Climate change adaptation cost in the US: what do we know?     

Fran Sussman  Nisha Krishnan  Kathryn Maher  Rawlings Miller  Charlotte Mack  Paul Stewart 《Climate Policy》2013,13(2):242-282

Researchers and policy makers increasingly recognize the need to adapt to future changes in climate, given that past emissions of greenhouse gases have already committed the world to some level of climate change. However, the current understanding of the costs and benefits of adaptation measures is still fairly rudimentary, and far from comprehensive. An assessment is presented of the current state of knowledge on the magnitude of adaptation costs in the United States. While incomplete, the studies suggest that adaptation cost could be as high as tens or hundreds of billions of dollars per year by the middle of this century. Key studies are identified in each sector, and the cost estimates and approaches to cost estimation are surveyed. Methodological issues are highlighted in interpreting, comparing, and aggregating adaptation cost estimates. Policy recommendations are made along with appropriate steps to make future adaptation cost studies more comparable within and across sectors and more accessible and relevant to policy and decision makers.

Policy relevance

Designing and implementing climate change adaptation policy requires good information about the effectiveness and cost of available adaptive options. The current state of knowledge on adaptation costs in the United States is assessed and significant gaps in the literature are highlighted – particularly in terms of sectoral and geographic coverage – as well as inconsistencies in methodologies and assumptions that hamper comparison across studies. Critical steps are identified that can be taken to make adaptation cost studies more accessible and useful to decision makers. The findings and recommendations are relevant to adaptation cost studies globally, not just in the United States.  相似文献   

Geochemical and isotopic evolution of groundwater in the Wadi Watir watershed,Sinai Peninsula,Egypt     

Mustafa A. Eissa  James M. Thomas  Ronald L. Hershey  Maher I. Dawoud  Greg Pohll  Kamal A. Dahab  Mohamed A. Gomaa  Ashraf R. Shabana 《Environmental Earth Sciences》2014,71(4):1855-1869

The Wadi Watir delta in the Wadi Watir watershed is a tourist area in the arid southeastern part of the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, where development and growth of the community on the delta are constrained by the amount of groundwater that can be withdrawn sustainably. To effectively manage groundwater resources in the Wadi Watir delta, the origin of groundwater recharge, groundwater age, and changes in groundwater chemistry in the watershed needs to be understood. Mineral identification, rock chemistry, water chemistry, and the isotopes of hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon in groundwater were used to identify the sources, mixing, and ages of groundwater in the watershed and the chemical evolution of groundwater as it flows from the upland areas in the watershed to the developed areas at the Wadi Watir delta. Groundwater in the Wadi Watir watershed is primarily from recent recharge while groundwater salinity is controlled by mixing of chemically different waters and dissolution of minerals and salts in the aquifers. The El Shiekh Attia and Wadi El Ain areas in the upper Wadi Watir watershed have different recharge sources, either from recharge from other areas or from different storm events. The downgradient Main Channel area receives groundwater flow primarily from the El Shiekh Attia area. Groundwater in the Main Channel area is the primary source of groundwater supplying the aquifers of the Wadi Watir delta.  相似文献   

Sediment source variations and lead-210 inventories in recent Potomac Estuary sediment cores     

Frank Oldfield  Barbara A. Maher  Peter G. Appleby 《第四纪科学杂志》1989,4(3):189-200

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Selenium in marine organisms from St Vincent's Gulf,South Australia     

W.A. Maher 《Marine pollution bulletin》1983,14(1):35-36

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Field Placement and Evaluation of Stabilized Dredged Material (SDM) from the New York/New Jersey Harbor     

A. Maher  W. S. Douglas  F. Jafari 《Marine Georesources & Geotechnology》2013,31(4):251-263

Since the 1997 local ban on ocean dumping of dredged sediments, the States of New York and New Jersey have pursued a policy of environmentally sound solutions to the management of dredged material, including beneficial use of stabilized dredged material (SDM) in transportation applications. A pilot study was initiated in 1998 to evaluate the use of SDM in the construction of highway embankments. Utilizing 80,000 cubic yards of dredged material, two embankments were constructed from SDM on a commercial development area adjacent to the Harbor. Geotechnical properties and handling of SDM were evaluated both during and one year post ? construction. This article presents the evaluation of the embankments themselves, including constructability and performance. The results demonstrate that SDM satisfies most of the geotechnical criteria for fill construction, except those for durability, requiring proper coverage and protection similar to that provided for fills constructed on cohesive soils. This same characteristic precludes long term stockpiling of SDM prior to final placement, limiting applications to those that have schedules overlapping with dredging projects. Increased costs for the use of SDM can be as high as $8 per cubic yard over traditional fills; however, this cost may be recouped through management fees collected from dredging projects.  相似文献   

Groundwater resource sustainability in the Wadi Watir delta, Gulf of Aqaba, Sinai, Egypt   总被引：3，自引：2，他引：1  

Mustafa A. Eissa  James M. Thomas  Greg Pohll  Ronald L. Hershey  Kamal A. Dahab  Maher I. Dawoud  Abdelfattah ElShiekh  Mohamed A. Gomaa 《Hydrogeology Journal》2013,21(8):1833-1851

The Wadi Watir delta, in the arid Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, contains an alluvial aquifer underlain by impermeable Precambrian basement rock. The scarcity of rainfall during the last decade, combined with high pumping rates, resulted in degradation of water quality in the main supply wells along the mountain front, which has resulted in reduced groundwater pumping. Additionally, seawater intrusion along the coast has increased salinity in some wells. A three-dimensional (3D) groundwater flow model (MODFLOW) was calibrated using groundwater-level changes and pumping rates from 1982 to 2009; the groundwater recharge rate was estimated to be 1.58?×?10⁶ m³/year. A variable-density flow model (SEAWAT) was used to evaluate seawater intrusion for different pumping rates and well-field locations. Water chemistry and stable isotope data were used to calculate seawater mixing with groundwater along the coast. Geochemical modeling (NETPATH) determined the sources and mixing of different groundwaters from the mountainous recharge areas and within the delta aquifers; results showed that the groundwater salinity is controlled by dissolution of minerals and salts in the aquifers along flow paths and mixing of chemically different waters, including upwelling of saline groundwater and seawater intrusion. Future groundwater pumping must be closely monitored to limit these effects.  相似文献   

Modified DRASTIC assessment for intrinsic vulnerability mapping of karst aquifers: a case study   总被引：4，自引：1，他引：3  

Ziad A. Mimi  Nidal Mahmoud  Maher Abu Madi 《Environmental Earth Sciences》2012,66(2):447-456

Groundwater in karstic aquifers can be dangerously sensitive to contamination. In this paper, DRASTIC assessment was modified and applied, for the first time, to address the intrinsic vulnerability for karst aquifers. The theoretical weights of two of DRASTIC’s parameters (aquifer media and hydraulic conductivity) were modified through sensitivity analysis. Two tests of sensitivity analyses were carried out: the map removal and the single parameter sensitivity analyses. The modified assessment was applied for the karst aquifers underlying Ramallah District (Palestine) as a case study. The aquifer vulnerability map indicated that the case study area is under low, moderate and high vulnerability of groundwater to contamination. The vulnerability index can assist in the implementation of groundwater management strategies to prevent degradation of groundwater quality. The modified DRASTIC assessment has proven to be effective because it is relatively straightforward, use data that are commonly available or estimated and produces an end product that is easily interpreted.  相似文献   

Anthropogenic and natural effects on the water and sediments qualities of costal lagoons: case of the Boughrara Lagoon (Southeast Tunisia)     

Adel Kharroubi  Maher Gzam  Younes Jedoui 《Environmental Earth Sciences》2012,67(4):1061-1067

The Boughrara Lagoon located in southern Tunisia shows evidence of eutrophication and the deterioration of water quality. The large amount of water shown to exchange tidally between the lagoon and the open sea suggests that while water per se is important and observed eutrophication problems are not caused by a lack of water. Heavy metal concentrations in surface sediments of the lagoon indicate that the ecosystem degradation is most likely related to the discharge of untreated phosphogypsum. Excessive pumping from the local freshwater aquifer that previously supplied freshwater to the lagoon via sub-aquatique fractures is likely to be a significant factor contributing to the water and sediment quality degradation of Boughrara Lagoon.  相似文献   

U-Sr isotopic speedometer: Fluid flow and chemical weathering rates in aquifers   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

Kate Maher  Donald J. DePaolo  John N. Christensen 《Geochimica et cosmochimica acta》2006,70(17):4417-4435

Both chemical weathering rates and fluid flow are difficult to measure in natural systems. However, these parameters are critical for understanding the hydrochemical evolution of aquifers, predicting the fate and transport of contaminants, and for water resources/water quality considerations. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and (²³⁴U/²³⁸U) activity ratios are sensitive indicators of water-rock interaction, and thus provide a means of quantifying both flow and reactivity. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values in ground waters are controlled by the ratio of the dissolution rate to the flow rate. Similarly, the (²³⁴U/²³⁸U) ratio of natural ground waters is a balance between the flow rate and the dissolution of solids, and α-recoil loss of ²³⁴U from the solids. By coupling these two isotope systems it is possible to constrain both the long-term (ca. 100’s to 1000’s of years) flow rate and bulk dissolution rate along the flow path. Previous estimates of the ratio of the dissolution rate to the infiltration flux from Sr isotopes (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) are combined with a model for (²³⁴U/²³⁸U) to constrain the infiltration flux and dissolution rate for a 70-m deep vadose zone core from Hanford, Washington. The coupled model for both (²³⁴U/²³⁸U) ratios and the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr data suggests an infiltration flux of 5 ± 2 mm/yr, and bulk silicate dissolution rates between 10^−15.7 and 10^−16.5 mol/m²/s. The process of α-recoil enrichment, while primarily responsible for the observed variation in (²³⁴U/²³⁸U) of natural systems, is difficult to quantify. However, the rate of this process in natural systems affects the interpretation of most U-series data. Models for quantifying the α-recoil loss fraction based on geometric predictions, surface area constraints, and chemical methods are also presented. The agreement between the chemical and theoretical methods, such as direct measurement of (²³⁴U/²³⁸U) of the small grain size fraction and geometric calculations for that size fraction, is quite good.  相似文献   

Compaction characteristics of granular soils in United Arab Emirates     

Maher Omar  Abdallah Shanableh  Adnan Basma  Samer Barakat 《Geotechnical and Geological Engineering》2003,21(3):283-295

Most of the topsoils encountered in United Arab Emirates and in the Arabian Peninsula are granular soils with small percentages of silt and clay. Determination of the compaction characteristics of such soils is an essential task in preparing for construction work. The accumulating experience over many years of soil testing in our laboratories suggested that there exists an underlying trend that governs the compaction characteristics of such soils. As such, a study was undertaken to assess the compaction characteristics of such soils and to develop the governing predictive equations. For the purposes of this study, 311 soil samples were collected from various locations in the United Arab Emirates, and tested for various including grain-size distribution, liquid limit, plasticity index, specific gravity of soil solids, maximum dry density of compaction, and optimum moisture content following ASTM D 1557-91 standard procedure C. Following the development of the predictive equations, a new set of 43 soil samples were collected and their compaction results were used to test the validity of predictive model. The range of variables for these soils were as follows: percent retained on US sieve #4 (R#4): 0–68; Percent passing US sieve #200 (P#200): 1–26; Liquid limit: 0–56; Plasticity index: 0–28; Specific gravity of soil solids: 2.55–2.8. Based on the compaction tests results, multiple regression analyses were conducted to develop mathematical models and nomographic solutions to predict the compaction properties of soils. The results indicated that the nomographs could predict well the maximum dry density within ±5% confidence interval and the optimum moisture content within ±3%. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.  相似文献