Abstract
There is scientific evidence of accelerated sea level rise and saline intrusion. Some
impacts such as stratification and estuarine circulation are subtle; others are dramatic
including shifts in salt-sensitive habitats and limited water availability of suitable quality
for industrial and municipal uses. These results have become a remarkable reality
resulting in a set of integrated surface water organisation issues. Tremendous
population increases overwhelming many coastal areas have expanded the problem.
These challenges have been studied from many perspectives using various objectives
and methodologies, and then arriving at different findings. However, all research
assured that significant rises in sea level have influenced estuaries and tidally-affected
rivers, and these observations are expected to become rapidly worse in the future. This
study introduces categorises, critically investigates and synthesises the most related
studies regarding accelerated sea level rise and challenges of the development
associated with the resources of surface water in estuaries and tidally-affected rivers.
This critical review reveals that there is a need for research that focuses on the
development of sustainable surface water resources.