COASTAL RISK SERVICES
Site typology, location & description
As a consequence of the significant storm surges experienced in Denmark in 1976 and 1981, the Danish government subsequently decided to reinforce the existing dikes thoroughly and build an advanced dike in the Tønder marshland. Today’s dikes protecting Ribe and Tønder are built to resist a storm surge that statistically occurs every 200 years, while the other dikes are built for storm surges that statistically occur every 50 years.
Site challenges
Changing climate with increasing inland flooding, impacts of wave setup and run-ups on the dikes, and sea level rise, exposes extra risks to the protection of the dikes. High-quality, fit-for-the-purpose climate risk services, especially on seasonal and decadal scales, are desperately needed by society.
Past work and existing data
The dikes are operated and maintained by local dike associations, while the Danish Coastal Authority (KDI) provides technical advice and handles the supervisory control of the dikes. Coastal protection in the Wadden Sea is carried out in close cooperation with the other countries of the Wadden Sea region (Germany and The Netherlands). In Denmark, KDI and DMI have routine collaboration in the national climate service Klimaatlas.