A portfolio of possible adaptation and resilience measures is an important component of PIANC’s good practice guidance on climate change adaptation for ports and inland waterways. This portfolio, which has been developed through an extensive international engagement exercise, lists a wide range of options for adapting or strengthening the resilience of navigation infrastructure assets, operations and systems.
It is arranged according to the nature of the predicted impacts.
When identifying possible measures to deal with a predicted impact, it is strongly recommended to take into account the following important guiding principles:
Rainfall-related flooding | Measures to deal with more frequent or extreme rain-related flooding of operational areas, including surface water flooding when heavy or prolonged rainfall overwhelms drainage systems (also known as pluvial flooding). Some of these measures might also be relevant where issues are associated with increasingly frequent or extreme groundwater flooding. | |
Flooding due to overtopping | Measures that can be used to deal with more frequent flooding of operational areas due to overtopping (fluvial flooding). Most measures are also relevant to more frequent or extreme coastal or estuarine flooding, for example associated with sea level rise or storm surge. | |
High flow or extreme wave conditions | Measures that can be used to deal with more prolonged or frequent high in-channel flow or extreme sea (wave) conditions. Some of these measures might also be relevant where climate change is impacting on flows or currents in estuaries. | |
Low flow or drought | Measures that can be used to deal with more prolonged or frequent low flow conditions (i.e. in channel). Many measures are also relevant in the context of drought or other changes causing a water supply deficit. | |
Changes in sediment regime | Measures that can be used to deal with observed changes in bathymetry or in sediment or debris transport, deposition and accumulation. Such impacts may result from climate-related changes in precipitation, snowmelt, river flow, wave conditions or storminess. | |
Bed or bank erosion | Measures that can be used to deal with increases in bed or bank erosion. Such impacts may result from climate-related changes in precipitation, snowmelt, river flow, wave conditions or storminess. | |
Reduced visibility | Measures that can be used to deal with increases in frequency or severity of reduced visibility, for example due to the incidence of fog. | |
Change in wind characteristics | Measures that can be used to deal with changes in wind speed/strength, direction, or duration affecting infrastructure or operations. | |
Extreme cold, ice or icing | Measures that can be used to deal with changes in the extent, duration or frequency of extreme cold, ice or icing. | |
Extreme heat | Measures that can be used to deal with changes in the extent, duration or frequency of extreme heat. | |
Ocean water acidity | Measures that can be used to deal with the implications for waterborne transport infrastructure of increases in ocean water acidity. | |
Salinity or salt water intrusion | Measures that can be used to deal with the implications for waterborne transport infrastructure of changes in salinity or saltwater intrusion. | |
Vegetation growth | Measures that can be used to deal with the implications for waterborne transport infrastructure of changes in native vegetation growth rates resulting from warmer water temperatures. | |
Species migration or change in range | Measures that can be used to deal with the implications for waterborne transport infrastructure of changes in species migration or range resulting from warmer water temperatures. | |
Native species survivability or growth rate | Measures that can be used to deal with the implications for waterborne transport infrastructure of changes native species survivability or growth rates associated with air temperature changes. | |
Invasive, non-native species | Measures that can be used to deal with the implications for waterborne transport infrastructure of invasive non-native species (INNS)establishment or spread facilitated by changes in air or water temperature. |
