STABILITY OF BREAKWATERS DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND ADAPTIVE MEASURES

Abstract

 This study identified factors affecting stability of breakwaters, based on Goda’s formula, against increasing wave height expected in future ocean climate. We found increasing risks of structural damages to the breakwaters in the cases of (1) relatively small design wave height given in deep water (e.g., breakwaters in bays) and (2) structures located in shallow water with steep bed slopes (e.g., breakwaters built around remote islands). These high-risk scenarios have been verified through comparisons with the cases of damages observed in the past high-wave disasters. We also proposed reasonable adaptation methods to manage structural stability for high waves expected in future coasts. It was estimated that it will be possible to reduce costs by approximately 15% compared to conventional construction methods.