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Alaska Highway Study: Groundwater Flow, Permafrost Degradation, and Transportation Infrastructure Stability
2013
The Alaska University Transportation Center (AUTC) of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, supported a research project to study the effects of groundwater flow on permafrost degradation and resulting road instability. The stability of permafrost below roadways and embankments is increasingly affected by warming surface temperatures caused by climate change, but may also be affected by heat transfer from groundwater flow. Studies have shown that groundwater flow can accelerate permafrost degradation by several orders of magnitude compared to thaw caused by heat transfer from the atmosphere alone.
Resource Category: Assessments
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Climate Adaptation and Action Plan for the Norton Bay Watershed, Alaska
December 2013
This plan was developed by the Norton Bay Inter-Tribal Watershed Council (NBITWC) to address climate stressors, risks, and adaptation opportunities for tribal villages in the Norton Bay. NBITWC conducts research, education, and advocacy to protect and restore water resources toward tribal interests. The Council represents four Inupiat Eskimo native villages in the Bay, which is located within the Seward Peninsula in northwestern Alaska. The plan includes an economic analysis and forest and water resources assessments, focusing on the restoration of traditional knowledge as a primary adaptation strategy.
Author or Affiliated User: Emily Murray
Resource Category: Planning
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Alaska Repaving Roads Using Polystyrene Insulation
2013
The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) is rebuilding portions of roads in the northern regions of the state using a thick layer of insulation under the pavement in order to help prevent the thaw of underlying permafrost caused by heat transfer. Thawing permafrost, exacerbated by increasing average annual temperatures and heat transfer from paved roads, has caused structural instability to roadway infrastructure and buildings in Alaska. Portions of Goldstream Road near Fairbanks and the Dalton Highway further north are both being replaced with insulation board to ensure thermal stability of the roads with increasing temperatures under climate change scenarios.
Resource Category: Solutions
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Kenai Fjords National Park – Protection of Exit Glacier Road
September 2012
The National Park Service (NPS) has taken interim and long-term measures to repair and reinforce a one-mile section of the access road to Exit Glacier, the most accessible and popular area of Kenai Fjords National Park, to address flooding damage exacerbated by climate impacts. While flooding is a recurring event in the glacial area, less predictable flow patterns and increased flood frequency due to climate change have destabilized drainage on the road. NPS worked with highway engineers to design an interim solution, using concrete barriers to keep flood waters off the road, while continuing to study long-term stabilization solutions.
Resource Category: Solutions
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Climate Change Impact Assessment for Surface Transportation in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska
January 2012
The Climate Change Impact Assessment (Assessment) provides a preliminary analysis of the vulnerabilities posed by climate change to the surface transportation infrastructure system in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska region. The Assessment demonstrates a method that planners, engineers, and other agency decision makers can follow when assessing the impacts of climate change on surface transportation in their jurisdiction. The Assessment was conducted for the Region X Northwest Transportation Consortium for transportation policymakers and professionals in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
Authors or Affiliated Users: John MacArthur, Philip W. Mote, Jason Ideker, Miguel Figliozzi, Ming Lee
Resource Category: Assessments
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Alaska Highway Case Study: Heat Transfer, Permafrost Degradation, and Transportation Infrastructure Stability
2011
The Alaska University Transportation Center (AUTC) of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, has supported multiple projects to research measures to reduce permafrost thaw and the resulting impacts to roads, specifically along the Alaska Highway (the only road connecting Alaska to the continental U. S. ). Structural damage occurs when the permafrost under road infrastructure thaws. Thermal modeling demonstrates that the stability of permafrost below roadways and embankments is greatly affected by surface temperatures of roadways, and it has therefore been predicted that as the climate warms, permafrost degradation will be a major issue for the design and maintenance of roads in Alaska.
Resource Category: Solutions
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Climate Change in Kivalina, Alaska - Strategies for Community Health
January 2011
Kivalina is a coastal Iñupiat village of 400 people in Northwest Alaska, on a barrier island of the Chukchi Sea. This report details the struggles of the community of Kivalina to adapt to impacts of climate change including rising sea levels, storm surge, and melting permafrost, for which the village is quite vulnerable. The report contains detailed accounts of the Kivalina people and community, as well as the climate, seasons, air, sea, coast, land, rivers, biota, water, and food which all support the village's subsistence lifestyle.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Michael Brubaker, James Berner, Jacob Bell, John Warren
Resource Category: Assessments
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Improving Drought Preparedness in the West
January 2011
The Western Governors' Association and Western States Water Council convened a series of workshops to engage constituents in evaluating progress in drought preparedness. The workshops brought together end-users of drought information from a variety of sectors, including agriculture, energy, navigation, water supply, cultural resources, and the environment. Attendees included representatives of states, federal agencies, tribes, local governments, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.
Resource Category: Solutions
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The State of Marine and Coastal Adaptation in North America: A Synthesis of Emerging Ideas
January 2011
This report presents EcoAdapt's synthesis of climate adaptation projects throughout North America's marine and coastal environments. The report provides an overview of key climate change impacts on the natural and built environments in marine and coastal U.S., Canada, and Mexico, and a thorough review of adaptation options available to marine and coastal managers.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Rachel M. Gregg, Lara J. Hansen, Kirsten M. Feifel, Jessica L. Hitt, Jessi M. Kershner, Alex Score, Jennie R. Hoffman
Resource Category: Planning
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Digital Coast
The Digital Coast is a collaborative effort of organizations committed to providing data and information, tools, and training resources to help address timely coastal issues - including land use, coastal conservation, hazards, marine spatial planning, and climate change. NOAA's Coastal Services Center is maintaining the Digital Coast website which provides access to all the resources being developed and contributed by academic institutions, public and private sector entities. This curated collection of coastal and ocean data and tools are directed at decision makers, practitioners, and technicians.
Resource Category: Adaptation Websites
