Chapter 12: Integrating climate adaptation into planning, design and management of coastal infrastructure

Coastal infrastructure takes the form of structures or infrastructure located at or near the coastline and, as such, is susceptible to coastal hazards. Typical coastal infrastructure includes seawalls, breakwaters, piers, jetties, wharves, marinas, anchorage areas, mooring buoys, beaches, beacons, dams, weirs, marine bridges or viaducts, tunnels, cables, pipes, submerged reefs and floating platforms.

Coastal hazards can be natural or due to human activity. Natural coastal hazards are closely related to climate and weather and originate from meteorological or oceanic sources or a combination – sea level, wind, wave and current flow. A tsunami is a wave of very long period and originates from an earthquake in the seabed. Besides nature, anthropogenic activities could threaten coastal infrastructure – for example, accidental or mishandling or loss of control of vessels or equipment (e.g. fishing net or anchor) that directly hit or damage coastal infrastructure.