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.

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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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