Superfund Climate Resilience: Vulnerability Assessment
Vulnerability Assessment
Consideration of climate change implications in cleanup projects is most effective through use of a place-based strategy, due to the varying geophysical characteristics of contaminated sites, the nature of remedial actions at those sites, and local or regional climate and weather regimes. Assessing the vulnerability of a site remedy involves:
- Evaluating the remedy's exposure to climate or weather hazards of concern (such as high floodwater or soil subsidence).
- Evaluating the remedy's sensitivity to the hazards of concern (likelihood for the hazards to reduce remedy effectiveness).
Resources to help project managers and other stakeholders understand climate change implications and identify potential hazards at specific sites are available online from EPA and other federal agencies. The types or resources range from interactive desktop tools to extensive information compendiums that can support site cleanup decision making.
Information Resources and Type of Information Available for Applicable Climate Change Effects | Temp-erature | Precip-itation | Wind | Sea Level Rise | Wild-fires |
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EPA Climate Change Indicators in the United States website
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EPA Climate Resilience Evaluation & Awareness Tool (CREAT)
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EPA National Stormwater Calculator
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Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Map Service Center website
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National Integrated Drought Information System U.S. Drought Portal website
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National Interagency Coordination Center National Interagency Fire Center website
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coastal Services Digital Coast website
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Centers for Environmental Information website
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sea Level Trends
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National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center website
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National Weather Service National Hurricane Center website
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National Weather Service Sea, Lake, and Overland Surges from Hurricanes (SLOSH)
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National Weather Service Storm Surge Hazard Maps
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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Climate Prepardness and Resilience website
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U.S. Geological Survey Coastal Change Hazards Portal
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U.S. Geological Survey Landslide Hazards Program website
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U.S. Geological Survey Groundwater Watch
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U.S. Geological Survey National Climate Change Viewer website
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U.S. Geological Survey StreamStats
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