Tropical cyclones damage on coastal defences: future influence of climate change and sea level rise on shallow coastal areas in Southern Vietnam

Greater concentrations of greenhouse gases could bring about an increase in the pace of sea level rise and typhoon intensity in the future. The number of hours that buildings and infrastructure will be affected by high wind speeds is likely to increase in the future, and this can create a number of problems for coastal infrastructure and housing. The effect that sea level rise will have on the construction of breakwaters is also investigated, showing how this will cause an increase in the required materials (and thus the cost) to build and maintain these and other types of sea defences. Although higher typhoon wind speeds could also increase the size of waves reaching the coastline, the mild slope bathymetries in the south of the country are likely to limit this effect. In areas such as Phan Thiet the shallow nearshore bathymetry breaks the waves long before the reach the coastline, effectively shielding it from the worst type of waves. However, an increase in sea levels will also allow bigger waves to reach the coastline, and require heavier armour to be used in revetments and breakwaters.