The barrier was originally designed to protect London against a big flood level. The defence level included long-term changes in sea and land levels as understood at that time (~1970). Despite global warming, and a higher predicted rate of sea level rise, recent analysis suggested the barrier could last until around 2060–2070.
ð ə WORD_BOUNDARY b æ ɹ i ə ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY w ʌ z WORD_BOUNDARY ə ɹ ɹ ɪ d̠ʒ ɪ n ə l i WORD_BOUNDARY d ɪ z aɪ n d WORD_BOUNDARY t ə WORD_BOUNDARY p ɹ ə t ɛ k t WORD_BOUNDARY l ʌ n d ə n WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ ɡ ɛ n s t WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ WORD_BOUNDARY b ɪ ɡ WORD_BOUNDARY f l ʌ d WORD_BOUNDARY l ɛ v ə l WORD_BOUNDARY ð ə WORD_BOUNDARY d ɪ f ɛ n s WORD_BOUNDARY l ɛ v ə l WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ ŋ k l uː d ɪ d WORD_BOUNDARY l ɔ ŋ t ɜː m WORD_BOUNDARY t̠ʃ eɪ n d̠ʒ ɪ z WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ n WORD_BOUNDARY s iː WORD_BOUNDARY æ n d WORD_BOUNDARY l æ n d WORD_BOUNDARY l ɛ v ə l z WORD_BOUNDARY æ z WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ n d ə ɹ s t ʊ d WORD_BOUNDARY æ t WORD_BOUNDARY ð æ t WORD_BOUNDARY t aɪ m WORD_BOUNDARY t ɪ l d ə WORD_BOUNDARY n aɪ n t iː n h ʌ n d ɹ ɪ d WORD_BOUNDARY s ɛ v ə n t i WORD_BOUNDARY d ɪ s p aɪ t WORD_BOUNDARY ɡ l oʊ b ə l WORD_BOUNDARY w ɔ ɹ m ɪ ŋ WORD_BOUNDARY æ n d WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ WORD_BOUNDARY h aɪ ə ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY p ɹ ɪ d ɪ k t ɪ d WORD_BOUNDARY ɹ eɪ t WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ v WORD_BOUNDARY s iː WORD_BOUNDARY l ɛ v ə l WORD_BOUNDARY ɹ aɪ z WORD_BOUNDARY ɹ iː s ə n t WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ n æ l ə s ɪ s WORD_BOUNDARY s ə d̠ʒ ɛ s t ɪ d WORD_BOUNDARY ð ə WORD_BOUNDARY b æ ɹ i ə ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY k ʊ d WORD_BOUNDARY l æ s t WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ n t ɪ l WORD_BOUNDARY ə ɹ ɹ aʊ n d WORD_BOUNDARY t uː WORD_BOUNDARY θ aʊ z ə n d WORD_BOUNDARY s ɪ k s t i WORD_BOUNDARY t uː WORD_BOUNDARY θ aʊ z ə n d WORD_BOUNDARY s ɛ v ə n t i WORD_BOUNDARY