In a Warming World, Keeping the Planes Running<br />Climate scientists predict a global increase this century in the annual number of hot days and heat waves, and some airport planners worry<br />that climate change could push airport infrastructure to the limits of its operating capacity.<br />Climate scientists predict that sea levels could rise by as much as six or seven feet this century, and aviation experts say<br />that even a much smaller rise could lead to more flooding at runways or terminals.<br />A study earlier this year in the journal Climatic Change, based on modeling for 19 major airports, found<br />that 10 percent to 30 percent of annual flights departing at the hottest time of the day may require weight restrictions by the middle or end of this century.<br />The cost of having a short runway in a hot place became clear to planners at Brisbane Airport in Australia, who studied climate models<br />and airlines’ financial data in 2009 while designing the airport’s second runway, said Karyn Rains, the project’s former environment manager.<br />Concrete runway slabs at other airports may buckle from extreme heat, as similar slabs occasionally do on highways, and there is "serious concern"<br />that asphalt on aprons and parking areas could melt, said Herbert Pümpel, a co-chairman of the World Meteorological Organization’s Expert Team on Aviation, Science and Climate.
