Economic optimization of coastal flood defence systems including storm surge barrier closure reliability

Storm surge barriers are large movable hydraulic structures which close during a storm surge to prevent coastal floods. In the regions they protect, a failure to close the barrier is often the most likely cause for a catastrophic flood. Nevertheless, flood risk assessments usually only focus on raising flood defences behind the barrier....

Observations and Analysis of the Horizontal Structure of a Tidal Jet at Deep Scour Holes

Scour in the vicinity of a hydraulic structure may compromise its geotechnical stability or that of nearby structures. Much fundamental research has been dedicated to the understanding and prediction of these processes, in order to enable the efficient design of mitigation measures. While most of these efforts consider laterally uniform flows,...

Storm Surge Barrier: Overview and Design Considerations

In this study an overview of existing and planned storm surge barriers in the world is provided. A systematic analysis relates functional requirements (e.g. navigation and tidal exchange) to the main barrier characteristics (e.g. gate type, dimensions). Furthermore, as the costs of barriers are an important issue in the planning, available cost...

Reconnaissance Level Studies on a Storm Surge Barrier for Flood Risk Reduction in the Houston-Galveston Bay

The Houston - Galveston area is at significant risk from hurricane induced storm surges. This paper summarizes ongoing studies on flood risk reduction for the region. Firstly, based on a simplified probabilistic hurricane surge model , the return periods of surges within the bay have been estimated. This model framework can be used to assess the...

Climate Change Adaptation in Tokyo Bay: The Case for a Storm Surge Barrier

Increases in typhoon intensity and sea level rise could pose significant challenges to coastal defences around Tokyo Bay. In order to analyse the extent of future problems the authors determined the increase storm surge that could result from an increase in typhoon intensity and sea level rise to this area around the turn of the 21st century....

EBB-tidal delta morphology in response to a storm surge barrier

The ebb-tidal delta of the Eastern Scheldt tidal inlet has been under the influence of a storm surge barrier for the past 25 years. This barrier caused a strong decrease in average tidal currents through the inlet. The morphological response of the ebb-tidal delta is characterized by several different processes: (1) an overall decrease in...

Reconnaissance level study Mississippi storm surge barrier

This paper reports a reconnaissance level study of a storm surge barrier in the Mississippi River. Historical hurricanes have shown storm surge of several meters along the Mississippi River levees up to and upstream of New Orleans. Future changes due to sea level rise and subsidence will further increase the risk of flooding due to hurricane...

Design plan Oosterschelde Storm-surge barrier: Overall design and design philosophy

The 10 year struggle of the Rijkswaterstaat (State Department of Public Works) and contractors with the task to build a permeable sea defence structure in the Oosterschelde, has been registered in sixteen successive project reports which contain thousands of documents. These documents are sometimes complete part-project papers and sometimes not...

Modelling storm surges and forecast effects in designing the Rotterdam storm surge barrier

In 1989 the Dutch government decided to build a storm surge barrier in the New Waterway near Rotterdam being a good and cheap alternative for the necessary strengthening of dikes along the lower regions of the Dutch rivers Rhine and Meuse. To be feasible the barrier had to meet several goals. The most important ones being : * closing frequency...

Spinakerkering: Oriënterend onderzoek, verslag modelonderzoek

In hoofdstuk 3 worden de situatie en de belangrijkste hydraulische randvoorwaarden omschreven voor het onderzoek van de spinakerkering. Het principe van dit nieuwe type keringsmiddel vol gens het huidige schetsontwerp wordt beschreven. Daarna worden te onderscheiden bedrijfsfasen - achtereenvolgens de transport-, de sluitings-, de kerings-, de...

Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier

30 Years of development of the design criteria for flood protection and watercontrol works by prof.J.F.Agema The joint evaluation of design construction of large scale concrete coastal structures by J.C.Slagter 500,000 Cubic metres of prefabricated, prestressed concrete by A.A.H. van Dam Special equipment as a result of integrated design and...

Controlling the Oosterschelde storm-surge barrier: A policy analysis of alternative strategies. Vol. 4: Basin response to North Sea water levels: the Barcon simplic model

The fourth in a four-volume study to assist the Netherlands government in a policy analysis of alternative control strategies for operating the storm-surge barrier across the Oosterschelde basin. This volume describes the simulation model of the storm-surge barrier and basin used to estimate the variation with time of different water levels...

Controlling the Oosterschelde storm-surge barrier: A policy analysis of alternative strategies. Vol. 2: Sensitivity analysis

The second in a four-volume study to assist the Netherlands government in a policy analysis of alternative control strategies for operating the storm-surge barrier across the Oosterschelde basin. This volume describes the sensitivity analysis and shows why two specific strategy representations were selected for further evaluation from the three...

Controlling the Oosterschelde storm-surge barrier: A policy analysis of alternative strategies. Vol. 3: Predicting North Sea waterlevels

The third in a four-volume study to assist the Netherlands government in a policy analysis of alternative control strategies for operating the storm-surge barrier across the Oosterschelde basin. This volume describes and evaluates several models for predicting North Sea water levels outside the barrier. The models include prediction based on...

Controlling the Oosterschelde storm-surge barrier: A policy analysis of alternative strategies. Vol. 1: Summary report

The first in a four-volume study to assist the Netherlands government in a policy analysis of alternative control strategies for operating the storm-surge barrier across the Oosterschelde basin. For each alternative, the project analyzed several consequences or "impacts," including the safety of the dikes along the Oosterschelde; the effects on...

The Haringvliet sluices

The Delta waters north of the Volkerak dam will continue to be in open communication with the sea through the Rotterdam Waterway, so the area will still be tidal, although the tidal movements will be greatly moderated. The waters from the Rhine and Meuse will also continue to flow to the sea through this area. Formerly the water coming down...

Operation of hurricane barriers in New England

Construction of two hurricane barriers to protect the coastal communities of New Bedford and Fairhaven, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island is nearly complete. The projects include navigation gates, pumping stations, street closures, cooling water canal, and numerous utility gates. Operation of these various features introduces many...