An integrated framework for linking climate change impacts to emergency adaptation strategies for transport networks

Introduction The assessment of the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events on transport networks comprises an emerging field, which attracts the interest of several researchers. Most research efforts have concentrated on the identification of adaptation measures and best practices for specific, local events and their impacts. Therefore, the present paper aims to fill in the gap of the current research and methodological activities in linking the impact assessment of climate change to emergency adaptation strategies for transport networks within an aggregated framework and thus linking the problem with its potential solutions. Methods Following a targeted review of the state-of-practice and the relevant literature, a sequential concept for determining the optimal strategies for the relevant authorities is presented, comprised of five distinct dimensions: the extreme events, the area extent where extreme events have an impact on, the transport networks as separate modes, the transport networks as mode-internal components and finally the emergency-adaptation plans. Results Each problem dimension is discussed both autonomously and as part of the sequential concept. A mathematical formulation for the integrated framework is presented, which can be used by any interested entity (e.g. related authorities or organizations). The main theoretical aspects of the framework are also discussed in detail. Conclusions The integrated top-down approach proposed can effectively address all the major dimensions for determining optimal adaptation strategies in a sequential way. The framework can address real world questions and issues about determining the appropriate combination of measures, in order to achieve the minimization of the economic losses due to potential extreme weather events with limited available resources.