Dilip,
Motivated by your message, the discussion which followed, and the documents which have been referenced, I decided to take a look at Brazilian airports.
In the State of Rio de Janeiro, 6 airports are located at elevation below 4m above MSL (including Santos Dumont) and 2 at elevation below 9m above MSL (including Rio de Janeiro International). Among the International Airports of State capitals, 5 of them are located below 10m above MSL. A total of 34 airports are located below 10m.
This data requires to be verified more closely, specially identifying the elevation, but it is a significant piece of information for starting a research thread. In addition, it should be investigated whether the airports would be accessible or turn into safe islands in the middle of large flooded areas.
The vulnerability of the 3 airports in the City of Rio de Janeiro has been addressed in a recent report written by a multidisciplinary team about possible responses to climate changes. I was surprised, though, to find out how vulnerable other airports in the State of Rio de Janeiro and in Brazil were.
Your thread turns out to be very inspiring for civil engineering education, Dilip and coleagues. I will certainly include it as a homework-challenge in my classes.
The issue goes well beyond the basic question "where does all that water go?" for us civil and coastal engineers. Urban planners, economists, social workers, among other professionals should also be brought to this discussion. And hopefully we, the citizens who will ultimately undergo the consequences of climate changes, may be able to send a clearer message to those who sometimes make wrong decisions in our name.
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Claudio Neves M.ASCE
Doctor
Federal University of Rio De Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-14-2018 18:43
From: Dilip Barua
Subject: Sea Level Rise and Low Lying Airports
Thank you Douglas. It all makes sense.
Have a great weekend.
Dilip
Original Message------
Thanks for the discussion.
I leave you this quote which I found a few months ago...
"If you start paying attention at the moment that the wind gets strong and take everything as given at that moment, where the buildings are, where all the people are, where the economic activity is, then you have a limited number of options about what to do about it,"- University of Delaware Professor Rachel Davidson.
Let us hope that our clients and governmental leaders head our advice.
Sincerely,
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Douglas Mann P.E., D.CE, M.ASCE
Lead Coastal Engineer
Douglas Mann
Lake Worth FL
(561) 434-7539
Original Message:
Sent: 12-13-2018 13:56
From: Dilip Barua
Subject: Sea Level Rise and Low Lying Airports
The topic stimulated some thoughtful and excellent responses and contributions – thanks to all.
Despite uncertainties, we are all on the same page – skeptics or realists – waking up to the facts of increasingly frequent and trend-setting incidences and consequences of climate change. As pointed out by many, the most noticeable such events are the combined effects of rising sea, high tide and storm activities exposing the flooding vulnerability of low lying areas – the coastal airports like the Kansai and Rio – for that matter all waterfront infrastructure and developments. One should not be surprised if such events would continue to attract our attention time and again in the future.
As pointed by Robert E Fields, there are more and broader aspects of climate change consequences – and hope that the ASCE initiative would yield valuable insights and results benefiting us all.
Apart from coordinated efforts to develop methods and adaptation strategies for existing coastal infrastructure – engineers are doing and have the responsibility to discourage, and advise against developments – in particular real estate ventures – into the already crowded low-lying coastal landscape. Because there is a limit to what can be done against an encroaching sea.
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Dr. Dilip Barua, Ph.D, P.Eng, M. ASCE
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Website: https://widecanvas.weebly.com
Original Message:
Sent: 12-11-2018 16:45
From: William Forbes
Subject: Sea Level Rise and Low Lying Airports
We have seen record rainfalls associated with coastal storms, which are also associated with surge events and can easily occur simultaneously with astronomical high tides. While there may not be a direct casual relationship, they certainly are not independent.
A modest increase in sea level, or a small degree of subsidence, both of which are well documented in many areas, will make any of these events much more destructive.
While this may seem obvious to us, it may be worth pointing to those who don't believe that climate change exists that this is not speculation on what future climate change may bring, it is a matter of record for the existing climate.
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William Forbes MASCE, PE, ME, BCEE
Senior Principal Engineer/Vice President of Engineering
Forensic Analysis & Engineering Corporation
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Original Message:
Sent: 12-10-2018 09:35
From: Robert Fields
Subject: Sea Level Rise and Low Lying Airports
Great points by all. In addition to SLR, we also consider airport functionality dependent on increasing heat, temperature volatility/freeze-thaw, and increasing intensity/frequency of precipitation events. The ASCE Committee on Adaptation to a Changing Climate is currently working on a project to score the relative near-term/long-term vulnerabilities of different infrastructure categories (including aviation) to climate stressor impacts (e.g., overheating, flooding due to cloud bursts, lower air density/increased wind gusts, deterioration of materials/equipment, etc.). Airports, like transit infrastructure, present unique vulnerabilities due to a critical role played in the connection of goods, services and people, as well as an interdependency with all other infrastructure (e.g., shared risks to essential electrical, telecommunications, fueling, or surface access infrastructure).
Airports, typically expansive, open, low-lying and flat, protected by a flood wall or berm for the surge may need to manage substantial amounts of stormwater (and groundwater/seepage) that cannot be drained by gravity due to the hydrostatic pressure of seawater beyond the boundary of protection. Grades/equipment elevations can be raised (to a limit) and internal water can be stored and/or pumped over the design flood elevation, but this all adds substantial costs to a project. Further research on compound flooding and the weak dependence of rainfall intensity during coastal storm surge events (and future changes to this relationship due to climate change) can add significant value to projects.
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Robert Fields P.E., M.ASCE
Engineer
New York NY
(646) 438-1661
Original Message:
Sent: 12-05-2018 16:40
From: Dilip Barua
Subject: Sea Level Rise and Low Lying Airports
A news post on ASCE Smartbrief caught my attention. It directs to the website: https://airport-technology.com that highlights the recent flooding of Kansai International Airport in Japan and discusses the potential effects of rising sea level on low lying airports around the world (some 34 around the world – 13 in USA). Although sea level rise is silently engulfing our low-lying coasts – coastal waterfront and in-water developments and structures of urban areas, and of port and marine installations – only incidences like this draw media attention.
While scientific predictions are stuck with uncertainties, and hardly agree on the rate or magnitude of accelerated sea level rise – the consequences of global warming on sea level, on enhancement of wave and storm activities are real – certainly occurring in our generation and will continue to demand serious and unwavering attention in time to come.
I invite all to share thoughts and experiences on this topic and on potential adaptation methods and strategies.
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Dr. Dilip Barua, Ph.D, P.Eng, M. ASCE
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Website: https://widecanvas.weebly.com
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