Transport system management under extreme weather risks: views to project appraisal,asset value protection and risk-aware system management

Until recently, research on potential economic impacts of climate change and extreme weather events on transport infrastructure was scarce, but currently this area is rapidly expanding. Indeed, there is a growing international interest, including the European area, regarding the impacts of extreme weather and climate change on the management of various transportation modes. This paper reviews briefly the present status regarding the knowledge of financial aspects of extreme weather impacts on transportation, using recent research findings from Europe, and proposes some new views in cost-benefit analysis, project appraisal and asset value protection for the management of transport systems under extreme weather risks. Quite often, risk management is understood as a response to truly extreme impacts, but this constitutes a misunderstanding. Some values are more extreme than others, and in the context of extreme weather, some weather phenomena are more extreme in their intensity and resulting impacts. An analysis of the level of costs and risks to societies, as a result of extreme weather, reveals that the risks in different European Union member states deviate substantially from each other. Also, the preparedness of different societies to deal with extreme weather events is quite variable. Extreme weather and climate change costs and risks represent a new type of item, which has to be dealt with in project appraisal. Although a fully established procedure does not exist, some fundamental ideas of cost-benefit analysis under extreme weather scenarios are presented in this paper, considering accident costs, time costs and infrastructure-related costs (comprising physical damages to infrastructures and increased maintenance costs). Cost-benefit analysis is usually associated with capital investments, but the original idea of cost-benefit analysis is not restricted to investment appraisal. Therefore, activities such as enhanced maintenance, minor upgrades, adoption of new designs, improved information services and others may be subject to cost-benefit analysis. Extreme weather and climate change costs and risks represent a new type of item, which apparently has to be dealt with also in project appraisal. A fully established procedure does not exist, although some basic principles have been introduced in analytical format. There is a lack of models to estimate extreme weather impacts and consequences and how to adapt to those costs. Optimising the efforts in maintenance and new design standards is even further away, but constitutes an overwhelming task. In this respect, new approaches and ways of thinking in preserving asset’s residual value, return periods, sustainability and equity and formal methods supplementing cost-benefit analysis are put forward. The paper concludes with a call for the need for more integrated management of transport systems. In particular, it is recognised that the different stages of transport system planning pose their own challenges when assessing the costs and benefits of policy measures, strategies and operational decisions.     

A comparative analysis of pre- and post-industrial spatiotemporal drought trends and patterns of Tibet Plateau using Sen slope estimator and steady-state probabilities of Markov Chain

Natural Hazards - The increase of frequency and severity of extreme weather events due to climate change gives evidence of severe challenges faced by infrastructure systems. Among them, the...     

An institutional analysis of the evolution of inland waterway transport and inland ports on the Pearl River

Inland waterway transport (IWT) is the most appropriate means of transportation in the pursuit of a sustainable development strategy. The development of IWT varies per region. Public entities and institutions play an important role in the development of IWT. This paper analyses the development of IWT on the Pearl River from an institutional perspective. Chinese national fiscal reforms, land use reforms and the transfer of power from the central government to local governments impact the governance of IWT. The paper demonstrates that the privatization of inland ports was triggered by the mismatch between the objectives of IWT operators and either public objectives or market demand. This process unfolded while top-level governors did not aim for privatization. The paper shows how formal institutional changes of IWT on the Pearl River are both the result of deliberate design and a path creation in the transformation from the Chinese planned economy to the Chinese market economy. It also shows how institutional changes resulted in a dual development path (i.e. a rapid development of inland terminals but underdevelopment of inland waterways) of IWT in the Pearl River. Policy recommendations are provided based on the research findings with specific attention to the factors hindering IWT development on the Pearl River at the level of the waterway infrastructure and inland ports.     

全球气候变化与地质灾害响应分析

对全球气候变化对地质灾害的响应关系,尤其是对滑坡和泥石流灾害的响应关系进行了综述。工业化革命以来,特别是近几十年来全球气候发生着重要的变化,全球几乎所有地区都经历着升温过程。全球气候变化对极端天气事件(极端降雨、气温升高、强风和洪水灾害)的影响尤为强烈,并且增加了地质灾害的发生风险。其中,水循环和气温的变化是影响地质灾害发生的直接因素。气温上升会导致大气层含水量升高、冰川冻土退化、海平面上升、蒸发作用增强;水循环变化会导致降雨频率、降水周期、降水强度的改变。日益增加的极端天气与同岩土体相互作用,导致了不同类型地质灾害的发生,严重威胁着人类的生活起居。     

气候变化对山东降水及极端天气气候事件的影响分析

根据新中国成立以来山东省气温资料进行分析,从温度变化来反映山东气候变暖的趋势;在此基础上根据山东省近60年的水文资料分析气候变化对山东降水及极端天气气候事件的影响。结果表明,60年来山东气候呈变暖趋势,随着气候的变化,山东省年降水量呈减少的趋势,并导致极端天气气候事件出现频率及强度呈增大趋势。     

Research frontiers in climate change: Effects of extreme meteorological events on ecosystems

Climate change will increase the recurrence of extreme weather events such as drought and heavy rainfall. Evidence suggests that modifications in extreme weather events pose stronger threats to ecosystem functioning than global trends and shifts in average conditions. As ecosystem functioning is connected with ecological services, this has far-reaching effects on societies in the 21st century. Here, we: (i) present the rationale for the increasing frequency and magnitude of extreme weather events in the near future; (ii) discuss recent findings on meteorological extremes and summarize their effects on ecosystems and (iii) identify gaps in current ecological climate change research.     

全球气候变化及其影响

全球气候变化及其对社会与自然系统产生的影响已日益受到全世界各国政府与广大民众的关注。与天气和气候有关的灾害给人类生命财产造成的损失日益增大,社会与生态系统似乎变得日趋脆弱。人们关心刚刚过去的20世纪的天气与气候发生了什么变化,更希望了解未来的21世纪,人类居住的地球会出现什么样的气候情景。根据一些国家和地区的观测记录、研究成果以及科学家们对气候变化的评估与预测展望,对全球气候变化问题进行概括。首先阐明20世纪地区性气候变化的事实;并根据政府间气候变化委员会(IPCC)科学技术报告中关于20世纪全球气候变化进行的总结性评估以及对21世纪全球气候变化的预测,作为阐述过去与未来全球气候变化的主要依据。同时,还介绍了一些科学家对IPCC关于全球气候变化的结论所持的不同观点或质疑。还就气候变化对社会与自然系统可能产生的影响略作论述。     

气候变化背景下淮河流域场次暴雨事件时空演变分析

全球气候变化对暴雨洪涝等极端天气事件的发生产生了显著影响,识别气候变化背景下暴雨事件的时空变化特征是暴雨洪涝灾害综合应对的关键.以淮河流域为研究区,基于流域内229个气象站点1950-2012年的实测逐小时降水数据,遵循淮河流域实际情况对暴雨事件进行场次划分,并以此作为基础统计单元,借助地理信息系统平台,运用统计学方法并结合气象学理论,以场次暴雨事件开始时间、达到雨强峰值历时、场次平均暴雨历时及暴雨事件发生频次4个指标分析不同年代背景下淮河流域场次暴雨事件发生的过程变化及时空演变特征.结果表明：在气候变化的背景下,场次暴雨发生时间呈现宽幅化和极值化的变化趋势,暴雨发生时间出现了后移和双峰化的特征;暴雨历时及到达雨强峰值历时均呈现增加趋势,整个流域场次暴雨事件在1990s-2000s进入一个增加时期;全球性的气候变化使流域内暴雨事件发生的频次不断增加,历时不断增大,长历时高频次特征明显,尤其是近20 a来,淮河流域暴雨事件高发区域呈现出从流域部分地区向全流域扩张的趋势.     

Climate change and increased risk for the insurance sector: a global perspective and an assessment for the Netherlands

Climate change is projected to increase the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. As a consequence, economic losses caused by natural catastrophes could increase significantly. This will have considerable consequences for the insurance sector. On the one hand, increased risk from weather extremes requires assessing expected changes in damage and including adequate climate change projections in risk management. On the other hand, climate change can also bring new business opportunities for insurers. This paper gives an overview of the consequences of climate change for the insurance sector and discusses several strategies to cope with and adapt to increased risks. The particular focus is on the Dutch insurance sector, as the Netherlands is extremely vulnerable to climate change, especially with regard to extreme precipitation and flooding. Current risk sharing arrangements for weather risks are examined while potential new business opportunities, adaptation strategies, and public–private partnerships are identified.     

Severe weather affecting European transport systems: the identification,classification and frequencies of events

Severe weather can have serious repercussions in the transport sector as a whole by increasing the number of accidents, injuries and other damage, as well as leading to highly increased travel times. This study, a component of the EU FP7 Project EWENT, delineates a Europe-wide climatology of adverse and extreme weather events that can be expected to affect the transport network. We first define and classify the relevant severe weather events by investigating the effects of hazardous conditions on different transportation modes and the infrastructure. Consideration is given to individual phenomena such as snowfall, heavy precipitation, heat waves, cold spells, wind gusts; a combined phenomenon, the blizzard, is also considered. The frequency of severe weather events, together with the changes in their spatial extension and intensity, is analyzed based on the E-OBS dataset (1971–2000) and the ERA-Interim reanalysis dataset (1989–2010). Northern Europe and the Alpine region are the areas most impacted by winter extremes, such as snowfall, cold spells and winter storms, the frequency of heavy snowfall. The frequency of hot days is highest in Southern Europe. Severe winds and blizzards are the most common over the Atlantic and along its shores. Although heavy rainfall may affect the whole continent on an annual basis, extreme precipitation events are relative sparse, affecting particularly the Alps and the Atlantic coastline. A European regionalization covering similar impacts on the transport network is performed.     

Preparing for real-time weather risk management: the decision models of household evacuation under uncertainty for Taiwanese and US residents

Natural Hazards - The frequency of extreme weather events has increased in recent decades due to climate change, and the demand for both more accurate weather forecasts and early warnings surges in...     

石笋记录年际、年代际极端天气/气候事件研究进展

近年来随着极端天气/气候事件的频发,应对极端天气/气候事件的要求极其紧迫。目前气象资料对极端天气/气候事件的研究相对较短,由此作者提出利用石笋记录重建历史年际、年代际极端天气/气候事件的构想。通过对目前已有的石笋极端天气/气候事件研究实例分析总结,认为洞穴石笋沉积速率相对较快,石笋中标志性结构构造特征的存在,有利于石笋记录到极端天气/气候事件。同时就目前的研究现状,作者提出建立准确年代标尺、选择生长速率相对较快和存在标志性结构构造特征、能记录到极端气候的石笋,以及提高采样分辨率和与其他记录相互验证等作为石笋极端气候研究的工作要求,同时就文石笋研究极端天气/气候事件提出文石笋可能更加容易记录到极端天气/气候事件的个人新认识。     

Progress in Researches on Ensemble Forecasting of Extreme Weather Based on Numerical Models

Under the background of climate change, extreme weather events (e.g., heavy rainfall, heat wave, and cold damage) in China have been occurring more frequently with an increasing trend of induced meteorological disasters. Therefore, it is of great importance to carry out research on forecasting of extreme weather. This paper systematically reviewed the primary methodology of extreme weather forecast, current status in development of ensemble weather forecasting based on numerical models and their applications to forecast of extreme weather, as well as progress in approaches for correcting ensemble probabilistic forecast. Nowadays, the forecasting of extreme weather has been generally dominated by methodology using dynamical models. That is to say, the dynamical forecasting methods based on ensemble probabilistic forecast information have become prevailing in current operational extreme weather forecast worldwide. It can be clearly found that the current major directions of research and development in this field are the application of ensemble forecasts based on numerical models to forecasting of extreme weather, and its improvement through bias correction of ensemble probabilistic forecast. Based on a relatively comprehensive review in this paper, some suggestions with respect to development of extreme weather forecast in future were further given in terms of the issues of how to propose effective approaches on improving level of identification and forecasting of extreme events.     

石笋记录年际、年代际极端天气/气候事件研究进展

近年来随着极端天气/气候事件的频发,应对极端天气/气候事件的要求极其紧迫。目前气象资料对极端天气/气候事件的研究相对较短,由此作者提出利用石笋记录重建历史年际、年代际极端天气/气候事件的构想。通过对目前已有的石笋极端天气/气候事件研究实例分析总结,认为洞穴石笋沉积速率相对较快,石笋中标志性结构构造特征的存在,有利于石笋记录到极端天气/气候事件。同时就目前的研究现状,作者提出建立准确年代标尺、选择生长速率相对较快和存在标志性结构构造特征、能记录到极端气候的石笋,以及提高采样分辨率和与其他记录相互验证等作为石笋极端气候研究的工作要求,同时就文石笋研究极端天气/气候事件提出文石笋可能更加容易记录到极端天气/气候事件的个人新认识。      

Impact of climate change on hydrological conditions of Rhine and Upper Danube rivers based on the results of regional climate and hydrological models

The main objective of the Effects of Climate Change On the Inland waterway Networks (ECCONET) EU FP7 project was to assess the effect of climate change on the inland waterway transport network with special emphasis on the Rhine and Upper Danube catchments. The assessment was based on consolidation and analysis of earlier and existing research work as well as application of existing climate change and hydrological modelling tools. A key premise at the planning stage of the project had been that all impact studies conducted within ECCONET should be comparable with each other. This can be guaranteed by the common meteorological and hydrological basis. The climate model simulations, which are the most physics- and process-oriented tools for projecting the future climate evolution, include several uncertainties. In addition, uncertainties exist in the hydrological model simulations. In ECCONET, an effort was made to quantify the uncertainty range by using “representative projections” that represent both the lower and upper signals of hydrological low-flow parameters for 2021–2050 over the Rhine catchment. Their evaluation indicated that the finally chosen two regional climate model simulations could be applied also for the Upper Danube catchments as representative projections. The raw climate model outputs have been corrected to the observation data set through application of the linear scaling and the delta-change method. The first impact studies carried out after validation of the hydrological models resulted in discharge scenarios used as input to the economic models in ECCONET.     

Trends in Blizzards at Selected Locations on the Canadian Prairies

Climate Change is anticipatedto result in alterations in cyclone activity over the northern hemisphere. Cyclones in their passage across the open prairie of western Canada spawn one of the more extreme weather events that occur in that part of the country; blizzards. Numerous studies of individual blizzards are available. The objective of this study of blizzards is to identify trends in their seasonal occurrence, in seasonal blizzard weather element extremes, and discuss the results in the context of climate change. Criteria used in western Canada to define a blizzard event during the period of study were applied to the archive of hourly weather data for locations within the Prairie Ecozone. Blizzard events were extracted for the period 1953–1997 and analyzed for trends in seasonal occurrence. Results of this analysis are presented which illustrate a significant downward trend for weather observing locations in the more westerly part of the prairies. This trend is consistent with results found by others that indicate a decrease in cyclone frequency over western Canada. No significant trend was found in the more central and eastern locations. No significant trend was evident in seasonal extremes of blizzard weather elements at most locations.     

Anomalous Biogeochemical Response to a Flooding Event in the Delaware Estuary: A Possible Typology Shift Due to Climate Change

General circulation models have suggested that the number of extreme floods and droughts will increase with climate change; recent analyses of satellite data have demonstrated that these increases have been higher than predicted. Coastal systems, like the Delaware Estuary, can be vulnerable to such extreme weather events. In analyzing the 100- and 80-year records of the two major rivers of the Delaware Estuary, we find that about 20% of the very large and 50% of the extreme daily discharges occurred in the current decade (2001?C2011), and this represents a significant increase in flood occurrence compared with the rest of the discharge record. This is consistent with predictions of increased extreme weather conditions (inundation and drought) from climate change. Previously, we had characterized the Delaware Estuary as usually well mixed in the summer without significant bottom water oxygen depletion, based on our 30-year research efforts, and a 44-year agency monitoring record. In the summer of 2006, an extreme river discharge pushed the Delaware Estuary salinity gradient further downstream than seen in our research record and induced a nutrient influx to the nutrient-poor lower bay regions. As a result, stratification apparently allowed for a rapid phytoplankton biomass increase similar to the spring bloom phenomenon. A simple modeling exercise supports the idea that although unusual for this estuary in the summer, oxygen depletion occurred in response to the bloom biomass falling and decomposing in the isolated bottom waters. Using the summer 2006 anomalous discharge event and the resultant stratification as an illustration, and considering the significant increase in large and extreme floods in the last decade, we suggest that the typology of the Delaware Estuary is shifting as a result of climate change.     

Recent trends in pre-monsoon daily temperature extremes over India

Extreme climate and weather events are increasingly being recognized as key aspects of climate change. Pre-monsoon season (March–May) is the hottest part of the year over almost the entire South Asian region, in which hot weather extremes including heat waves are recurring natural hazards having serious societal impacts, particularly on human health. In the present paper, recent trends in extreme temperature events for the pre-monsoon season have been studied using daily data on maximum and minimum temperatures over a well-distributed network of 121 stations for the period 1970–2005. For this purpose, time series of extreme temperature events have been constructed for India as a whole and seven homogeneous regions, viz., Western Himalaya (WH), Northwest (NW), Northeast (NE), North Central (NC), East coast (EC), West coast (WC) and Interior Peninsula (IP).     

Climate extremes: an observation and projection of its impacts on food production in ASEAN

Climate change alters global food systems, especially agriculture and fisheries—significant aspects of the livelihoods and food security of populations. The 2014 IPCC Fifth Assessment Report identified Southeast Asia as the most vulnerable coastal region in the world, and highlighted the potential distribution of impacts and risks of climate change in the region. While climate hazards may differ across geographical regions, the impact of climate extremes on food production will affect marginal farmers, fishers and poor urban consumers disproportionately, as they have limited capacities to adapt to and recover from extreme weather events. Governments and other stakeholders need to respond to climate extremes and incorporate adaptation into national development plans. Unfortunately, there is still limited peer-review publication on the subject matter. This paper presents some findings from research on observed and projected loss and damage inflicted by climate extremes on agricultural crops in Southeast Asia.     

卫星遥感首次监测到准噶尔盆地西北部的冬季融雪洪水

2010年1月,新疆北部出现了多次寒潮和60a一遇的连续暴雪天气.在此期间,准噶尔盆地西北部的裕民县及其邻近地区2010年1月6日出现了融雪型洪水.2010年1月裕民降雪量高达95mm,较历年同期偏多5.8倍,突破历史极值;2010年1月1—20日裕民日平均气温均方差达6.5℃,气温升降剧烈,变化幅度大.通过EOS/MODIS卫星遥感监测发现,2010年1月5日裕民县及其邻近地区地表有明显成片的液态水痕迹,而在其前后时段该地区为积雪覆盖.2010年1月,裕民县出现极端降雪事件的同时,极端暖事件与极端冷事件交替出现,隆冬时节的异常升温造成阶段气温异常偏高,引发冬季融雪型洪水.气候变暖背景下,需加强对新疆区域极端天气气候事件的监测、分析及其形成机理的研究,加强区域气候变化影响评估工作,采取切实可行的措施应对气候变化.