eCoast's Key Areas of Specialisation: Coastal Hazard Assessment

One of eCoast’s key areas of specialization is assessing coastal hazards where our consultants have accumulated over four decades of experience collectively.

Our work in this field continues to evolve at an accelerating rate as coastal communities around the world accept the need to prepare for the impacts of climate change (CC) and sea level rise (SLR). Additionally, advancing research on the impacts of CC and SLR provide new insights into projections and methodologies.

eCoast recognises the importance that every situation is different where each site requires the application of a different set of tools to determine the effects of SLR and CC. We can ensure our consultants take this into consideration when performing a coastal hazard assessment.

Erosion, inundation, tsunami and several other coastal hazards have a wide range of potential impacts which depend on a variety of factors:

1. Location: whether the site is located on the open coast or the inner harbour.
2. Geomorphology and geology: the physical features of the site which may include sandy beach, sandstone, terrestrial soil, shingle, boulders, rocky reef, coral reef etc.
3. The configuration of the physical features: for example, cliffs, low beaches, wetlands, mangroves, fringing coral reefs, and combinations of physical and biological features.
4. Met ocean conditions: combined wind, wave and climate conditions that a site may be subject to. For example, , the impacts of an extreme event can be distinctly different depending on whether the tide is in or out, whether the air pressure is high or low, which way the wind is blowing, and when considering the effects today or with 100 years of SLR.

The image above shows one of eCoast’s ongoing coastal hazard management project sites where we are ‘buying time’ through ‘managed advance’ in Northeastern Tongatapu. This can be achieved through reducing the effects of coastal hazards, erosion and inundation, over the next 20-30 years for low-lying and vulnerable villages in Tongatapu.

eCoast’s approach to assessing coastal hazards is well reflected in our corporate mantra, “Understand• Innovate • Sustain”. We understand and quantify the environment, apply the most up-to-date and innovate tools and methodologies to develop the most sustainable solutions to be prepared for coastal hazards.

If you have any further queries or would be interested in utilising our services please do not hesitate to get in touch via our contact us page.