INCREASED OVERTOPPING SECURITY OF DYKES: A POTENTIAL FOR COMPENSATING FUTURE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Abstract

Anticipated acceleration of sea level rise in combination with expected higher set-up of storm surges will require strengthening of coastal protection structures. Dykes e. g. must then be heightened according to the existing design rules taking only hydrodynamical loads into consideration. Alternatively the development of new design rules taking both hydrodynamical loads and the strength of the available soil for the construction of a dyke might allow the explo-ration of up to now undetected safety margins. In order to explore these possibilities the German Coastal Engineering Research Council has provided the funds for a research project targeting these aims. First results of this project are presented in this paper on the background of achieved improvements for the determination of design wave run-up on coastal and estuarine sea dykes.