Case Study: Assessment of the Vulnerability of Port Authority of NY & NJ Facilities to the Impacts of Climate Change

The Port Authority of NY & NJ (PANYNJ) is a bistate agency, which conceives, builds, operates and maintains infrastructure critical to the New York/New Jersey region's trade and transportation network. These facilities include America's busiest airport system, marine terminals and ports, the PATH rail transit system, six tunnels and bridges between New York and New Jersey, the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan, and the World Trade Center. For more than eight decades, the Port Authority has worked to improve the quality of life for the more than 17 million people who live and work in New York and New Jersey - a region that supports 8.6 million jobs with an estimated gross regional product of more than $929 billion. The release of projections for climate change variables published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has resulted in greater public awareness and has lead to the launch of state and local government initiatives to evaluate the vulnerability of critical infrastructure. Since PANYNJ facilities are vital to the New York/New Jersey regional economy, their safe and efficient operation is of the utmost importance and an assessment of climate changes impacts was warranted. Many of these facilities are located in close proximity to coastal waters, which further magnifies the potential impacts of climate change variables, such as sustained sea level rise with associated storm surge, increased precipitation and increased temperature. The following case study details the involvement of the PANYNJ in a climate change assessment effort, lead by the New York City (NYC) Mayor's Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability, between August 2008 and March of 2010. This case study will provide an overview of the evaluation process with an emphasis on the coastal flooding potential and possible adaptation measures.