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University of Wollongong

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

2002

Severn Estuary

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Was The Ad 1607 Coastal Flooding Event In The Severn Estuary And Bristol Channel (Uk) Due To A Tsunami?, Edward A. Bryant, S. K. Haslett Jan 2002

Was The Ad 1607 Coastal Flooding Event In The Severn Estuary And Bristol Channel (Uk) Due To A Tsunami?, Edward A. Bryant, S. K. Haslett

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Extensive coastal lowlands known as Levels border the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel in southwest Britain. The Levels are the result of many years of salt marsh reclamation, apparently initiated during the Roman Period, through a programme of sea bank construction. The altitude of the Levels is typically between 5-6 m Ordnance Datum (OD), an altitude that is below the current Mean High Water Springs level in the Severn Estuary. Therefore, the Levels are vulnerable to flooding, not only from river sources, but also from the sea at times when sea banks are overtopped and/or breached. A number of significant …