| Title | Infrastructure-Relevant Climate Projections for the Southern Great Plains |
|---|---|
| Record ID | 67403 |
| Personal Name Creator |
Hayhoe, Katharine; James, Darryl; Stoner, Anne; Athukorallage, Bhagya |
| Corporate Creator | Texas Tech University |
| Corporate Contributor |
Southern Plains Transportation Center; United States. Department of Transportation. University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program |
| Publisher | Southern Plains Transportation Center |
| Publication Date | 20180223 |
| Language | English |
| Abstract | Transportation infrastructure is typically designed and built based on the assumption that the risks associated with climate and weather conditions at any given location do not change over time. Today, however, climate change is altering the risk of many types of weather extremes including the frequency and/or severity of high temperatures, heavy precipitation events, coastal flooding, and storms. Here, we developed maps of typical climate indices expected to impact a large variety of infrastructure structures and performed a quantitative analysis assessing how climate change may impact pavement performance and thermal conductivity in the Southern Plains as well as in other locations within the continental U.S. by applying state-of-the-art climate projections to generate infrastructure-relevant data products that will allow transportation researchers to assess and prepare for the potential risks a changing climate poses to Southern Plains roads, highways, bridges, culverts, and other infrastructure. The unique results indicate that increasing temperatures have a negative effect on flexible pavements for the majority of the locations included here for all measures of deformation as well as increases to the temperature gradient within the asphalt structure, which is more pronounced under warmer temperatures. Studies such as these, along with the regional and national maps of specific indicators, should help guide infrastructure planners and designers when building new roads and other infrastructure to ensure it is built to withstand current and future warming trends. |
| Rosap ID | dot:41989 |
| Rosap URL | https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/41989 |
| TRT Terms | Climate change; Deformation; Flexible pavements; Forecasting; Infrastructure; Maps; Pavement performance; Risk assessment; Thermal conductivity |
| General Subjects | climate indices; flexible pavement |
| Geographical Coverage |
United States |
| TRIS Online Accession No |
1705981 |
| Contract Number | DTRT13-G-UTC36 |
| Report Number | SPTC15.5-04 |
| Resource type | Tech Report |
| URL | https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/67000/67400/67403/SPTC15.5-04_Final_Report_Hayhoe_Rem.pdf |
| Format | |
| Database | NTL Digital Repository |