11 The Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Transportation

If the Earth’s atmosphere warms within the range projected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2001) during the 21st century, the climate of the northern Gulf of Mexico coastline (hereafter, Gulf Coast) and the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain will likely become warmer, with more frequent or prolonged periods of heavy rainfall and drought. These climatic changes would have significant impacts on water quality, flooding, soil moisture, runoff, and many other environmental factors that affect the transportation sector, either directly or indirectly. Changes in interannual climate variability will also have practical significance to the Gulf Coast transportation sector. Seasonal rainfall and hurricane frequency in the Gulf Coast region have been linked with El Niño and La Niña events, which may become more intense as the Earth’s atmosphere warms. The anticipated increase in global average temperature will accelerate sea-level rise, which can lead to increased vulnerability of transportation infrastructure to storm damage and flooding in low-lying coastal zones