UPSURGE: Helping storm surge barriers prepare for climate change

UPSURGE：帮助风暴潮屏障为气候变化做好准备

• 批准号: NE/V018655/1
• 负责人: Ivan Haigh
• 金额: $ 20.05万
• 依托单位: University of Southampton
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2021 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FV018655%2F1
• 关键词: UPSURGE; Helping; storm; surge; barriers

Over the last 30-years more than 20 large surge barriers, and many other smaller ones, have been built at a cost of billions of pounds, to provide flood protection to people, property and infrastructure in coastal areas. Around the North Sea coastline, which is renowned for its large storm surges there are 16 storm surge barriers that offer flood protection to communities in low-lying coastal areas on the UK east coast and in the Netherlands. London's very existence as a major world city would be precarious without the Thames Barrier and 17 million inhabitants Netherlands' are only able to live in coastal regions which are near to or below sea level, because of the presence of 5 surge barriers, and accompanying defences. As a result of climate change, especially sea-level rise and changes in storminess, surge barriers are having to be used more frequently and this is already starting to negatively impact barrier operation, integrity/reliability, maintenance and projected lifespan. Increased use of barriers also has negative ramifications for shipping and the health of the estuary/river behind the barrier, and the important ecosystems (e.g., saltmarshes) they support. Even if we stabilise or reduce our carbon emission, there is a long-time delay in response and sea levels will continue to rise for many hundreds of years. Therefore, it is vital that barrier operators carefully consider the full range of impacts of climate change and adapt their operation, maintenance and management strategies, and future upgrade/replacement plans accordingly, so they will continue to be effective in protecting human lives and livelihoods. In this Knowledge Exchange Fellowship, I propose to work 50% of my time over 3-years with two key organisations, the Environment Agency and Rijkswaterstaat. Together they operate and manage 16 storm surge barriers in the UK and Netherlands. Throughout the fellowship I will also interact regularly with I-STORM, an international knowledge sharing network for professionals relating to the management, operation and maintenance of storm surge barriers, to ensure the fellowship can benefit all the existing (and planned) storm surge barriers around the world.I will undertake four main inter-linked activities. First, I will deeply imbed myself with the relevant teams in the EA and Rijkswaterstaat to produce a comprehensive inventory of the different ways sea-level rise and other effects of climate change will negatively impact surge barrier operation/management. We will carefully consider possible solutions/adaption strategies to each of these challenge that arise from climate change, and identify tipping points and associated timings when a major barrier replacement might be required.Second, I will help barrier operators to establish a framework and software tool that will make it easier for them to: (i) monitor and assess in real time how sea levels (and other relevant climate related variables) are changing in the vicinity of different surge barriers; (ii) quantify how this has impacted the number of closures over time; and (iii) in turn assess how this has affected barrier operation/maintenance to date.Third, I will create a flexible software tool that will allow operators to easily and accurately estimate the likely future number of closures for any barrier and any given climate change projection. This will be used by strategists to help guide adaptive planning of future upgrade/replacement of key barrier infrastructure, that will inevitably be required in the future. Fourth, working closely with the EA, Rijkswaterstaat and I-STORM, we will distil the lessons learnt from the three activities mentioned above, into a policy brief, packaged with accompanying software tools, that will better allow barrier managers worldwide to future proof their operations to climate change and develop adaptive planning for future barrier upgrades/replacements.

过去 30 年来，耗资数十亿英镑建造了 20 多个大型防潮屏障和许多其他较小的防潮屏障，为沿海地区的人员、财产和基础设施提供防洪保护。以大规模风暴潮而闻名的北海海岸线周围有 16 个风暴潮屏障，为英国东海岸和荷兰低洼沿海地区的社区提供防洪保护。如果没有泰晤士河屏障，伦敦作为世界主要城市的存在将岌岌可危，并且由于存在 5 个防浪涌屏障和相应的防御措施，荷兰 1700 万居民只能生活在接近或低于海平面的沿海地区。由于气候变化，特别是海平面上升和暴风雨的变化，必须更频繁地使用防浪涌屏障，这已经开始对屏障的运行、完整性/可靠性、维护和预计使用寿命产生负面影响。增加屏障的使用也会对航运和屏障后面的河口/河流的健康以及它们所支持的重要生态系统（例如盐沼）产生负面影响。即使我们稳定或减少碳排放，反应也会有很长时间的延迟，海平面将持续上升数百年。因此，屏障运营商必须仔细考虑气候变化的全方位影响，并相应地调整其运营、维护和管理策略以及未来的升级/更换计划，以便继续有效地保护人类生命和生计。在这个知识交流奖学金中，我建议在 3 年内将 50% 的时间花在环境局和 Rijkswaterstaat 这两个关键组织上。他们共同运营和管理英国和荷兰的 16 个风暴潮屏障。在整个奖学金期间，我还将定期与 I-STORM 进行互动，I-STORM 是一个为与风暴潮屏障管理、运营和维护相关的专业人士提供的国际知识共享网络，以确保该奖学金能够使周围所有现有（和计划中的）风暴潮屏障受益我将开展四项相互关联的主要活动。首先，我将深入与 EA 和 Rijkswaterstaat 的相关团队合作，全面盘点海平面上升和气候变化的其他影响对浪涌屏障运营/管理产生负面影响的不同方式。我们将仔细考虑针对气候变化带来的每一项挑战的可能解决方案/适应策略，并确定可能需要更换主要屏障的临界点和相关时机。其次，我将帮助屏障运营商建立一个框架和软件工具这将使他们更容易： (i) 实时监测和评估不同浪涌屏障附近海平面（和其他相关气候相关变量）的变化情况； (ii) 量化这对一段时间内关闭数量的影响； (iii) 反过来评估迄今为止这对屏障操作/维护有何影响。第三，我将创建一个灵活的软件工具，使操作员能够轻松准确地估计任何屏障和任何给定气候变化的未来可能关闭的数量投影。战略家将利用这一点来帮助指导关键屏障基础设施未来升级/更换的适应性规划，这在未来是不可避免的。第四，与 EA、Rijkswaterstaat 和 I-STORM 密切合作，我们将从上述三项活动中汲取的经验教训提炼成一份政策简报，并附带随附的软件工具，这将更好地让世界各地的屏障管理人员能够在未来证明其运营气候变化并为未来屏障升级/更换制定适应性规划。

项目成果

How should storm surge barrier maintenance strategies be changed in light of sea-level rise? A case study

鉴于海平面上升，风暴潮屏障维护策略应如何改变？

• DOI: http://dx.10.1016/j.coastaleng.2023.104336
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Coastal Engineering
• 影响因子: 4.4
• 作者: Trace

Understanding the challenges facing storm surge barriers in the past, present, and future

了解过去、现在和未来风暴潮屏障面临的挑战

• 发表时间: 2023
• 作者: Haigh I.D.

How should storm surge barrier maintenance strategies be changed in light of sea-level rise? A case study

鉴于海平面上升，风暴潮屏障维护策略应如何改变？

• DOI: http://dx.10.21203/rs.3.rs-2608345/v1
• 发表时间: 2023
• 作者: Trace

How should storm surge barrier maintenance strategies be changed in light of sea-level rise? A case study

鉴于海平面上升，风暴潮屏障维护策略应如何改变？

• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Research Square
• 作者: Trace