posted
May 19, 2011 by News Gatherer
The construction of a structure to withstand six meters of sea level could cost much more than trying to absorb an increase of 1.5 meters, said Becker, a graduate student in the Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources Emmett Stanford. The port authorities, as many government agencies and private companies must make difficult decisions when it comes to financial infrastructure financing, "he said. You need accurate scientific information about what to expect, so they can plan accordingly.
However, only 6 percent said they would proceed with construction of hurricane barriers in the next 10 years, and less than 18 percent had plans to build dams or other structures for protection against storms. Most respondents mentioned the sea level rise and increased storm activity associated with climate change in their list of concerns. A total of 93 organizations representing the major ports on all continents except Antarctica, "he said. In 2009, Becker 160 questionnaires distributed to members of the International Association of Ports and the American Association of Port Authorities of the first survey port authorities worldwide to combat climate change.
sea levels and more frequent storms caused by climate change threatens to wreak havoc on all types of infrastructure, especially along the coast, said co-author Martin Fischer, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director of Engineering Stanford Integrated Service.
The group meets weekly in a seminar that focuses on the design and policy for a sustainable future. "Look around at the port today and see that the structures were built 100 years ago," said Fischer. Fischer, Becker and a group of Stanford engineers are developing computer models to help port authorities and other government agencies to make more informed decisions on adaptation to climate change in planning for the next generation of infrastructure. "And the buildings we build today will be around when the sea level begins to change the shape of the coast.."
Fischer and his colleagues developed a model that shows how quickly, remains to fortify ports around the world could increase demand for construction materials and equipment. The model, named Sebastian, a platform to use Google Earth to simulate the cost and time required for the construction of 200 dams of the world's largest ports. Sebastian knows the shape of the seabed in all places and adapts the structure of each site to obtain an estimate of the human, material and equipment would be needed to reinforce the door against sea level
Another difficult challenge in preparing for climate change at seaports is no organization or individual has the sole authority on a given port, according to Becker. The agreement greatly complicates efforts at the gates of budget and plan for the future, the study said. And a wide range of issues from transport companies and insurance companies to protect the environment have a stake in how they are handled. Some of the ports are privately owned, some are public and others are a mixture of both.
Related Stories
Uncategorized 
