COASTAL HAZARD RISK ASSESSMENT IN EAST ASIA: STORM SURGE MODELING AND EXPOSURE ANALYSIS
Seminars
Semester 2
Coastal risk in East Asia is shaped by the interaction of hazard, exposure, and vulnerability, and it is expected to intensify under climate change because of rising sea level, increasing storm intensity, and the strong concentration of residential and economic activities along the coast. Concerns arise specifically for low-lying coastal zones where storm surge, tides, and sea-level rise can together lead to coastal flooding. Under this risk framework, initial exposure-side exploration focuses on coastal energy infrastructure in Asia, especially oil- and gas-related assets, highlighting the importance of these energy systems and major challenges in data consistency, completeness, and validation processes. To build up a solid hazard foundation for future risk assessment, current work focuses on the hazard side, using ADCIRC storm surge modeling in the Pearl River Delta as a regional case study to simulate historical storm surge events and compare modeled water levels with tide-gauge observations. In the long term, the research aims to examine how sea-level rise and changing storm intensity may affect future surge hazards in East Asia, and to connect these changing hazards with exposed assets in order to support coastal risk assessment under climate change.
For additional information, please contact Ms. Sarah YANG, sarahyang@connect.hku.hk.