Estonia is a seaside country with a long coastline

(3,800 km)
Due to predominantly flat and low-lying topography,
the coastal zone of Estonia is highly vulnerable to
global changes
 Estonia is rich in geomorphic shore types. Eight major shore types are
distinguished based on geology, the slope of the primary relief, and the
prevailing shore processes: (1) cliff shore, (2) rocky shore, (3) scarp
shore, (4) till shore, (5) gravel-pebble shore, (6) sandy shore, (7) silty
shore, and (8) artificial shore.

 Most of the Estonian coast is experiencing land uplift with maximum

velocity of 3,5 mm per year
 According to the climate change
scenario results, the projected values
of sea-level rise for the year 2100 were
32…56 cm on average with a maximum
projection of 95 cm.
A 1.0 m sea-level rise scenario was
analysed in Estonia. The projection of
the sea-level rise by 1.0 m during a
century was recommended also by the
U.S. Country Studies Program
 Toolse-Aseri

Käsmu-Vergi

Narva-Jõesuu
Tallinn

Hiiumaa

Matsalu
Pärnu-Ikla

Matsalu test areas inundation zones

storm surge zones
Study areas Land uplift Relative sea-level
(mm/year) rise (cm)

Hiiumaa 2.5 … 2.8 69 … 73

Tallinn 2.4 74
Käsmu – Narva- Jõesuu
(3 study areas together) 0.5 … 2.0 78 … 95
Matsalu Bay 1.8 … 2.6 72 … 80
Pärnu-Ikla 0.4 … 1.4 85 … 95
 A 1.0-m sea-level rise would result in considerable change in coastal
ecosystems and would lead to significant economic risk with different
regions
 Increasing erosion and changes in sedimentation would seriously upset
sandy beaches and dunes with a negative impact on recreation,
particularly in south-western Estonia
 Although seashore plant and animal communities would migrate inland,
the interaction of changing water level and land use would result in
the decrease in species diversity
 The economic consequences would be greatest in urban areas,
particularly in Tallinn and Pärnu, where roads and buildings are often
close to the present shoreline and where the topography is low and
flat
 Integrated coastal zone management should be
based on trustworthy forecasts of coastal
zone responses to changing climatic conditions
 Extensive erosion and retreat of depositional
coasts, e.g. sandy beaches, has been observed
in Estonia in recent decades. Increasing
activity of coastal processes, including erosion
is presumed to be associated with climate
change
 As there is no evidence for sea level rise
during this period, active erosion of
depositional shores is largely due to the recent
increased storminess in the eastern Baltic Sea.
Regression analyses
shows a statistically
significant increase in
the annual number of
stormy days over the
last fifty years.
Increased storminess is
associated contingent
check on increased
cyclonic activity and
warmer winters in
temperate latitude.
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
19 50 19 60 1 970 1980 1990 200 0
 1997

Summer 2001

Coastline in 2000

2000
Coastline of
Estonia and
Global
Warming…
Gifts of the Sea….
 Some conclusions
 Research in Estonia over the last decade
indicates that the absence of sea ice in winter
has enhanced coastal damage.
 The most exceptional changes in shoreline
position and contour in many coastal areas of
Estonia are attributable to a combination of
strong storms, high sea level and mild (ice-
free) weather.
 As a result, the balance between erosion and
deposition is fragile and an initial coastal shape
cannot be restored during the intermediate
period between storms.
 An attempt to join the knowledge on
coastal geology and skills of hydrodynamic
modelling with the aim of creating reliable
and working models on shore processes

 Measured parameters: currents, wave

parameters, temperature, conductivity,
turbidity, relative sea level variations
 SPRING- Snow melts and birds come back form South-
Europe and Africa. Sometimes we have strong floods.
 SUMMER- For some last years there have been very hot
summers, with temperature rises up to 35°C degrees.
 AUTUMN- In Estonia autumns are usually cold and
dampness.Leaves are changeing their colour and falling
down of trees.
 WINTER- In Estonia winter is very cold, temperature is
falling down to -35°C degrees.
Spring in Estonia
Winter – snowstorms, low temperatures
Tallinn – a beautiful medieval
city in Northern Europe
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!