'The Basin': Innundation [Draft 1.0]

 

All Images: Cumberland Basin, Bristol, February 2024

The sea has absorbed the city, and the history of the whole world drains into the Basin. An ocean of time is collecting here. It is likely that the highest temperatures occurred in a relatively shallow layer at the surface, and there is uncertainty over what the future will look like. The reclamation of time is jeopardised as grey curtains snap across dull alloy. [Delivery is constrained and regeneration is anticipated to be phased over the long term]. Inherent uncertainty, often known as random or natural variability, can be further categorised into temporal and spatial variability and a number of ‘climate metrics’ aimed at enabling such a comparison have been proposed. Water and stone flow together as the stabilising anchors melt away. N.B: For maps of the environmental designations within and adjacent to the study site refer to the various environmental assessment reports.

Our loaded springs flex against the accelerating gale and the cabin crackles. This vessel is lost at sea, so If you do have a clever climate control system, utilise it. Our cartography was rendered futile as first we pressed our stiffening backs into a corner [displacement waves surging through the elevated cubicle’s aperture] - then ran for more secure refuge. Now we recognise that evidence is not fixed [available information may not be in a format that is directly applicable to a traditional probabilistic analysis]. The equipment became saturated and we are electronically compromised, as our horizons contract to the extent of this small condensing capsule.

The visible city dissolves onto a rainscreen of fluid drape and chased droplets [the water is multidirectional]. The impact on these views, and any others considered relevant, will require assessment as part of any future proposals. A red/amber/green system has been used to mark the placemaking interventions, but colours leach into each other - a dull film of marine oil on a lead-grey membrane. The lead is beaten and deformed. Ghosts of transport shiver around the rim - hurling gutter bilge in the faces of: [a.] flailing athletes; [b.] failing aesthetes; [c.] those with no option [see also the momentary flicker across the reviewing screen]. It is clear that the risk is predominantly governed by the receptor and inclusive public spaces encourage people to go outdoors. The wicking function overloads  and hi-viz washes-out. The embankment liquifies beneath our feet. On the level plane, submerged geometry withdraws into micro-marshland beneath new contours [the map re-drawn in real time]. There seems to be some difference between those areas which had remote control rain gauges fixed in the catchment areas and those which did not. Reflected alerts shiver and fragment, mirrors pit, and the concentrics atomise beneath a million impacts. We witness the disintegration of the inverse world. The decomposition is based on criteria of process rather than necessarily by representing the physical connectivity between sub-systems.

The situation necessitates serious hazard analysis. Integrated consideration of adaptation and mitigation will allow us to identify interdependencies, be more efficient and minimise risk. The options are as follows: [i.] Wait-out the emergency in hope [with gates assumed to be in open position]; [ii.] Cut and run [do-something options avoid the carbon impact of the emergency]. To travel feels perilous, given the prevailing conditions; to risk it after dark - worse still. Comparative qualitative methods [such as the risk matrix] are useful in that they allow different types of hazard to be compared on the same scale, require a relatively  small amount of specialist skill, and allow easy prioritisation of the risks. The sky is locked tight and the city closes in on itself - sullenly resigned. Flooding can lead to poverty in low income households. It can make life more precarious for the vulnerable and elderly and have psychological impacts. New modelling suggests overtopping is likely [Defences do not on the whole overtop as soon as x = 1]. 

Agreement is reached and the decision made: Evacuate the zone whilst the possibility remains; postpone any further conclusions until more data can be safely collected. As this evidence base evolves and we gain new learning, we will use this knowledge to overcome challenges and respond to new opportunities that arise. The retreat is strategic [some may not make it]. Any actions identified are explicitly for managing a repeat event of this nature. Unmoored, we aquaplane north - peering to discern taillights and assess breaking distances through spray plumes and blue flicker. Control systems fail and emergency protocols are implemented along the way [two hours to the boundary].