Land subsidence in Jakarta and Semarang Bay – The relationship between physical processes, risk perception, and household adaptation

Sea level rise (SLR) is among the most pressing challenges for urban coastal areas. While geocentric (eustatic) SLR receives widespread attention in politics and media, relative SLR at the coast, mainly caused by land subsidence, is still comparatively under-researched despite much higher rates. This paper introduces a combined natural and social science study to bring subsidence more to the forefront of coastal hazard research. We use data from radar altimetry, GNSS controlled tide gauge stations, and InSAR mapping to characterize regional and relative SLR at Jakarta and Semarang Bay, and focus-group discussions and a standardized household survey to analyze risk perceptions and adaptation.