How Climate Change Is Making Coastal Erosion a Lot Worse
Climate change is basically altering the forces that affect our coastlines. As the sea levels rise, the waves get to reach higher up the shore. We're seeing more frequent and intense storms, which sends wave energy and erosion rates soaring. This all adds up to exposing things that used to be safe.
Roads, utilities and defences are all having to deal with higher loads and the threat of overtopping more often. Erosion is also eating away at the buffer that protects these assets from the sea, which makes it even more likely that they will be damaged in extreme events.
UK Infrastructure at Risk from Coastal Erosion
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transport networks - roads, railways, airports\
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flood defences - which can quickly become overburdened\
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utilities and services - like water, sewage and electricity\
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coastal developments - the homes, hotels, shops and so on\
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ports and harbours\
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drainage infrastructure\
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public space - parks, walkways, you name it\
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heritage sites - our historic buildings and landmarks
What it Means in Practice
Erosion simply undermines the ground that these structures are built on. It reduces the strength of the ground, which makes the foundations weaker. As erosion takes hold, maintenance needs increase and the lifespan of these structures decreases.
Flooding, Erosion and the Double Whammy
Flooding and erosion are often two sides of the same coin. A storm surge can push water up onto the shore, while the waves are taking away the land. Overtopping can damage surfaces, while erosion takes away the structural support.
The simple fact is that an asset that is designed to cope with flooding alone may still fail if the erosion undermines its foundation. Engineers have to think about flood and erosion risk together if they want to build something that really will stand the test of time.
Coastal Engineers to the Rescue
Coastal engineers are on hand to help deal with all of this. They use a range of measures to protect us from the risks posed by erosion and climate change. These include building defences, adapting our infrastructure to changing conditions and even relocating buildings and structures to safer ground.
Making Sure Our Coastal Infrastructure Can Cope
Designing buildings and structures to be resilient - that means they can stand up to whatever the weather throws at them - requires engineers to think carefully about all sorts of things. They have to think about where the shoreline might be in the future, how they are going to get in to do maintenance and whether the structure might need to be adapted or even moved over time. Anything that can be adapted or moved is going to be a lot less likely to be damaged by future storms.
Identifying the Threats Early
Getting a jump on coastal risk means that we can respond in a way that makes sense. We need to do some baseline surveys, keep an eye on what is happening with our coastlines and learn from what has happened in the past. The more we know about how erosion is going to behave, the better equipped we are to make sure that our buildings and structures are safe.
Some Common Myths About Coastal Erosion
One common myth is that coastal erosion is slow and predictable - but the truth is that it can change very rapidly after a storm. Another myth is that defences will solve the problem once and for all. The reality is that most measures do reduce the risk, but they also need regular maintenance.
In Conclusion
Coastal erosion - it's a big problem for the UK, and it's only going to get worse as time goes on. But if we're proactive about assessing the risks, design our coastal infrastructure to be resilient and use the expertise of coastal engineers to our advantage, we can reduce the long-term risks and make our buildings and structures safer and more reliable.