Assessing the impact of sea level rise on port operability using LiDAR-derived digital elevation models

One of the main consequences of climate change is the sea level rise (SLR), which impacts coastal areas affecting many infrastructures, particularly seaports, whose operations may be jeopardized. In this paper, a methodological framework is developed to assess the impact of SLR on port operability by using digital elevation models derived from LiDAR data. The methodology is applied to four ports along the Catalan Coast (NW Mediterranean). The study is made for the RCP8.5 scenario from IPCC, analysing port operability every 10 years throughout the 21st century. The approach provided here allows a port authority to determine which berthing areas will be affected at each port and at each time interval. Results show that, if no adaptation measures are taken, ports will have significant reductions of present operability for most of their activities, in particular after year 2070. This work shows that the developed methodological framework is a very useful tool for port authorities to detect operability tipping points and to design well in advance the necessary adaptation pathways to overcome the expected impacts.