Review of the Impacts of Climate Change on Ports and Harbours and Their Adaptation in Spain

Abstract

Climate change is one of the issues of greatest concern to today’s society. The increase in temperatures has affected sea levels, polar masses and extreme events, among others. There are many scientific studies that analyze the impacts of climate change on coastal communities, but most of them focus on beach erosion and coastal recession. Scientific literature on the effects of climate change on ports and harbors and their adaptation is much less abundant. Ports are essential for the economy and society of their cities, so studying the impact of climate change on them is an urgent need. The Mediterranean and the Spanish Mediterranean coast is one of the areas that will be most affected by climate change in the future. In addition, the Spanish economy depends a lot on its tourism and, thus, on its coastal cities. Therefore, the study of the impact of climate change on Spanish ports and coastal communities is essential. This article presents a review of the studies carried out until now on the effects of climate change on Spanish ports, and it identifies research gaps and weaknesses and suggests new research lines.

A Qualitative Analysis of Climate Impacts on Egyptian Ports

“…On the other hand, skeptical of adaptation strategies, port leaders still call for increased action against climate change [25]. On the other hand, some scholars showed that while larger ports dominate the research landscape, a critical oversight exists: small fishing ports and marinas face a disproportionate threat from climate change [15].…”

“…In that case, rising sea levels will lead to higher discharges that pose a significant risk to the existing functional and operational assets/services [11]. Also, as predicted, the escalation of sea levels is expected to correlate with a proportional increase in the number of ports subject to overtopping, thereby yielding heightened economic ramifications [12,15]. Another noteworthy finding is that substantial cost savings are achieved by implementing adaptation measures, which prevent minimal damage compared to the option of no damage at all [12,19].…”

“…Additionally, an elevation in the average sea level poses a potential hazard to port activities as it reduces dock freeboard. This increase in sea level also alters wave propagation patterns, potentially affecting processes like wave agitation, siltation, and infrastructure and facilities stability within the harbor [12,[14][15][16]. Additionally, climate change has repercussions on diverse facets associated with ports and the coastal milieu, encompassing safety and human health, recreational pursuits, tourism, and the overarching well-being of ecosystems.…”

“…There is a lack of scientific investigations on the influence of climate change on ports and harbors, along with their corresponding adaptation measures [15]. Given the pivotal role of ports in the economic and societal fabric of urban centers, a compelling need arises to scrutinize the repercussions of climate change on these entities.…”

Impact of climate change on berthing areas in ports of the Balearic Islands: adaptation measures

“…Another aspect not traditionally addressed in the literature related to the impact of climate change on ports is the adoption of adaptation measures. Only in recent times there have been studies analyzing impacts and proposing adaptation measures, such as those of Yang et al (2018); Ng et al (2018); Sierra (2019); Portillo Juan et al (2022) and Loza and Veloso-Gomes (2023).…”