SOUTHAMPTON areas vulnerable to flooding could be completely submerged in water by 2050.

Areas including Ocean Village, Northam and the town centre are predicted to be underwater in over 25 years’ time, according to a coastal risk screening tool by Climate Central.

Here's the full list of places in the city expected to be underwater:

  • Areas alongside the River Itchen, including: Mansbridge, Woodmill and near Itchen Valley Country Park.
  • Riverside Park
  • St Denys
  • Bevois Valley 
  • Northam
  • Chapel 
  • Ocean Village
  • Near the waterside, Woolston
  • Weston Shore
  • Town centre
  • Western Docks
  • Redbridge
  • Near the waterside, Testwood and Totton
  • Marchwood
  • Hythe 
  • Ashlett
  • Calshot

In 2020, the rise in global sea levels reached a record high of 3.6 inches above 1993 levels, a study by climate.gov revealed.

The rate at which sea levels are rising has also more than doubled throughout most of the twentieth century from 0.06 inches per year to 0.14 inches per year.

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Volunteer with Friends of the Earth Southampton, Angela Cotton said we need to “act now.”

Daily Echo: Climate Central Southampton mapClimate Central Southampton map

She said: “Although this map should be used with caution since it doesn't take account of flood defences, it shows how Southampton is at risk from climate change.

“We will need to improve flood defences, but more importantly we need to act now to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change.

“We need real leadership from local and national government (not relying on hypothetical future technologies to save us) and action from individuals too.”

The effects of climate change have already been seen in the country, with February 2020 being the wettest recorded one due to storms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge.

And in its 2019 report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projected 0.6 to 1.1 meters of global sea level rise by 2100 (or about 15 millimetres per year) if greenhouse gas emissions remain at high rates.

Dr Ivan D Haigh BSc, PhD, associate professor in coastal oceanography at the University of Southampton said flooding poses one of the greatest risks to the UK.

He said: “With sea-level rise and changes in storminess associated with climate change, flooding is only going to get worse. We are committed to sea-level rise for the next few hundred years.

“Even if we reduce our carbon emissions sea levels are going to continue to rise, which will make flooding in Southampton worse.

“Regarding the maps from climate central, I think these are useful in identifying the low-lying areas of Southampton and illustrating the issue of flooding getting worse with sea level rise.

“However, the maps from climate central don’t account for flood defences, and Southampton are currently undertaking a project to raise flood defences. Because of these flood defences, many of these areas identified in Southampton are unlikely to get flooding.

“In the future we will need to raise defences, but we will also need to find ways to work with nature, to try and reduce the impact of flooding.”

A £41m scheme has been approved to protect hundreds of Southampton homes and businesses from flooding.

A variety of measures are going to be implemented across the west bank of the River Itchen over the coming years as part of a flood alleviation plan.