The Comparative Study of Adaptation Measure to Sea Level Rise in Thailand

Sompratana Ritphring,Hiroaki Shirakawa,Keiko Udo,Pattrakorn Nidhinarangkoon

doi:10.3390/jmse9060588

Abstract

In the 21st century, global sea level rise associated with climate change will affect beach areas, which provide a number of benefits that include benefits to the recreational sector of the economy. In Thailand, the adoption of structural measures in order to slow down beach erosion and handle the impact of sea level rise is commonly implemented. However, structural measures often bring about negative effects on nearby coastal areas. For this reason, suitable adaptation measures should be determined, in order to protect beach areas and to sustain the tourism carrying capacity of the beach. This study analyzed historical shoreline changes using satellite images, and assessed beach value with the hedonic pricing method. We used a benefit–cost ratio analysis to evaluate the economic valuation assessment of Pattaya beach and Chalatat beach. The results showed that the beach values of Pattaya beach and Chalatat beach were 1,072,250 and 92,092 USD, respectively. The benefit–cost ratio analysis proposed that it is worth implementing beach nourishment for the adaptation measure to address all climate change scenarios. In response to climate change, recommendations could be applied to support beach tourism.

Highlights

Coastal areas provide benefits to humans and coastal ecosystems
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that global sea level rise associated with climate change is expected to be between 8–16 mm/y in the
(2002–2017) had positive shoreline change rates, but it increased to a greater extent after the beach nourishment construction was installed

Summary

Introduction

Coastal areas provide benefits to humans and coastal ecosystems. Beaches act as buffers between the ocean and land, and tend to change dynamically in response to natural and human activities. Between 1972 and 2011, measurements of sea levels from 22 tide gauge stations in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea showed that sea levels had risen at an average rate of 6.5 mm/y [2]. Using the Bruun rule, the national beach loss rate projections between 2081–2100 are 45.8% for a scenario in which representative concentration pathway (RCP) is 2.6, and 71.8% for a scenario in which RCP is 8.5. 23 of 64 beach zones in Thailand will be completely lost during this same time period [3]

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