Identifying the Vulnerabilities of Working Coasts Supporting Critical Energy Infrastructure

Abstract

The U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is an excellent example of a working coast that supports a considerable degree of critical energy infrastructure across several sectors (crude oil, natural gas, electric power, petrochemicals) and functionalities (production, processing/refining, transmission, distribution). The coastal communities of the GOM form a highly productive and complicated human, physical, and natural environment that interacts in ways that are unlike anywhere else around the globe. This paper formulates a Coastal Infrastructure Vulnerability Index (CIVI) that characterizes interactions between energy assets and the physical and human aspects of GOM communities to identify and prioritize, using a multi-dimensional index, coastal vulnerability. The CIVI leads to results that are significantly different than traditional methods and serves as an alternative, and potentially more useful tool for coastal planning and policy, particularly in those areas characterized by very high infrastructure concentrations.

Egypt's Coastal Vulnerability to Sea‐Level Rise and Storm Surge: Present and Future Conditions

“…Finally, the socioeconomic indicators are considered in the CCVI to represent the exposure and vulnerability of human assets near the coast (McLaughlin and Cooper 2010; Dismukes and Narra 2016), influencing the distribution and severity of risks associated with climate‐related hazards.…”

Wetland Biomass and Productivity in Coastal Louisiana: Base Line Data (1976–2015) and Knowledge Gaps for the Development of Spatially Explicit Models for Ecosystem Restoration and Rehabilitation Initiatives

“…DOT, 2013) [56] (Figure 2A,B). This map was used to qualitatively underscore the need to deploy further study sites to evaluate the current and future effect of such critical infrastructure on wetland loss and biomass and productivity studies [57,58]. Due to the low number of studies in each hydrological basin, it was not possible to perform geospatial and metadata analyses, but we were able to identify the total number of studies per basin ( Figure 1).…”

“…DOT, 2013) [56] (Figure 2A,B). This map was used to qualitatively underscore the need to deploy further study sites to evaluate the current and future effect of such critical infrastructure on wetland loss and biomass and productivity studies [57,58].…”

“…One of the major drivers contributing to the reduction in wetland area is the extensive coverage of oil and gas infrastructure throughout coastal Louisiana [150][151][152]. The pipeline network is extensive and covers a substantial portion of coastal wetlands, particularly in the Mississippi, Barataria, and Terrebonne Basins, where most of the wetland biomass studies have been performed [57] (Figure 2B). Moreover, there is a contrast in the number of studies and ecological data in both coastal plains, with the lowest number of studies observed in the Chenier Plain (n = 15; Figure 1; Sabine Basin, Calcasieu, Mermentau, Vermillio-Teche) during the selected period .…”

“…Although the specific contribution of oil and gas infrastructure to net wetland loss in Louisiana has been under discussion and litigation over the last three decades [63,153,154], it is acknowledged that this industry has contributed to wetland fragmentation, subsidence, and erosion at large spatial scales [155,156]. Figure 2 shows the current spatial pipelines coverage and location of natural gas infrastructure (terminals, storage, processing), refineries, and electric generators [57]. Due to flooding risks and transportation logistics, most of the facilitates (e.g., refineries) are found inland, with some exceptions (e.g., natural gas processing plants, electric generators).…”