Potential Impacts of Accelerated Climate Change: Third Annual Report of Work
This study is part of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) Probabilistic Flood Hazard Assessment (PFHA) research program that aims to develop regulatory tools and guidance to support and enhance the NRC’s capacity to perform thorough and efficient risk-informed reviews of license applications and license amendment requests. The NRC asked Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to prepare a summary of current climate research and results regarding hydrometeorological phenomena that are of interest in safety assessments and environmental impact assessments for commercial nuclear power plants. In Year 1, PNNL staff prepared an annual report that summarized recent scientific findings about global and regional climate change, with a particular focus on climatic elements that are relevant to NRC concerns on a national level (i.e., increasing air and water temperatures, decreasing water availability, increasing frequency and intensity of storms and flooding, and sea-level rise). In Year 2 activities, PNNL staff summarized recent research findings about climate change for the Southeast Region of the United States (i.e., historical and projected changes in air temperature, precipitation, hurricanes, sea-level rise, storm surge, tornadoes, flooding, and low flows). This current report summarizes Year 3 activities, which focused on reviewing region-specific scientific findings about climate change for the Midwest Region. Consistent with the U.S. Global Change Research Program Third National Climate Assessment (NCA3) and the Climate Science Special Report for the Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4, Volume I), this report defines the Midwest Region to comprise eight states—Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Except for Indiana, the states in the Midwest Region have operating nuclear power plants. Further, new nuclear power reactor permit and license applications have been submitted to the NRC in the recent past for sites located in two midwestern states. Therefore, having an improved understanding of potential climate changes and their hydrologic impacts in the Midwest Region is important to informing the PFHA research program.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 1524249
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-27452-Rev.1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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