Sara  Mills-­‐Knapp,  LEED  AP  Emily  Bourdeau  Greg  Falco,  LEED  AP,  EMIT      

Climate  Change  AdaptaCon  &  Sustainable  Design  at  the    

Port  Authority  of  New  York  &  New  Jersey  

Cathy  Resler  Harold  Tovar  Stephen  Zoegall,  Ph.D.,  LEED  AP    

Capstone  workshop  •  6  Sustainability  Management  MS  candidates  from  Columbia  

University  •  ExperCse  in  energy  efficiency,  green  building,  

communicaCons,  insurance,  sanitary  engineering  –  limited  technical  experCse        

•  12-­‐week  research  project  for  PANYNJ  Engineering  Dept.  •  Access  only  to  publicly  disclosed  informaCon  on  PANYNJ  

assets  

•  IntroducCon  •  Project  goals  •  Overview  of  climate  change  •  Research  methodology  •  Selected  strategies  •  Sustainable  design  guideline  matrix  •  Conclusions  

Agenda  

Project  overview  

Goals  

Survey  exisCng  strategies  for  climate  change  adaptaCon  

Determine  overlap/conflict  of  sustainable  design  guidelines  with  climate  adaptaCon  strategies  

Provide  insights  regarding  infrastructure  adaptaCons  for  climate  change  relevant  to  PANYNJ    

Climate  change  

CLIMATE  CHANGE  

Elevated  temperature  

Storm  surge  

Sea  level  rise  

Increased  precipita=on  

Climate  change  risks  

Rising temperatures

Thermal expansion and polar ice melt Inundation

Increased precipitation Storm surges Flooding

Sea level rise

NY/NJ  climate  change  policy  acCon  Cmeline     2007

–  NYC initiates PlaNYC 2030 –  NYS Sea Level Task Force Formed –  PANYNJ Sustainable Design Project Manual – Buildings

2008 –  PANYNJ Sustainability Policy –  NYC Panel on Climate Change (NPCC) and NYC Climate Change Adaptation Task Force

Formed 2009

–  NPCC Climate Risk Information Report –  NY Executive Order No. 24 creates New York Climate Action Council (ClimAID)

2010 –  PANYNJ Sustainable Infrastructure Guidelines –  NYSERDA ClimAID NY State Climate Action Plan Interim Report Released –  NYS Sea Level Task Force Report

Climate  change  impacts:  NY/NJ    

Source:New  York  City  Panel  on  Climate  Change  (2009)  Climate  Risk  Informa1on  Report    

Sea  level  rise  in  NY  &  NJ  "Everybody  will  sCll  have  the  impact  [of  sea  level  rise],  and  in  many  places  they  will  get  the  average  rise.  But  places  like  New  York  are  going  to  have  a  larger  contribuCon  than  the  average  –  20%  more  in  this  case.”      Roderik  van  der  Wal,  University  of  Utrecht,  presenta1on  at  the  April  2011  European  Geosciences  Union  Annual  Mee1ng  

Source:  Richard  Black,  BBC  News,  Apr.  8,  2011  

Sea  level  rise  projecCons:  NYC/NJ    

Source:  Lt.  Rosenzweig,  C.  and  Solecki,  W.  (2010),  Chapter  1:  New  York  City  AdaptaCon  in  Context.  Annals  of  the  New  York  Academy  of  Sciences.  NPCC  Report    Rt:  Cooper,  M.J.P.  et  al.  (2005)  FUTURE  SEA  LEVEL    RISE  AND  THE  NEW  JERSEY  COAST  Assessing  Poten1al  Impacts  and  Opportuni1es  Report.  Princeton  University  

New  Jersey  esCmated  coastal  land  area  suscepCble  to  episodic  flooding  applying  current  100-­‐year  flood  water  

level  (2.90  m)  and  0.61  m  rise                                                                                                                                                in  sea  level  (3.50  m)    

                                     

PotenCal  impacts  of  sea  level  rise  on  transportaCon  infrastructure  

Source:  “PotenCal  Impacts  of  Global  Sea  level  Rise  on  TransportaCon  

Infrastructure    Report”  2007  U.S.  DOT    Climate  Change  Center  

PotenCal  impacts  on  PANYNJ  assets  

-­‐  Opera=on  con=nuity  issues            related  to  inunda=on  

-­‐  Decreased  clearance  -­‐  Corrosion  -­‐  Flooding  

-­‐  Flooding  and  rail  corrosion    

-­‐  Erosion  -­‐  Flooding  

Images  clockwise:  Map  of  PANYNJ  faciliCes,  GW  Bridge,  aerial  image  of  LGA  airport,  image    of  PATH  train  in  a  staCon,  and  aerial  image  of  Port  Newark  and  Port  Elizabeth  container  complex  

Key  terms  

Sustainability

Adaptation

Resilience

Adjustment  in  natural  or  human  systems  in  response  to  projected  effects  of  climate  change2  

Ability  of  infrastructure  and  services  to  absorb  and  to  con=nue  func=oning  op=mally  despite  all  cumula=ve  infrastructural  stresses  associated  with  climate  change  impacts3  

To  meet  present  needs  without  compromising  the  ability  of  future  genera=ons  to  meet  their  needs1  

1  Brundtland  Commission  Report  (1983)  2  IPCC  AR4  (2007)  3  The  NaConal  Infrastructure  Advisory  Council      

Mitigation As  defined  by  PANYNJ  in  reference  to  sustainable  design  as  “reducing  the  adverse  environmental  impacts  of  the  design,  construc=on,  opera=on,  maintenance  and  occupancy”  of  their  opera=ons  through  the  development  of  sustainable  design  guidelines  for  buildings  and  infrastructure.”  

Research  methodology  

Develop  project-­‐specific  definiCons  of  key  terms  

Review  case  study  literature  

Conduct  expert    interviews  

IdenCfy  applicable  strategies/case  studies  

for  PANYNJ  

Analyze  climate  change  adaptaCon  within  context  of  PANYNJ  sustainable  design  

guidelines  

Interviews  Interviewee   Organiza=on   Role  

Thomas  Abdallah,  P.E.,  LEED  AP   MTA/NYC  Transit   Chief  Environmental  Engineer  

Aaron  Koch   NYC  Mayor’s  Office  for  Long-­‐Term  Planning   Policy  Analyst  

KrisCn  Lemaster   CDM  ConsulCng   Environmental  Engineer  

Arlyn  Purcell   PANYNJ  AviaCon  Department  

Supervisor  of  Environmental  Programs  

Cynthia  Rosenzweig,  Ph.D.   NASA   Senior  Research  ScienCst  

ECenne  Rouverand   ADPI   Head  of  Sustainable  Design  &  Senior  Architect  

Jacquelyn  Wilkins   MassPort   Sustainability  Program  Manager  

IPCC  coastal  management  framework*  Risk to coastal

infrastructure from sea level rise

Structural response Extensive planning and

design; complex implementation; capital-intensive; often involves

development of new infrastructure

Operational response Less complex and expensive;

often associated with vital infrastructure that must be kept in use during upgrade

process

Protect Involves hard (walls and dikes), soft (dunes and

vegetation) and mechanized (pumps) solutions to protect

land from the sea so that existing land uses can

continue

Accommodate Residents and facility-

associated personnel continue to use the land at risk but do

not attempt to prevent the land from being flooded

Retreat Involves no effort to protect the land from the sea. The coastal zone is abandoned

and infrastructure shift landward

*  Intergovernmental  Panel  on  Climate  Change,  First  Assessment  Report  on  Climate  Change:  The  IPCC  Response  Strategies  –  Chapter  5  Coastal  Zone  Management,  1990.  

Strategy  breakdown  

Protect   Accommodate   Retreat  

Barriers  (permanent)  

Barriers  (temporary)   Enhanced  maintenance  

Coastal  armoring  

Coastal  sand  dunes  

Beach  nourishment  

Pumps,  sumps  &  catchment  systems  

Wetland  protecCon  

Structural  stormwater  storage  

Green  roofs  

FloaCng  structures  

Natural  stormwater  management  

Waterway  deepening/dredging  

Managed  relocaCon  

Elevated    Buildings  

Case  study  selecCon  criteria  Built,  under  construcCon,  or  planned  and  funded      Designed  to  offer  long-­‐term  incremental  protecCon  from  SLR  and/or  flooding  and  storm  surges    InnovaCve  planning  or  execuCon    IllustraCve  of  key  synergies  between  adaptaCon  principles  and  sustainable  design  techniques    Applicable  to  PANYNJ  infrastructure  and  buildings    

Thames  Barrier  (London)  

Flood  barrier  

•   Flooding  •   Increase  in  frequency  and  severity  of  storm  surge  events  

The  City  of  London  constructed  an  adjustable  flood  barrier.  Sea  level  rise  has  forced  operators  to  execute  more  frequent  closures:  the  gates  were  closed  four  Cmes  in  the  1980s,  35  Cmes  in  the  1990s,  and  80  Cmes  from  2000-­‐2010.  

Strategy  

Issues  

Overview  

Thames  Barrier  Source:  UK  Environmental  Agency    

ConstrucCon  began  in  1974  &  concluded  in  1982    

St.  Paul  Airport  modular  floodwall  (St.  Paul,  MN)  

Modular  floodwall    

•   Flooding  

Located  along  the  Mississippi  River,  the  St.  Paul  airport  has  flooded  three  Cmes  in  the  last  15  years.  Home  to  a  NaConal  Guard  base  that  threatened  to  withdraw  from  the  airport  if  the  frequent  flooding  issues  were  not  resolved.  Local  complaints  prevented  the  building  of  a  permanent  floodwall  as  an  “eye  sore.”  This  barrier  type  is  excepConally  flexible  and  easily  deployed  soluCon  for  flooding  prevenCon.      

Strategy  

Issue  

Overview  Source:  Flood  Control  America  

First  implemented  in  2009  

Tempe  Town  Lake  Inflatable  Dams  (Tempe,  AZ)  

Inflatable  dam  

•   Dispersion  and  drying  of  lake  

The  town  of  Tempe  constructed  8  inflatable  dams  able  to  contain  a  lake  that  was  drying  as  it  was  running  into  the  desert.  The  inflatable  dams  are  made  and  imported  from  Japan  and  have  been  deployed  2,200  Cmes  including  one  in  NY’s  Hudson  River.    

Strategy  

Issues  

Overview  

Built  by  the  city  in  1999  

Source:    CBS  News.  Associated  Press  July  21,  2010  

Brisbane  InternaConal  Airport  (Queensland,  Australia)  

•   ElevaCon  •   Basins  •   Modular  pumps  •   Catchment  systems  

•   Flooding  •   Storm  surge  •   Sea  level  rise  

MulCple  conCngencies  for  sea  level  rise  and  flooding  were  built  into  the  design  of  this  coastal  airport.  When  the  area  suffered  its  worst  flood  in  a  century  in  Jan  2011,  the  airport  not  only  conCnued  service  but  also  funcConed  as  a  safe  haven  for  residents.    

Strategies  

Issues  

Overview   2008  Aerial  Image  of  Brisbane  Airport  Source:  Van  Oord  Newsroom  

Built  in  1988  

The  Drain  London  Project  

•   Drain  mapping  •   Enhanced  maintenance  

•   Flooding  •   Increased  precipitaCon  

The  Drain  London  iniCaCve  enforced  drainage  mapping  and  a  risk  assessment  program  for  London.  This  is  an  effort  to  manage  the  conCnuing  operaCons  of  their  extensive  network  of  pumps  and  drains.    

Strategies  

Issues  

Overview  20  minute  long  rain  that  caused  the  train  staCons  to  be  flooded  in  July  2009  

Source:  NOCERE  

Began  in  2010  with  expected  compleCon  by  2015  

Rancho  Verde’s  Green  Buildings  (Chicago)  

•   Green  roofs  

•   Increased  precipitaCon  •   Increased  temperatures  

Rancho  Verde,  a  12-­‐acre  eco-­‐industrial  park  built  on  a  brownfield  in  Chicago,  incorporates  a  green  roof  which  has  helped  manage  the  building’s  storm  water  runoff  and  has  reduced  the  amount  of  energy  required  to  cool  the  building.  It  has  also  reduced  the  extent  of  local  heat-­‐island  effects.  

Strategy  

Issues  

Overview  

Constructed  in  2009  

Source  Christy  Webber  Landscapes.  (2009).    Regional  Green  Building    Case  Study.  Retrieved  from  Illinois  Chapter  USGBC  

Netherlands’  FloaCng  Buildings  

•   Amphibious  structures  

•   Flooding  •   Increased  precipitaCon  •   Sea  level  rise  

Frequent  flooding  of  the  Netherlands  resulted  in  the  design  of  amphibious  homes  and  floaCng  greenhouses.  Also,  in  many  areas  with  low-­‐lying  land  next  to  bodies  of  water,  the  land  is  used  as  a  sports  field  that  doubles  as  a  flood  plain.  

Strategy  

Issues  

Overview  

Constructed  in  2005  

FloaCng  greenhouse  atop  a  water  storage  area  in  the  Netherlands  Source:  Adap1ng  to  Climate  Change:  Lessons  for  London.  (2006)    Greater  London  Authority,  London.  

Maryland’s  Building  Performance  Standards  

•   Elevate  infrastructure  •   UClize  resilient  materials  

•   Flooding  •   Sea  level  rise  

Maryland  has  a  proacCve  state  climate  change  plan  as  they  are  vulnerable  to  sea  level  rise  as  a  coastal  state  with  several  low-­‐lying  areas.  As  part  of  the  plan,  building  performance  standards  include  codes  designed  to  resist  sea  level  rise  and  storm  surge  from  increased  precipitaCon.  The  state  plan  also  includes  managed  retreat  as  needed.  

Strategy  

Issues  

Overview  Source:Maryland  Commission  on  Climate  Change  AdaptaCon  and  Response  Working  Group  (2008)  Climate  

Change  Chapter  5:  Comprehensive  Strategy  for    Reducing  Maryland’s  Vulnerability  to    Climate  Change.  

 

Standards  released  in  July  2008  

Port  of  Los  Angeles  

•   OperaConal  analyses  •   Reinforced  and  raised  seawalls  • Raised,  reconfigured  and  resized  storm  drainage  systems  

•   Sea  level  rise  •   Storm  surges  •   ErraCc  weather  •   Increased  precipitaCon  

While  the  proposed  intervenCons  at  the  Port  of  LA  have  not  been  implemented,  this  analysis  of  urban  port  vulnerability  and  proposed  soluCons  is  a  comprehensive  look  at  the  adaptaCon  strategies  that  are  applicable  to  dense,  urban  port  infrastructure  similar  to  that  of  PANYNJ.    

Strategies  

Issues  

Overview  Source:  University  of  Southern  California  August  25,  2008    

In  Progress  

New  Jersey  Coast  

•   Coastal  sand  dunes  

•   Erosion  •   Storm  surge  •   Sea  level  rise  

Almost  every  segment  of  the  New  Jersey  coast  has  been  maintained  or  protected  by  a  local  or  state  funded  beach  nourishment  project  since  1962.    Newly  placed  sand  and  stabilizing  vegetaCon  protects  infrastructure  from  high  waves,  inundaCon,  and  areas  of  increased  vulnerability.      

Strategy  

Issues  

Overview  Managed  Dunes  and  beach  Source:  City-­‐Data.  Atlan1c  City,  NJ  :  Beach  and  Dunes  

NJ  beach  nourishment  projects  began  in  1962  

Port  Canaveral  Port  Authority  (FL)  

•   Sediment  trap  •   Dunes  &  nourishment  •   Seafloor  dredging  

•   Storm  surges  •   Hurricanes  •   Sediment  accumulaCon  

Auer  several  hurricanes  in  2004,  Port  Canaveral  had  to  be  dredged  to  enable  ships  to  reach  the  port.  A  sediment  trap  was  created  to  prevent  the  buildup  of  sand  barriers  during  storm  events.  The  sediment  trap  has  withstood  two  hurricane  events  including  in  2009  when  it  held  back  100,000  cubic  yards  of  sediment.    This  sediment  was  then  used  for  beach  nourishment  projects.  

Strategies  

Issues  

Overview  Aerial  view  of  Port  Canaveral  Source:  Port  Canaveral    Port  Authority  

South  Jevy  DeposiCon  Basin  constructed  in  2007  

The  Marmaray  Project  (Istanbul,  Turkey)  

•   Sumps  &  pumps  •   Raised  entrances  •   Barriers  •   Flood  gates  •   Drainage  systems  

•   Storm  surge  •   Sea  level  rise  

Built  on  a  major  fault  line  underneath  the  Bosphorous  Strait,  the  Marmaray  Tunnel  an  underwater  rail  tunnel-­‐was  necessarily  designed  with  many  precauCons  in  mind.  Its  recent  construcCon  enabled  the  design  to  be  leveraged  from  other  tunnels  that  have  been  successful  in  similar  circumstances.      

Strategy  

Issues  

Overview  

Project  in  progress,  iniCally  discussed  in  1860  

Workers  in  the  underwater  rail  tunnel  under  construcCon    Source:  European  Investment  Bank  

Sustainable  design  guideline  matrix  Climate  change  adaptaCon  and  sustainable  design  are  not  synonymous    

There  are  many  observable  overlaps  between  sustainable  design  and  climate  change  adaptaCon  which  yield  both  synergies  and  conflicts    

Matrix  is  offered  to  help  visualize  these  relaConships  

AdaptaCon  vs.  miCgaCon  

Conclusions  •  Climate  change  to  impose  mulCple  stresses  on  

PANYNJ  assets;  disproporConate  sea  level  rise  impacts  for  the  NY/NJ  region  

•  Globally,  sea  level  rise  adaptaCon  is  in  its  infancy;  however,  ciCes  historically  prone  to  storm  surges/flooding  have  undertaken  some  intervenCons  applicable  to  PANYNJ  assets  

•  Strategies  to  miCgate  damage  from  sea  level  rise  and  enhance  infrastructure  resilience  can  work  synergisCcally  with  or  conflict  with  PANYNJ  sustainability  guidelines  

 

“Because  changes  in  the  amount  of  future  sea  level  rise  and  other  

climate  variables  are  uncertain,  an  effecCve  

response  requires  'flexible  adaptaCon  

pathways'  that  can  be  adjusted  periodically  in  

light  of  new  informaCon.”  

 C.  Rosenzweig  et  al.,  "More  

Floods  Ahead:  Adap1ng  to  Sea  Level  Rise  in  New  York  City,"  

NASA  GISS  Science  Brief  ProacCve  long-­‐term  planning  and  flexibility  are  key  to  the  design  of  an  effecCve  infrastructure-­‐focused  climate  change  adaptaCon  strategy