Aspects of potential climate change impacts on ports and maritime operations around the Southern African coast

Abstract

This paper includes a brief revue of some of the likely physical port and maritime operations related impacts due to expected climate change around the southern African coast. To mitigate these detrimental impacts, research is and should increasingly be directed at an improved understanding of what is happening to our coastline and what is likely to happen as climate change intensifies. Locally applicable methods have to be developed urgently to quantify realistically the impacts of climate change. To mitigate these impacts, we have to understand the adaptation options available to southern African society, which is considerably different from first world approaches, and still largely undefined. Quantitative information is only starting to become available, and the resulting somewhat speculative discussions and predictions presented here are uncertain. Some important potential consequences of global warming on the southern African coast are highlighted, and there is presently a clear and urgent need for improved understanding of these issues and, especially, predictive capabilities.