For one example, look to a study in Nature Climate Change, examining the effect of climate on hurricanes and coastal flooding.
Emergency officials in New Jersey said they were monitoring a coastal storm, expected to bring lashing rain, wind, snow and possibly coastal flooding to the region hit by super-storm Sandy in October.
"We expect snow and then rain, and severe coastal flooding, " said CNN meteorologist Sarah Dillingham.
Still, 50mph sustained winds is enough to break tree limbs and cause coastal flooding, other than knocking out power.
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Gusts could reach 75 mph along Cape Cod and 55 mph in the Long Island Sound and cause coastal flooding, with tides rising about three to five feet.
Stonehaven and Peterhead were hit by coastal flooding at the weekend and people in the north east were warned to steer clear of beaches and harbour areas where large waves could hit.
The direction of the wind matters, too, because wind blowing to shore can drive a storm surge and lead to coastal flooding.
The Environment Agency said 1, 500 homes in low-lying areas would be at risk from flooding and coastal erosion without the flood defences.
It was forecast to head to the northeast on Thursday, bringing strong winds, more snow and the possibility of coastal flooding to New England.
He said he expects Hurricane Irene to flood local marinas and for flooding along coastal roads to start once the heavy rains come on Sunday.
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The Defra grant will go towards improving the "poor condition" of the dunes on the Fylde coast to reduce the risk of coastal flooding and erosion.
Lord Smith said it was already having an effect in flooding and coastal erosion in the UK and this was likely to get worse in the next 50 years.
Mr Hillier said "one of our previous reports identified we would potentially need three times as much money to maintain that current level of risk" surrounding coastal erosion and flooding "over the next 25 years".
While hundreds of studies around the world have linked climate change to phenomena including the increased frequency and intensity of hurricanes and other storms, changing rainfall patterns, drought, coastal flooding, changing disease patterns and the migration of human populations.
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Tsunamis are a series of long ocean waves that can last five to 15 minutes and cause extensive flooding in coastal areas.
"Due to strong and persistent northerly winds, coastal flooding along portions of the Great Lakes is possible, " the National Weather Service warned.
In addition to fierce winds, "a dangerous storm surge is expected to produce significant coastal flooding" north and east of the storm's center.
Sixty years on from the 1953 east coast floods, one in 25 homes in England and Wales is at risk of coastal flooding, the Environment Agency has warned.
Natural infrastructure can help protect coastal communities from storm surges and catastrophic flooding.
Sepa said there was now a risk of further coastal flooding in the north and east, including areas affected last Friday and Saturday.
The Environment Agency said that, despite major improvements to sea defences and warning systems, 1.3m people, or one in 25 homes in England and Wales, remained at risk of coastal flooding.
Not only are the costs of doing nothing astronomical in terms of coastal flooding, damaged agriculture, and new weather patterns, but the benefits of taking action will help create thousands of green jobs and an entirely new green energy industry.
Mandatory evacuations were issued earlier Saturday for Massachusetts coastal regions near the town of Hull because of flooding concerns, and high winds whipped throughout the area.
Coastal storm surge flooding of 3 to 5 feet above normal tide levels and rainfall of 6 to 12 inches were possible in Cuba, the hurricane center said.
Heavy rain and sleet will be more likely in some eastern coastal areas, with a risk of localised flooding.
Flooding was expected along coastal areas still recovering from Superstorm Sandy, which hit New York and New Jersey the hardest and is considered Jersey's worst natural disaster.
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