NDLI: Lesson learned from adaptation response to Devils Lake flooding in North Dakota, USA

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Zheng, Haochi Barta, David Zhang, Xiaodong
Copyright Year	2013
Abstract	The water level of Devils Lake, a terminal lake in the northeast of North Dakota, U.S., has risen nearly 10 m since 1993, inundating farm land and causing significant damages to the infrastructure and surrounding communities. The currently adopted flood adaptation policy is continuing infrastructural protection (CIP), under which the infrastructure, such as levees or roads, is raised gradually in response to the rising water. Since the Devils Lake city and the adjacent communities are built within the historical confines of the lake, we introduce and estimate potential costs of two diametrical, but long-term targeted adaptation strategies involving either buyout or relocation (B/R) to contrast against the CIP. The comparison shows that B/R, while more expensive initially, would be cheaper than CIP accumulated over longer term. We further explore the reason that policymakers prefer CIP: the near-term uncertainty regarding the future lake levels has led to significant discount of long-term potential risk. With future risk significantly discounted, not only B/R, but any other alternatives that feature long-term perspective, could become less attractive than CIP. Were we able to predict the flooding more accurately or willing to discount future less, we might have chosen a different plan of action. The ultimate choice of CIP among the possible adaptation options reveals that policymakers have privileged the present and favored near-term remedies instead of long-term solutions. Although certainly not on the same scale, the lesson we have learned in dealing with Devils Lake has far-reaching implications on climate change adaptation strategies. The passive decision to wait and ignore the full potential for disaster ultimately leaves us with no other option, but to continue to “wait and see” and then spend more.
Starting Page	185
Ending Page	194
Page Count	10
File Format	PDF
ISSN	14363798
Journal	Regional Environmental Change
Volume Number	14
Issue Number	1
e-ISSN	1436378X
Language	English
Publisher	Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Publisher Date	2013-05-25
Publisher Place	Berlin/Heidelberg
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Devils lake Flooding Adaptation Risk management Perception Climate change Climate Change Climate Change/Climate Change Impacts Oceanography Geography (general) Regional/Spatial Science Nature Conservation
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Global and Planetary Change

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

Lesson learned from adaptation response to Devils Lake flooding in North Dakota, USA

Integrating regional perceptions into climate change adaptation: a transdisciplinary case study from Germany’s North Sea Coast

European winegrowers’ perceptions of climate change impact and options for adaptation

Probabilistic impacts of climate change on flood frequency using response surfaces II: Scotland

On the nature of barriers to climate change adaptation

Climate Adaptation Services for the Netherlands: an operational approach to support spatial adaptation planning

Adaptation to climate change-related risks in Dutch urban areas: stimuli and barriers

Climate change and the food production system: impacts and adaptation in China

Climate change perception and adaptation of agro-pastoral communities in Kenya

Lesson learned from adaptation response to Devils Lake flooding in North Dakota, USA

Similar Documents

Lesson learned from adaptation response to Devils Lake flooding in North Dakota, USA

Integrating regional perceptions into climate change adaptation: a transdisciplinary case study from Germany’s North Sea Coast

European winegrowers’ perceptions of climate change impact and options for adaptation

Probabilistic impacts of climate change on flood frequency using response surfaces II: Scotland

On the nature of barriers to climate change adaptation

Climate Adaptation Services for the Netherlands: an operational approach to support spatial adaptation planning

Adaptation to climate change-related risks in Dutch urban areas: stimuli and barriers

Climate change and the food production system: impacts and adaptation in China

Climate change perception and adaptation of agro-pastoral communities in Kenya

Lesson learned from adaptation response to Devils Lake flooding in North Dakota, USA