • Many Reef-islands have been generally stable or accreting over the past century. • Understanding of island age and sedimentology is key for understanding resilience. • Increased rates of sea level rise will likely stress an islands natural resilience. • Human development and coastal defences are a driver of loss of natural resilience. • A framework is developed for assessment of the physical vulnerability of islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large network of exceptionally well-engineered prehistoric canals has been discovered near Safford, Arizona. Within an area of roughly 450 km2, 12 distinct canal systems, comprised of 41 canals, have been identified originating in the bajada of the Pinaleño Mountains. Conveying water from runoff and springs, the longest canal is about 13 km, and the total length of all systems exceeds 125 km. While a few canals may date to ca. A.D. 1100, the vast majority date to between ca. A.D. 1250 and 1450 and appear to be constructed by migrants from northeastern Arizona. These features represent the second largest network of canal systems in the American Southwest, and, while smaller in size and total length than the canal systems of the Phoenix Basin, they exhibit engineering sophistication not found in those systems. These canals have expanded the knowledge of prehistoric water management engineering and agricultural intensification in the American Southwest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypoxia is a harmful result of anthropogenic climate change. With the expansion of global low-oxygen zones (LOZs), many organisms have faced unprecedented challenges affecting their survival and reproduction. Extensive research has indicated that oxygen limitation has drastic effects on aquatic animals, including on their development, morphology, behavior, reproduction, and physiological metabolism. In this review, the global distribution and formation of LOZs were analyzed, and the impacts of hypoxia on aquatic animals and the molecular responses of aquatic animals to hypoxia were then summarized. The commonalities and specificities of the response to hypoxia in aquatic animals in different LOZs were discussed lastly. In general, this review will deepen the knowledge of the impacts of hypoxia on aquaculture and provide more information and research directions for the development of fishery resource protection strategies. • A comprehensive review is presented concerning the impacts of hypoxia on aquaculture. • Global distribution and formation of low-oxygen zones and the impacts of hypoxia on aquatic animals are discussed. • New insights are provided to develop new strategies to deal with the impacts of hypoxia on aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The faecal flora is a common reservoir for urinary tract infection (UTI), and Escherichia coli (E. coli) is frequently found in this reservoir without causing extraintestinal infection. We investigated these E. coli reservoirs by whole-genome sequencing a large collection of E. coli from healthy controls (faecal), who had never previously had UTI, and from UTI patients (faecal and urinary) sampled from the same geographical area. We compared MLST types, phylogenetic relationship, accessory genome content and FimH type between patient and control faecal isolates as well as between UTI and faecal-only isolates, respectively. Comparison of the accessory genome of UTI isolates to faecal isolates revealed 35 gene families which were significantly more prevalent in the UTI isolates compared to the faecal isolates, although none of these were unique to one of the two groups. Of these 35, 22 belonged to a genomic island and three putatively belonged to a type VI secretion system (T6SS). MLST types and SNP phylogeny indicated no clustering of the UTI or faecal E. coli from patients distinct from the control faecal isolates, although there was an overrepresentation of UTI isolates belonging to clonal lineages CC73 and CC12. One combination of mutations in FimH, N70S/S78N, was significantly associated to UTI, while phylogenetic analysis of FimH and fimH identified no signs of distinct adaptation of UTI isolates compared to faecal-only isolates not causing UTI. In summary, the results showed that (i) healthy women who had never previously had UTI carried faecal E. coli which were overall closely related to UTI and faecal isolates from UTI patients; (ii) UTI isolates do not cluster separately from faecal-only isolates based on SNP analysis; and (iii) 22 gene families of a genomic island, putative T6SS proteins as well as specific metabolism and virulence associated proteins were significantly more common in UTI isolates compared to faecal-only isolates and (iv) evolution of fimH for these isolates was not linked to the clinical source of the isolates, apart from the mutation combination N70S/S78N, which was correlated to UTI isolates of phylogroup B2. Combined, these findings illustrate that faecal and UTI isolates, as well as faecal-only and faecal-UTI isolates, are closely related and can only be distinguished, if at all, by their accessory genome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since agriculture development would be affected by climate change, the reservoir operation for agricultural irrigation should be adjusted. However, there are to date few literatures addressing how to design adaptive operating rules for an irrigation reservoir. This study aims to analyze the adaption of fixed operating rules and to derive adaptive operating rules under climate change. The deterministic optimization model is established with the solving method of two-dimensional dynamic programming (TDDP), and its optimal trajectory is supplied to derive reservoir operating rules at time intervals of crop growth periods. Then, two alternative operating rules, including fixed operating rules based on historical data and adaptive operating rules based on climate change data, are extracted using the fitting method with the multiple linear regression model. The alteration of reservoir inflow under climate change is calculated by the Budyko formula. A case study of the China’s Dongwushi Reservoir shows that: (1) fixed operating rules are unable to adapt climate change in the future scenario. Thus, adaptive operating rules should be established, (2) adaptive operating rules can reduce profits loss resulting from climate change, and improve field soil water storages, and (3) precipitation reduction by 7%/40a is the major cause for agricultural profits loss, whereas, the decrement of agricultural profits is less than that of precipitation, which indicates agricultural crops have the resilience to resist the adverse influence from precipitation decrease. These findings are helpful for adaptive operation of irrigation reservoirs under climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The British Empire depended on international trade and financial systems for survival. These depended on general peace. The Empire could not afford extended periods of military expenditure, using civil–military and economic mechanisms to avoid the costs of an army. These demanded an efficient global maritime transport system feeding a free economic market with close industry–navy and insurance market–government–navy cooperation. These required a naval system to protect global maritime trade. The outbreak of war in 1914 stopped maritime trade, requiring rapid unprecedented government intervention to restart it. From this restart, the privately run global maritime trade system began to distort, but collapse was protracted and the commercial system showed remarkable elasticity. The imperial government progressively replaced an efficient, fluid maritime trade system based on meeting commercial demand with centralised control to meet the demands of a mobilising war economy. By July 1916 this process was complete and a remarkable example of international administration across all areas of the global and domestic economy was well advanced. The resulting centralised control of global maritime trade fed multinational economic demands of war economies: yet this broad, complex, multidisciplinary event remains largely unknown. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The survival of corals worldwide has been seriously threatened by eutrophication events concomitant with the increase in ocean pollution. In the present study, whole transcriptomes of the stony coral Pocillopora damicornis exposed to elevated ammonium were sequenced. A total of 121,366,983 pair-end reads were obtained, and 209,337 genes were assembled, including 42,399 coral-derived and 54,874 zooxanthella-derived genes. Further, a comparison of the control versus stress group revealed 6572 differentially expressed genes. For 1015 significantly upregulated genes, 24 GO terms were overrepresented, among which 3 terms related to apoptosis and cell death induction included one caspase, five bcl-2-like proteins, and two tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member genes. For 5557 significantly downregulated genes, the top 10 overrepresented terms were related to metabolism and signal transduction. These results indicate that apoptosis and cell death could be induced under elevated ammonium, suggesting that metabolic regulation and signal transduction might be involved in the reconstruction of the coral–zooxanthellae symbiotic balance in the stony coral P. damicornis . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal cities play a leading role in world development; however, they are highly vulnerable to natural disasters given their specific locations and rapid urbanization pace. Characterizing the social vulnerability of coastal cities to hazards should provide critical references for coastal management. This paper developed a composite social vulnerability index (SVI) for Chinese coastal cities by integrating 17 indices from three aspects (exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity) that shaped the vulnerability of urban society to hazards; and then verified SVI effectiveness by quantifying its correlation with the total economic loss of hazards. Social vulnerability patterns along the Chinese coast in 2000, 2005 and 2010 were then obtained. Results showed that cities around the Bohai Bay generally presented lower SVI values in the three years. Cities in the eastern and southeastern coast generally had higher SVI values in space but became lower with time. Conversely, SVI values became higher for cities in Hainan and Guangxi Province. The clustering approach categorized the 53 cities into different groups according to their profiles of vulnerability. These categorized groups could facilitate more targeted coastal management options. This paper highlighted that adaption should be incorporated in analyzing the reaction of urban society to hazards. The SVI was believed to be an applicable and reliable tool to inform coastal management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Maetagused is the property of Estonian Literary Museum, Department of Folkloristics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Forum: Qualitative Social Research / Qualitative Sozialforschung is the property of Forum Qualitative Social Research and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: This paper discusses key elements of scientific problem solving from a cognitive perspective in an effort to help scientists and engineers understand and manage their problem solving efforts more effectively. Toward this end, the Adaption–Innovation (A–I) theory of Kirton is reviewed and placed into the context of science in order to highlight its potential contributions and possible limitations. In particular, A–I theory is used to help explain different preferences for managing scientific structure, the need for a diversity of cognitive styles in scientific work, and the relationship between scientific progress and the paradox of structure. Directions for future research in this area and comments on the special implications of A–I theory for senior scientists and other technical problem solving leaders are also discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Many deltas worldwide have increasingly faced extreme drought and salinity intrusion, which have adversely affected millions of coastal inhabitants in terms of lives and property. The Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD) is considered one of the world's most vulnerable regions to drought and saline water intrusion, especially in the context of climate change. This study aims to assess livelihood vulnerability and adaptation of the coastal people of the VMD under the impacts of drought and saltwater intrusion. A multi-disciplinary approach was applied, including desktop literature reviews, field surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions with 120 farmers and 30 local officials in two representative hamlets of Soc Trang, a coastal province of the VMD. A vulnerability assessment tool in combination with a sustainable livelihood framework was used to evaluate livelihood vulnerability using the five capital resources to indicate the largest effects of drought and salinity intrusion on the migration of local young people to large cities for adaptation. Livelihood Vulnerability Indexes revealed higher vulnerability in terms of the five capitals of coastal communities living in Nam Chanh hamlet compared to Soc Leo. Results of interviews with officials indicated an optimized mechanism between social organizations and local communities before, at the time, and after being impacted by the drought and salinity intrusion. Our findings contribute evidence-based knowledge to decision-makers to enable coastal communities in the VMD and other deltas worldwide to effectively adapt to the impacts of drought and salinity intrusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Convergence and diversity are two main performance indicators in multi-objective evolutionary algorithms. The fitness value in the objective space represents information which guides the evolution. To extract this useful information, a multi-objective differential evolutionary algorithm with angle-based objective space division and parameter adaption is proposed (MODE-ASP). In MODE-ASP, the objective space is split into several subspaces based on angle, and the optimal direction in each subspace is extracted to accelerate the convergence. A probability model is also built to achieve adaption of the parameters along with the evolution of the population. Compared with 5 state-of-the-art algorithms with 20 benchmark functions, MODE-ASP is shown to give a better performance. Moreover, the operating conditions of the sodium gluconate fermentation process are optimized with three proposed objective functions, to improve the utilization rates of equipment and conversion rates effectively. The MODE-ASP is shown to obtain a better Pareto front in this application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaerobic digestion of marine micro-algae is a necessary step for their incorporation into the future portfolio of biofuels. Digestion of marine feedstocks can pose operational issues associated with competition and toxicity to the microbial consortium. This research examined the marine species Isochrysis galbana and Dunaliella salina continuously cultivated in a tubular photobioreactor using a low sulphate medium; D. salina was also cultivated with a high sulphate medium (4.7 g SO 4 L−1). Harvested micro-algal biomass was used as feedstock in semi-continuous digestion with a salt-adapted inoculum. Stable operation was achieved with reasonable specific methane production (SMP) despite a short (15-day) retention time. SMP for I. galbana and D. salina was 0.244 and 0.233 L CH 4 g−1 volatile solids (VS), with VS destruction 32% and 48% respectively. SMP ranged from 62 to 94% of the biochemical methane potential, but was only 32–49% of theoretical methane yields, indicating pre-treatments may be beneficial. Changing from low to high sulphate D. salina reduced the SMP to 0.193 L CH 4 g−1 VS with a rise in H 2 S production. Under semi-continuous digestion, evidence for sulphide precipitation and oxidation was observed, which were not seen in batch analyses. This highlights the importance of conducting continuous rather than batch studies, to avoid overlooking these effects. • Marine micro-algae successfully digested at marine salt concentrations (~33 g L−1). • Stable digestion of new feedstocks at up to 4.7 g SO 4 L−1, well above marine levels. • CH 4 yield at high SO4 affected more by substrate competition than H2S inhibition. • Batch and semi-continuous CH 4 yields similar but well below theoretical potential. • Apparent struvite and sulphur precipitation may present challenges at full scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy makers are beginning to intensify their search for policies that assist society to adapt to the unfolding impacts of climate change at the local level. This paper forms the second part of two part a examination of the potential for using scenarios in adaptation and vulnerability assessment. Part I explained how climate change and socio-economic scenarios can be integrated to better understand the complex inter-relationships between a changing climate and a dynamically evolving social system. This second part describes how a broadly representative sample of public, private and voluntary organisations in theEast Anglian region of the UK responded to the scenarios, and identifies future research priorities. The main findings are that integrated socio-economic and climate scenarios applied `bottom up' to locallyimportant stakeholders: (1) provide a sophisticated and dynamic mechanism to explore the potential feedbacks between natural and human systems; (2) offer a means to understand the vulnerability and adaptivecapacity of different exposure units; (3) promote social learning byencouraging participants to assess the adequacy of their existing climate strategies for longer than their normal planning periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop improved estimates of (1) flooding due to storm surges, and (2) wetland losses due to accelerated sea-level rise, the work of Hoozemans et al. (1993) is extended to a dynamic analysis. It considers the effects of several simultaneously changing factors, including:(1) global sea-level rise and subsidence; (2) increasing coastal population; and (3) improving standards of flood defence (using GNP/capita as an 'ability-to-pay' parameter). The global sea-level rise scenarios are derived from two General Circulation Model (GCM) experimentsof the Hadley Centre: (1) the HadCM2 greenhouse gas only ensemble experiment and (2) the more recent HadCM3 greenhouse gas only experiment. In all cases there is a global rise in sea level of about 38 cm from 1990 to the 2080s. No other climate change is considered. Relativeto an evolving reference scenario without sea-level rise, this analysis suggests that the number of people flooded by storm surge in a typical year will be more than five times higher due to sea-level rise by the 2080s. Many of these people will experience annual or more frequent flooding, suggesting that the increase in flood frequency will be more than nuisance level and some response (increased protection, migration, etc.) will be required. In absolute terms, the areas most vulnerable to flooding are the southern Mediterranean, Africa, and most particularly, South and South-east Asia where there is a concentration of low-lying populated deltas. However, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean islands and the Pacific Ocean small islands may experience the largest relative increase in flood risk. By the 2080s, sea-level rise could cause the loss of up to 22% of the world's coastal wetlands.When combined with other losses due to direct human action, up to 70% of the world's coastal wetlands could be lost by the 2080s, although there is considerable uncertainty. Therefore, sea-level rise would reinforce other adverse trends of wetland loss. The largest losses due to [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]