Warming scenario sees flooded airport

The Bush administration has set aside its skepticism about global warming to begin planning for the possibility that major Washington-area infrastructure, including Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, could be inundated by rising seawaters.

The U.S. Capitol and Lincoln Memorial also could be flooded frequently in a global-warming scenario described in a new study sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

Thestudy anticipates a 12-inch rise in sea level along the Atlantic coast by 2050 if the ice caps continue to melt from a buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. It includes maps of how the Washington area could be affected.

The study does not represent a policy change by the Bush administration, but is merely an attempt to plan ahead, said Ian Grossman, a spokesman for the Federal Highway Administration.

“The purpose of this study is to say that when you’re making decisions about transportation planning, then issues of the impact of climate change and other environmental factors need to be a consideration,” Mr. Grossman said.

The study warns that about 823,075 acres in Maryland would be “impacted by regular inundation or at-risk” by 2100 unless seawalls or other infrastructure are built to protect them from a roughly 19-inch rise in water levels. Rail lines and airports would have to be moved and some streets abandoned if they are not protected.

Regular inundation means flooding either permanently or nearly any time there is significant rainfall. At-risk refers primarily to storm surge.

“Many of the low-lying railroads, tunnels, ports, runways and roads are already vulnerable to flooding,” the report said. “A rising sea level will only exacerbate the situation by causing more frequent and more serious problems as well as introducing problems to infrastructure not previously affected by these factors.”

Airports in the Washington, New York City and Boston areas are examples, the study said. Other examples include ports all along the U.S. coastline and tunnels between New Jersey and Manhattan Island.

“Some of these transportation lines, if not protected, may be permanently flooded,” said the study, which was written by Fairfax environmental consulting firm ICF International for the DOT.

A map accompanying the report indicates regular flooding is likely all along the Potomac and Anacostia rivers.

The study was based on rising water-level estimates from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Since 1979, the arctic polar ice cap has shrunk from 2.78 million square miles during its summertime low to 1.65 million miles last summer, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

The DOT report primarily considered the effect on roadways, airports, sea ports and rail lines.

About 53 percent of the U.S. population lives in “coastal counties,” where shorelines are eroding at the rate of one to four feet per year, the study said.

Story Continues →