WP138: Estimation of Cost Required to Elevate US Ports in Response to Climate Change: A Thought Exercise for Climate Critical Resources

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract: This working paper outlines a model for estimating the cost of elevating coastal seaport infrastructure in the United States to prevent potential damage from the effects of climate change. This estimation is a thought exercise to provoke consideration of the cumulative monetary and material demands of widespread adaptation of seaport infrastructure. This model estimates the combined cost of adding additional fill material to raise the working surface and reconstructing the yard to find an approximate unit area cost as a function of the necessary elevation increase for a generic port. The unit area cost is then combined with national estimates of storm surge increase by region and port area data to develop an estimate for the cost of elevating all United States commercial coastal ports in the World Port Index. Estimates of storm increase for the East Coast, Gulf Coast and West Coast are used to demonstrate anticipated variation in necessary port elevation between these regions and the resulting variation in cost. The use of a generic port model allows for the estimation of the material and monetary demands of entire regions, which would be infeasible if calculations were performed on an individualized port-by- port basis. Combined, these regional cost estimates predict a minimum of 62 billion to 88 billion dollars to elevate all United States commercial coastal ports in the World Port Index, as well as 495 million cubic meters of fill.

Type of resource	text
Date created	December 2015

Subject	CIFE
Subject	Center for Integrated Facility Engineering
Subject	Climate Change Adaption
Subject	Cost Esimation maritime infratructure
Subject	planning
Subject	ports
Subject	sea level rise
Subject	site layout
Genre	Technical report

Location	https://purl.stanford.edu/rm328fb1292

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