Hong Kong Coastal Twins（HKCT）

Hong Kong, like many other coastal cities, faces risks from severe weather events such as typhoons, high waves and storm surges. These weather phenomena can pose great dangers to individuals and harm coastal structures. Notably, recent super typhoons like Hato (2017), Mangkhut (2018), and Saola (2023) have caused significant damage in Hong Kong. The economic losses from Mangkhut (2018) alone exceeded HK$4.60 billion. These events underscore the importance of understanding the impact of climate change on coastal communities to enhance our ability to better predict and manage these risks. With global warming, we anticipate a rise in extreme weather occurrences, particularly extreme storm surges. Coastal cities, including Hong Kong, need to take measures to enhance the resilience of their coastlines and be well prepared to better respond to these challenges.

This project focuses on developing a predictive digital model for Hong Kong's coastlines to enhance preparedness for extreme events, particularly extreme storm surges. This digital model, known as a digital twin of actual coasts, leverages cutting-edge approaches in computational mechanics, data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), and remote sensing to advance our understanding and our ability to predict coastal land-wave interactions. The primary objective is to provide accurate forecasts to support decision-making on mitigating the impacts of severe weather events, especially extreme storm surges.