DOT Releases Study of Potential Environmental
Impacts on Transportation Infrastructure in
U.S. Central Gulf Coast
On March 12, 2008, DOT released
a study on the potential impacts of climate changes and land subsidence, the
natural sinking of an area's land mass, on transportation infrastructure in the
U.S. Gulf Coast region. The release is phase one of a three-part study.
"This study provides
transportation planners in the Gulf Coast region with valuable information that will assist them as they make decisions
for the future," said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters.
The Impacts of Climate Change
and Variability on Transportation Systems and Infrastructure: Gulf Coast Study,
Phase I, provides an assessment of the vulnerabilities of transportation
systems in the region to potential changes in weather patterns and related
impacts, as well as the effect of natural land subsidence and other
environmental factors in the region. The area examined by the study includes 48
contiguous counties in four states, running from Galveston, Texas to Mobile, Alabama.
Based on 21 simulation models
and a range of emissions scenarios, the study found that potential changes in
climate over the next 50 to 100 years could disrupt transportation services in
the region. Twenty-seven percent of major roads, 9 percent of rail lines, and
72 percent of area ports are at or below 4 feet in elevation and could be
vulnerable to flooding due to future sea level rise and natural sinking of the
area's land mass. The study is designed to help state and local officials as
they develop their transportation plans and make investment decisions. Federal
transportation officials will continue to work closely with state and local
planners as they incorporate the study into their planning processes.
Subsequent phases of the study
will focus on risks and adaptation strategies involved in planning, investment,
design, and operational decisions for infrastructure in the Gulf Coast region and nationwide. The study was performed in partnership with the
U.S. Geological Survey and state and local researchers, and is one of 21
"synthesis and assessment" reports produced as part of the U.S. Climate Change
Science Program.
The study is available
online at http://climate.dot.gov/publications/impact_of_climate_change/.
|