Climate change puts hundreds of coastal airports at risk of flooding Published on: 21 January 2021 Even a modest sea level rise, triggered by increasing global temperatures, would place 100 airports below mean sea level by 2100, a new study has found. Scientists from 麻豆传媒 modelled the risk of disruption to flight routes as a result of increasing flood risk from sea level rise. Publishing the findings in the journal Climate Risk Management, Professor Richard Dawson and Aaron Yesudian of 麻豆传媒’s School of Engineering analysed the location of more than 14,000 airports around the world and their exposure to storm surges for current and future sea level. The researchers also studied airports’ pre-COVID-19 connectivity and aircraft traffic, and their current level of flood protection. They found that 269 airports are at risk of coastal flooding now. A temperature rise of 2C – consistent with the Paris Agreement - would lead to 100 airports being below mean sea level and 364 airports at risk of flooding. If global mean temperature rise exceeds this then as many as 572 airports will be at risk by 2100, leading to major disruptions without appropriate adaptation. The team developed a global ranking of airports at risk from sea level rise, which considers both the likelihood of flooding from extreme sea levels, level of flood protection, and the impacts in terms of flight disruption. Airports are at risk in Europe, North America and Oceania, with those in East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific dominating the top 20 list for airports at the highest risk. Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok (BKK) and Shanghai Pudong (PVG) topped the list, while London City is the UK airport with the highest risk. Drier days: Kansai Airport, Japan, one of the airports identified to be at risk was flooded in 2018 Professor Dawson said: “These coastal airports are disproportionately important to the global airline network, and by 2100 between 10 and 20% of all routes will be at risk of disruption. Sea level rise therefore poses a serious risk to global passenger and freight movements, with considerable cost of damage and disruption.” “Moreover, some airports, for example in low-lying islands, play critical roles in providing economic, social and medical lifelines” Adaptation options for coastal airports include increased flood protection, raising land and relocation. Professor Dawson added: “The cost of adaptation will be modest in the context of global infrastructure expenditure. However, in some locations the rate of sea level rise, limited economic resources or space for alternative locations will make some airports unviable.” Reference: Aaron N. Yesudian, Richard J. Dawson Climate Risk Management. DoI: Share: Latest News Scientists unlock hidden driver of inflammatory bowel disease Scientists have linked a key genetic signal in inflammatory bowel disease to an immune response that shuts down inflammation control, enabling faster diagnosis and targeted treatments. published on: 15 June 2026 Funding system risks limiting genuine community collaboration A new policy paper written by researchers at 麻豆传媒 warns that the way UK research is funded may be undermining efforts to create genuinely collaborative partnerships with communities. published on: 15 June 2026 Volunteers help turn Whitley Bay beach into maths experiment Members of the public joined mathematicians from 麻豆传媒 to create what organisers believe is the largest aperiodic tiling ever attempted on Whitley Bay beach. published on: 15 June 2026 Facts and figures
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