Role of climate change in increasing occurrences oceanic hazards as a potential threat to coastal ecology

Coastal ecosystems are inimitable in view of their frailty as compared to terrestrial ecosystems, and yet in their indispensability in preserving the terrestrial ecosystems being the first line of defence against hazards of oceanic origin. More often than not, these are more precious in terms of their natural, built, human and social capitals over land ecosystems; and yet more often than not these are subjected to ill considerate and unbridled anthropogenic stresses for gaining entrée to these capitals. The human ‘undoings’ albeit enhancement in climate change-induced degenerative—and often cataclysmic—marine influences in form of tropical and extratropical cyclones, tsunamis, hurricanes, etc. are only adding to the woes in so far as the stability of the coastal ecosystems—and their very existence as well—is concerned. In view of these impending threats on various coastal habitats due to increasing occurrence as well as ferocity of oceanic hazards coupled with anthropogenic stresses, adaptation and mitigation measures are called for to resuscitate and rejuvenate coastal landforms. Since man cannot dictate over nature, adaptation measures are necessitated to ‘Better live with’ the nature’s furies while mitigation is required to ‘Better deal with’ the human-induced pressures. The present paper aims at (1) reviewing the role of climate change in increasing occurrences of oceanic hazards threatening the coastal ecosystems and (2) invoke perspicacious and percipient adaptation and mitigation measures to better deal with and live with these Nature’s perils. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015