ABSTRACT
4.1 Introduction to extremes
Rivers, estuaries and coastal regions have always been a popular place for commerce, recreation and habitation. In many countries, land adjacent to waterways is much more valuable than that inland. However, low-lying flood plains are subject to flooding and erosion. Public awareness of the potential for climate change to adversely affect the lives of a huge number of people has been raised in recent years by the news coverage of many high-profile flooding events around the world.
