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Climate Change, Water Reuse and Military Readiness
Seahawk helicopter from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 4 lifts a pallet of bottled water from the deck of Military Sealift Command combat stores ship USNS Niagara Falls
By Marc Kodack
The Environmental Protection Agency recently published a draft National Water Reuse Action Plan, seeking comments on the plan by December 16, 2019 (ten days from today, so get to your comment stations). The comment period raises the importance of understanding that climate change will manifest itself primarily through water, and that water reuse will become more and more important in the future. As the draft plan itself notes:
Climate change will greatly increase the risk that water supplies will not be able to keep pace with demand, necessitating the need to develop new, drought proof supplies.
2020 Outlook from NOAA: Sea Level Rise to Drive Chronic High Tide Flooding
U.S. Soldiers from the 59th Aviation Troop Command, South Carolina Army National Guard, provide airborne support during flood relief operations in Columbia, S.C., Oct. 5, 2015. Photo by Staff Sgt. Roberto Di Giovine
By Marc Kodack
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently published their 2018 State of High Tide Flooding and 2019 Outlook. The 2019 outlook covers the meteorological year which runs from May 2019-to-April 2020. High tide flooding (HTF), also known as nuisance or sunny-day flooding (both euphemisms these days), occurs in the absence of any storms, such as when there is a strong wind coming off the ocean at the same time as a high tide. High tide flooding is a direct result of rising sea levels. Nuisance flooding and sea level rise are already affecting multiple, coastal Department of Defense installations, as highlighted by the Pentagon this past January, and the Center for Climate and Security’s Military Expert Panel report “Sea Level Rise and the U.S. Military’s Mission.” Thus, NOAA’s projection that nuisance flooding trends will continue to linearly increase resulting in chronic flooding rather than sporadic flooding will increase disruptions of portions of some installations more frequently, e.g., flooded roads, clogged stormwater drains that may flood facilities. (more…)
Future Climate Scenario Projects Water Woes for U.S. Military Bases in Guam
Aerial view of U.S. Naval Base Guam, 5 March 2016
By Marc Kodack
The U.S. Geological Survey recently released a report that assessed “the influence of future climate change and sea level rise on freshwater resources (surface-water and groundwater) of Guam.” These changes have serious implications for the local population, as well as for Department of Defense installations including Naval Base Guam and Andersen Air Force Base. The work was funded by the DoD’s Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program. (more…)
New Study: Naval Academy May Have to Move Due to Sea Level Rise
A flooded U.S. Naval Academy facility due to Hurricane Isabel
By Marc Kodack
The Naval Academy is at risk from sea level rise and more intense storms that may force it to relocate by 2100, according to the featured article in the current issue of the U.S. Naval Institute’s Proceedings journal. The Naval Academy has been in Annapolis, Maryland since 1845. It is surrounded by water on three sides which increases its vulnerability to flooding. Some structures are no more than three feet above the water level. In and around Annapolis sea levels have increased by almost a foot since the 1920s. The sea level is forecast to rise between “0.6 and 3.6 feet by 2050.” (more…)