Impacts in ports on a tectonically active coast for climate-driven projections under the RCP 8.5 scenario: 7 Chilean ports under scrutiny

Abstract

ABSTRACT Economic costs due to operational downtime and wave overtopping under the RCP 8.5 scenario are evaluated at 7 Chilean ports. Wave statistics for a historical period (1985–2004), mid-century (2026–2045), and end-of-century projections (2081–2100) are computed with a Pacific-wide model, forced by wind fields from six General Circulation Models. Offshore waves are then downscaled to each port, where a proxy of downtime is computed by comparing wave heights with vessel berthing criteria. The difference in downtime between the historical and future projections is attributed to climate change. Results show that some ports would reduce and others increase downtime for mid-century projections due to local effects. However, by the end-of-century, all ports would experience a reduction in downtime. Additionally, by mid-century, overtopping would increase in northern ports as a combination of extreme waves and sea-level rise (SLR), while in southern ports, it is expected to be slightly reduced. By the end-of century, overtopping would increase in the whole region, mainly driven by SLR. However, overtopping is significantly altered by coseismic uplift/subsidence that may occur during the design-life of coastal works. Finally, a few practical suggestions aimed atimproving infrastructure management and operational conditions at the analyzed ports are outlined.