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304 assessment of climate change in the southwest united statesTable 14.1 Potential impacts of precipitation events on transportation operations inthe SouthwestChange inPrecipitationImpacts on LandTransportationOperationsImpacts on MarineTransportationOperationsImpacts on AirTransportation OperationsIncrease in precipitationintensity andstormwater runoff• Increased delay• Increased trafficdisruption• Reduced safety andmaintenanceIncreased delay• Increased delay• Increased stormwaterrunoff, causing flooding,delays, and airport closings• Impact on emergencyevacuation planning, facilitymaintenance, and safetymanagementIncrease in droughtconditions• Increased susceptibilityto wildfires,causing road closuresand reduced visibilityImpacts on river transportationroutes and seasons• Increased susceptibility towildfires causing reducedvisibilityMore frequent stronghurricanes• Interrupted travel andshipping• More frequent andmore extensive emergencyevacuationsIncreased need for emergencyevacuation planning,facility maintenance,and safety management• More frequent interruptionsin air serviceSource: NRC (2008)Depending on the level of planning and preparation undertaken by transportationproviders, climate change may substantially and directly impact transportation operationsas well as transportation infrastructure. For example, although a submerged jettycan be replaced or reconfigured, until this work is completed, it can no longer supportthe mobility of goods. Failing infrastructure cannot fulfill the role for which it was designed.Without advance planning to address and adapt to weather conditions thatcould reduce or limit infrastructure capacity, key infrastructure is at risk of being substantiallyless available. Table 14.2 summarizes the range of expected direct impacts totransportation infrastructure of climate change.Indirect impactsVehicle EMISSIONS. Heat events in the Southwest may increase air-conditioner usagein vehicles, which may bump up the total emissions. The U.S. EPA’s SupplementalFederal Test Procedure (SFTP) for air conditioning (SC03) shows that total vehicularemissions increase 37% when air conditioning is turned on while driving, while fueleconomy drops as much as 43% in a high-fuel-economy vehicles and 13% in conventionalvehicles (Farrington and Rugh 2000).