Transcript SCOD Adaptation -July27-Culp

Adaptation to Global Climate
Change Effects: FHWA Activities
AASHTO Subcommittee on Design
July 27, 2010
Columbia, South Carolina
Michael Culp
Senior Environmental Protection Specialist
FHWA Office of Environment, Planning & RE
U.S. Department of Transportation
Jon Obenberger, Ph.D., P.E.
Preconstruction Team Leader
FHWA Infrastructure Office of Program
Administration
Federal Highway Administration
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Adapting to climate change:
The Potential for Costly Impacts
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Houston, TX. Adapted from Virginia Burkett, USGS
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What is Adaptation?
• Actions to avoid, withstand, or take
advantage of climate changes and impacts
 Adapting transportation assets to the new and
emerging effects of climate change
 Magnitude of change is difficult to assess
 Potential implications for where we locate and how we
build
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Climate Change Effects
• Changes in sea levels due
to sea level rise,
subsidence
• Increased storm surge
• Changes in temperature
• Changes in precipitation
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Long term U.S. Climate Effect
Projections
• Heavy precipitation events will occur more
often, and be more intense
• The northern US will experience increases in
precipitation and humidity, while the south
becomes drier
• Temperatures will continue to warm, by 4 to
11 F. Heat waves will occur more frequently
• Sea levels are expected to increase by 3 to 4
feet
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Potential impacts on transportation
infrastructure
Potential impacts include:
 Permanent inundation of roads
 Temporary flooding of roads
 Weakening of land, substructure supporting
roads, bridges
 Increased stream flow, erosion and bridge
scour
 Pavement cracking, deformation; sun kinks
(rail deformation)
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Adaptation Options
• Maintain and manage
 Higher maintenance costs
• Protect, strengthen
 Sea walls, buffers, design
changes
• Relocate
 Move key facilities, instead of
rebuilding
• Promote redundancy
 Emergency management
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FHWA Adaptation Strategy
• Plan & roadmap to prioritize & address key
climate change adaptation issues:
 Aligned w/ USDOT Climate Change Initiative
 Includes FHWA multi-office adaptation activities
 Focus all aspects & phases in project delivery:
• Develop outreach & awareness material
• Develop & pilot vulnerability & risk conceptual model
• Facilitate topic specific studies (e.g., Gulf Coast Study)
• Identify research, guidance & training needs
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Vulnerability/Risk Assessment Conceptual Model
• Assess transportation systems & infrastructure:
 Develop inventory of infrastructure assets
 Gather climate data
 Assess risk and vulnerability
• Identify which assets:
 Are most exposed to threats from climate change
 Could have the most serious consequences if affected
 Identify possible mitigation strategies
• Implementation Pilots
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Gulf Coast Study - Phase II
“Impacts of Climate Change and Variability on
Transportation Systems and Infrastructure”
• Comprehensive assessment of how climate change will
affect transportation in the Gulf Coast area
• Process for assessing critical transportation
infrastructure, projecting climate change effects,
evaluating vulnerability, and conducting detailed
engineering assessments for vulnerable assets in
Mobile, AL
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Peer Exchanges
• FHWA has conducted two peer exchanges
(December 2008, 2009)
• Participants were upper level management of State
DOTs
• Observations include
 Low level of current activity related to adaptation
 Address significant research & technical assistance needs
 Expand inter/Intra-agency relationships
 Provide more geographically-relevant climate effects data
 Ramp up public outreach & education
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Implications for Project Design
• Many transportation investments have long design lives
and are very vulnerable to GCC effects
• Design parameters & conduct appropriate analysis:
 Bridges: Design approach that addresses wave force, storm
surge and scour vulnerabilities
 Pavement Design: Improved methodology for assessing
pavement damage due to prolonged inundation, rising water
tables and increased freeze/thaw cycle frequency
 Hydraulics: Modeling and design to account for greater frequency
of 100-year storms and other intense conditions
FHWA’s Next Steps:
• Conduct pilot & continue to develop climate change
vulnerability & risk conceptual model
• AASHTO & FHWA Symposium on Climate Change,
Washington, DC, Aug. 5-6, 2010
• AASHTO & FHWA Workshop – develop research &
technology transfer agenda/roadmap
• Coordinate integration of climate change & adaptation
w/ other FHWA programs & national initiatives
• Continue to conduct outreach & develop material
Available Resources:
• USDOT Climate Change Clearinghouse:
http://www.climate.dot.gov/
• FHWA Climate Change & Adaptation Initiative:
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/climate/index.htm
• AASHTO Center for Environmental Excellence:
http://www.environment.transportation.org/
• FHWA Contacts:
 Michael Culp [email protected]
 John Davies [email protected]
 Rob Kafalenos [email protected]