m&cce conference pluijm final 13 oct 2016 reduced

Resilient by Nature Innova&ve Approach Towards Climate Change Impact Solu&ons

Marco Pluijm Senior Specialist Port & Marine ⏐ Experience Based Solu<ons

Climate Change Impact Extreme Weather Impact in the Media


Ra#onale : Climate Change Impacts come much faster and are more intense than originally an#cipated for Tradi#onal plan and design of coastal infrastructure is no longer adequate Urgent need for another, more effec#ve, holis#c approach

Much Faster, More Intense


Design Data Under Pressure

•  Design Data are based on trend analyses and scenarios

•  All trends show considerable varia#on •  Actual changes in trends are only included aDer

considerable #me

•  Trend Breaches are by defini#on not included

•  Data are therefore basically outdated when it comes to accelerated climate change


Ra#onale : When extreme weather and hurricanes hit an area, most aIen#on goes to the damage Hardly or no aIen#on is given to those areas who have been hit too, but with hardly any damage and the natural ability to recover quickly Resilient by Nature is about what can be learned from those systems and how to translate their characteris#cs to other areas which are less resilient by themselves

Resilient by Nature


The Example of Dauphin Island, USA


•  “Unlike typical storm surge effects on a mainland coastline and affected waterways, on an island the surge moves around and over the land mass without the mounding up of water experienced on the mainland.“

•  “Storm surge and waves were not high enough to destroy many of the elevated homes on the less-‐protected western end of the populated part of the island”

The Example of Dauphin Island, USA Effec<veness / Post Katrina Impact Assessment

Ref. NOAA and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dauphin_Island,_Alabama#Hurricanes Marco Pluijm Senior Specialist Port & Marine ⏐ Experience Based Solu<ons

Resiliency Quality Features : •  Relevant processes and data have been analyzed and assessed

•  Characteris#cs which can be translated into hurricane resistant breakwaters in other regions and climates

•  Supported with similar cases known within the area itself and from

elsewhere •  The rela#ve small footprint also limits direct storm impact

Ref. USGS

Hurricane Shaped Barrier


Other Systems with Proven Natural Resiliency Eco-Shields / Mangroves


Eco-‐shields / Mangroves Effec<veness

www.nature.org/media/oceansandcoasts/mangroves-‐for-‐coastal-‐defence.pdf


Resiliency Quality Features : •  Effec#ve with regard to Wave Impact Reduc#on (physical distance

and mangrove type dependent)

•  Not effec#ve with regard to Accelerated Sea Level Rise

•  Suitable for similar marine habitat condi#ons elsewhere

•  Vulnerable for changes in ambient condi#ons, such as temperature and silta#on

•  Not suitable for other climate zones

USGS

Eco-‐shields / Mangroves


Eco-‐Polder •  Polder type, diked area as extreme impact relief instrument (buffer)

•  Designed to get flooded under extreme condi#ons by means of spilling levees or weirs

•  Allowing the water to come in controlled, thus reducing and slowing down the direct impact on the mainland

•  Vegeta#on in the polder can slow down the process even further •  Poten#al addi#onal use as storm water run off reservoir


Eco-‐Polder Resiliency Quality Features : •  Well tested, global concept with basically very few restric#ons

•  Extensive research has been done such as in Northern Germany [Ref. H.D. Niemeyer, 2001]

•  Extremely effec#ve in terms of wave and water level set up reduc#on


More Systems with Similar Impact Resiliency Quali<es

Other systems with natural built in resiliency with regard extreme weather impacts are : •  Coral Reefs / Ar#ficial Reefs

In analogy with hurricane shaped barriers •  Sequen#al Breakwaters

in analogy with mega-‐ripples

•  Salt Marshes

In analogy with mangroves In principle within the same window of opportunity as the the systems just presented


The “Resilient by Nature” Approach •  Learn from systems with proven built in natural resilience in terms

of dimensions, behaviour, relevant processes, etc.

•  Translate their characteris#cs to other places which are equally exposed but less resilient

•  On the basis of an holis#c approach, Implement as systems instead of individual engineered solu#ons

•  Toolbox, providing maximum flexibility and internal back-‐up and redundancy

•  As solu#on provider and overarching framework for engineered components, such as structures

•  Resilient by Nature is a Game Changer


New York City as Example

USGS

•  Hurricane Sandy (2012) has had a major impact on NYC (U$ 32 billion,

direct damage costs)

•  NYC Resiliency Program “Rebuild by Design”

•  Tradi#onal sta#c (river) waterfront approach, without aIen#on for flexibility nor internal redundancy

•  With what is called the “Dry Contour” as binding factor for ManhaIan

•  No Adapta#on zones included so no space for yet unknown condi#ons •  First projects to go into execu#on this year.


Source : Daily News

Source : Daily News

www.rebuildbydesign.org/project/big-team-final-proposal/


•  Fixed boundaries of the exis#ng quay-‐walls and other waterfront infrastructure

•  Tradi#onal engineered (river bank) solu#ons

•  Some landscaping planned on the dry features, but no changes in the wet contour

•  Many interfaces, hard to manage, performance risk


www.newyorksocialnetwork.com/wp-‐content/uploads/2013/05/nyc-‐aerial.jpg



Source : Daily News

Source : Daily News

New York City as Example •  New York City has the need and all condi#ons for implementa#on of

a flexible, holis#c approach

•  Big unknowns are the way the whole estuary will behave when the next hurricane and related flood waves will hit the area

•  It’s all about understanding and implemen#ng of relevant systems, not engineered fixed structures with some occasional landscaping

•  With the “Blue Dunes” ini#a#ve as a nice, first example of the Resilient by Nature approach


Economy

•  The economics behind what’s feasible or not will mainly be determined on the basis of what’s already there, how much modifica#on is required and what natural resiliency component(s) to add, including related planning and #me scales

•  Balanced against the immense costs of the material and immaterial damage each major event causes

•  Offers the poten#al of substan<al addi<onal social and economic benefits from mul#-‐usage of the implemented systems, such as the eco-‐polder, hurricane breakwater, eco-‐shield, etc.

•  The Resilient by Nature approach is flexible, fully scalable to local

needs, means and possibili#es, thanks to its unique natural system based characteris#cs


Source : Daily News

Source : Daily News

•  Given the rapid changes and related uncertain#es and unknowns in

design data, there is definitely a need for an Holis#c Approach

•  Resilient by Nature offers the tools and experience to follow and implement such an approach

•  This will not happen overnight. More research is needed, other systems added and confidence must grow

•  Un#l full acceptance, it’s probably worth to compare and check what has been planned and designed conven#onally with the Resilient by Nature iden#fied systems and check if it makes sense what has been engineered as individual components

•  Reference Document is available for poten#al partners

Resilient by Nature, the Way Forward

Email : [email protected] Marco Pluijm Senior Specialist Port & Marine ⏐ Experience Based Solu<ons

m&cce conference pluijm final 13 oct 2016 reduced

Environment