Climate Change Impact Assessment for Surface Transportation in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska

The states in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska (the region) share interconnected travel networks for people, goods, and services that support the regional economy, mobility, and human safety. Regional climate change has and will continue to affect the physical condition and serviceability of these networks, yet the nature of the changes and their potential impacts on the regional transportation system and its use are very poorly understood. The widely diverse topography, climate regimes, and localized variability of impacts within the region complicate efforts to understand and plan for adapting to the potential impacts of climate change on the regional transportation…

The states in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska (the region) share interconnected travel networks for people, goods, and services that support the regional economy, mobility, and human safety.  Regional climate change has and will continue to affect the physical condition and serviceability of these networks, yet the nature of the changes and their potential impacts on the regional transportation system and its use are very poorly understood.  The widely diverse topography, climate regimes, and localized variability of impacts within the region complicate efforts to understand and plan for adapting to the potential impacts of climate change on the regional transportation system.

The objective of this study is to conduct a preliminary assessment of the risks and vulnerabilities climate change poses to the surface transportation infrastructure system in the region.  At a minimum, the research will:
* synthesize data needed to characterize the region - such as its physiography and hydrology, land use, past and projected climate, current population and trends, and multimodal surface transportation infrastructure,
* identify critical infrastructure vulnerable to climate change impacts, and
* provide recommendations for more detailed analysis as appropriate to support managing risks and opportunities to adapt multimodal surface transportation infrastructure to climate change impacts.