Monday, November 8, 2021

Week 13: Coastal Problems

This week I'm talking about Hong Kong's coastal problems, and the main issue they're facing is rising sea levels. Since the mid 19th century, the rate of sea-level rise has significantly increased, and this is because of many factors. However, the leading cause is global warming, which increases temperature and melting of ice and snow, resulting in a rise in mean sea level.

So what if the sea levels are rising? Well, elevated sea levels create risk for other hazards such as typhoon-generated storm surges. Storm surges rapidly increase the sea level due to low pressure and high winds from a tropical cyclone. Note that storm surges are more extreme if they occur during high tides, resulting in flooding of low-lying areas.

There is no plausible solution to stopping or slowing down the rising sea level as far as mitigation efforts go. The best course of action for Hong Kong is to be prepared for extreme storm surges. I've mentioned in other blog posts the different mitigations HK has in place to prevent flooding. This included many miles of storm drains and tunnels, they also have large storm water tanks. Hong Kong has invested heavily into preventing/ reducing floods as this country is very prone to it.

Sources:
https://www.hko.gov.hk/en/education/aviation-and-marine/aviation/00505-on-sea-level-rise-and-abnormal-sea-level-in-hong-kong.html
at

3 comments:

  1. Gerson's geology 9 blogNovember 10, 2021 at 7:37 PM

    hello Tyson
    Reading about the coastal hazards of Hong Kong was interesting to know I was not aware of how at risk Hong Kong is due to climate change and other factors that have increased many issues around the coast. I think it is important that such a big city as Hong Kong should have its own infrastructure to maintain a clean environment it is very important and essential for water sources and for the ocean as well to be clean.
    Thank You
    Gerson Orellana

    ReplyDelete
  2. Angie EnriquezNovember 14, 2021 at 10:33 PM

    Hi Tyson!!
    It was very interesting to read about Hong Kong and the coastal hazards that they face. Reading your blog really opened my eyes to the amount of countries that are facing their own difficulties and challenges. Learning that water pollution is a serious problem in Hong Kong, I am glad that the government has provided services and their efforts to help diminish water pollution. Hopefully all of the treatments will be beneficial towards the future. I also found it crazy to hear that 1.56 billion masks ended up in the ocean over the past year! Thanks for the great blog post!
    Angie

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ana GGNovember 15, 2021 at 12:55 PM

    This was great research!- Will be interesting to see more about the connection to the climate changing.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Final Blog: Main Hazards

 The two main natural hazards of Hong Kong are mass wasting and flooding. I believe these hazards should be the priorities of Hong Kong due ...

  • Week 8: Mass Wasting Hazards in Hong Kong
     Hong Kong is a very wet country due to tropical storms that bring heavy rainfall. This, coupled with Hong Kong's rapid urban developmen...
  • Week 5: Volcanic Activity
     Hong Kong itself does not have much volcanic activity at the current time. However, throughout the land of Hong Kong, volcanic rocks and pl...
  • Week 13: Coastal Problems
    This week I'm talking about Hong Kong's coastal problems, and the main issue they're facing is rising sea levels. Since the mid ...