Climate Change and its Implications on the Design of Coastal Structures in Hong Kong

This paper presents the technical literature review and the climate projections relevant to Hong Kong, including sea level rise and increase in storminess, that bear potential technical and cost implications to the design of coastal structures.

Based on the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the recent studies by the Hong Kong Observatory, Hong Kong will probably be subject to more extreme weather conditions due to climate change. In September 2008, serious damage, erosion and coastal flooding occurred at various locations in Hong Kong after the passage of Typhoon Hagupit. Some experts believe that the situation will likely be aggravated by the long-term sea level rise and/or increase in storminess due to climate change. Under such circumstances, the frequency of occurrence of extreme sea levels and coastal flooding may increase. The adverse impacts of climate change on the functionality and stability of coastal structures should not be underestimated. Currently in Hong Kong, climate change must be considered in design (Works Branch 1990) but specific design allowances for climate change are not provided.