California Case Studies
This tab includes case studies of adaptation efforts in California communities.
65 results are shown below.
Resource
June 13, 2011
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) West Coast Climate Change Adaptation Peer Exchange gave transportation officials from western states an opportunity to learn more about climate impacts on transportation assets and plan for improved resilience. The participants in the exchange, California DOT (Caltrans), Oregon DOT (ODOT), and Washington State DOT (WSDOT), collaborated on strategies for assessing risks related to climate change, incorporating adaptation into asset management and operations, and communicating about the need for adaptation.
Resource Category: Education and Outreach
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Resource
March 2011
This report presents a series of case studies describing the approaches currently (as of 2011) being taken by four water utilities in the United States to assess their vulnerability to climate change. The report is not intended to be a comprehensive listing of assessment approaches or utilities conducting vulnerability assessments. Rather, its purpose is to illustrate a range of issues and current approaches taken by selected utilities that are proactive in climate adaptation to understand and respond to climate risk.
Resource Category: Assessments
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Resource
February 2011
The Last Drop describes the current and projected future water-related challenges facing the Southwest region of the U.S. In particular, the present and future water demands of the agricultural and water sectors are examined, as well as how those demands will be affected by even minor changes in current climate variables.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Frank Ackerman, Elizabeth A. Stanton
Resource Category: Assessments
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Resource
2011
The City of Ventura, California, has had ongoing erosion at Surfer's Point, a popular surfing spot adjacent to the mouth of the Ventura River. A California State Park bike path along the shoreline and an adjacent County Fairground parking lot have also experienced frequent damage from erosion. Local stakeholders collectively approved a plan to move the parking lot, pedestrian path, and bike path away from the tideline, instead of building a seawall or adding other armoring, which was projected to permanently damage the beach and surf break.
Resource Category: Solutions
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Resource
2011
Communities along the San Francisquito creek, along with many others in the Bay Area of California, are facing increased flood risk from sea level rise, while existing flood protection challenges are projected to be exacerbated. The San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority (SFCJPA), covering a 30,000 acre watershed, has sought to address these challenges by working to simultaneously improve flood protection, recreational opportunities and habitat benefits to multiple communities. The SFCJPA San Francisco Bay to Highway 101 flood protection project is designed to protect against a 100-year San Franciscquito creek flow event happening at the same time as a 100-year high tide event that is marked by a sea level rise of 26 inches.
Resource Category: Solutions
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Resource
The Surfer’s Point Managed Shoreline Retreat Project involved the relocation of a bike path and parking lot along 1,800 feet of shoreline in City of San Buenaventura, Ventura County. The transportation assets affected by the project include a damaged bike path, a 223-space parking lot for the Ventura County Fairgrounds, and Shoreline Drive. Surfer’s Point is a beach and popular surf break at mouth of the Ventura River.
Resource Category: Solutions
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Resource
December 1, 2009
The July 2006 western heat wave is studied in the context of the region's climate over the past six decades. The study explores the possible connections between a heat wave trend and global warming and details the increased human health and ecosystems risks of night time extreme heat events. The authors describe the climatic behavior and regional causes of great heat waves over California and Nevada, and use this foundation to investigate whether and to what extent the 2006 event may be considered an aberration or a manifestation of a long term climatic change.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Alexander Gershunov, Danial R. Cayan, Sam F. Iacobellis
Resource Category: Assessments
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Resource
September 21, 2009
This report details the results of a pilot project in which researchers from the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) and the Netherlands (as part of the Delta Alliance) came together to study possible adaptation measures to address sea-level rise in the Bay.
Resource Category: Solutions
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Resource
August 28, 2009
Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, this paper provides a brief perspective on “ecological niches” - describing how niche thinking and modeling have been used to project changes in the distributions of species, and assessing several related assumptions and uncertainties. These areas are illustrated using examples from research on California birds. The paper concludes with an assessment the usefulness of niche-based models for projecting climate-change impacts on biodiversity and the resulting implications for conservation and management.
Authors or Affiliated Users: John A. Wiens, Diana Stralberg, Dennis Jongsomjit, Christine A. Howell, Mark A. Snyder
Resource Category: Assessments
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Resource
2009
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) completed the Confusion Hill Bypass project to reduce the vulnerability of Highway 101 in Northern California to landslides. Between 1996 and 2003, Caltrans spent a total of $14 million repairing and maintaining a 2-mile stretch of the highway. In the winter of 2002/2003, Highway 101 was closed 10 times due to landslides. Caltrans identified landslides and flooding as constant challenges in Caltrans District 1, which includes Confusion Hill in Mendocino County.
Resource Category: Solutions
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