NASA Ames Research Center Climate Change Adaptation Research

Changes in climate and its variability have the potential to impact NASA Ames Research Center, by challenging operations and exposing critical infrastructure and employees to new or increased frequency of hazards. Located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area, over the next decades NASA Ames Research Center is likely to experience continued sea level rise, which has the potential of damaging a significant portion of the existing infrastructure and alter the habitat of endangered and protected wild species living within the boundaries of this federal facility. Other main vulnerabilities to the center operations may arise from the possibility of increased storm intensity and its effects on storm water drainage in and around the Center. Shifts in average and extreme temperature are also likely to impact the Center power and water availability and cost. NASA Ames is in the process of documenting the occurrence of historical climate-related natural hazards and evaluating their short and long-term risks of occurring. We present the preliminary results of a formal assessment of the impacts of climate change on the Center and examples of possible adaptation strategies.