Development of an Ocean Hazards Classification Scheme (OHCS) for Projecting Future Scenario Vulnerability Ranking on Coastal Built Infrastructure

From many sources, we develop an ocean hazard classification scheme (OHCS) based on the collection of historical and projected ocean hazards data at 302 locations along Hawaii’s state coastal highways. The OHCS identifies ocean hazards impacting coastal built infrastructure, i.e. roadways. In the OHCS, we first rank the vulnerability of: sea level rise; waves; shoreline change; tsunami; and storm surge. Next, using our developed OHCS, provide the vulnerability ranking for all five variables combined. We find the highest OHCS to be on Molokai, the island that has the highest OHCS numbers for most of the island. For the majority of state highway locations in Hawaii, we find the highest vulnerability is from storm surge, with tsunami threat being the second largest contributor. Sea level rise should also be considered a contributor since higher sea levels contribute to more extreme storm surge and tsunami inundation. Although the OHCS is applied towards roads in our study, our method can be applied towards any coastal island-based built infrastructure vulnerability scheme. This is an important tool in planning for future construction projects or identifying which hazards to focus on in more detailed assessments, such a probabilistic risk assessment in a more localized location.

Climate change and disasters: analysis of the Brazilian regional inequality

One of the main consequences of climate change in Brazil is the increase in the occurrence of extreme rainfall, which in turn trigger Hydrometeorological disasters; the Brazilian continental dimension, the regional characteristics of biomes and socioeconomic inequality are conditioning factors for the impacts of extreme events in the country. This work analyzes Brazil’s socioeconomic and urban infrastructure vulnerability, combined with the regional exposure of the population, based on disasters observed and future scenarios for the occurrence of rainfall extremes. As a result, it points out that climate change impact differently on large Brazilian regions, due to population density and the poor quality of urban infrastructure services.

MORPHOLOGICAL EVOLUTION OF A STABILIZED TIDAL INLET AND IMPLICATIONS FOR COASTAL INFRASTRUCTURE VULNERABILITY

Evolutionary patterns of a tidal inlet and its adjacent barrier islands are identified via 10 years of remotely sensed data, hydrographic surveys, and a morphological numerical model. A cyclical geometric adjustment of the inlet to dredging of its navigation channel indicates that the system is in stable equilibrium. The inlet has been experiencing a counterclockwise rotation likely caused by the growth of a spit and the presence of a terminal groin that restricts the inlet migration. As this rotation continues, the southernmost flood channel has been encroaching into the downdrift back barrier. Continued erosion along the estuarine shoreline could increase the vulnerability of an existing coastal roadway from the estuarine side.Recorded Presentation from the vICCE (YouTube Link): https://youtu.be/DCee7MlQkGI