Exploring possible impacts of sea level rise: The case of Izmir, Turkey

According to the global sea level rise (SLR) models, among other metropolitan areas in the world, Izmir will be one of the riskiest cities that will be affected by the optimistic sea level rise. In order to assess the degree of magnitude of such possible effects in Izmir, various scenarios, being 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 metres, were tested and inundation risk maps were produced. According to the worst-case scenario, almost 35% of population was under the risk of flooding, where 24.49% of the artificial surfaces were inundated together with 16.54% of agricultural areas. Possible inundation of motorways in the area could cost approximately 143 million €. The spatial information based framework and quantitative assessment methodologies outlined in this paper could be employed to make an inventory of the assets in the vulnerable zones, where results could contribute to prioritise further mitigation and adaptation activities.