- News and Events
- Program Area Updates – Information Bulletin Archive
- Calendar
- Blog
- Conferences & Workshops
- In the Spotlight
- Using Plants to Sustain Military Ranges
- Sonar Key to Detecting Underwater UXO
- Monitoring and Mapping Coral Reefs
- EPA-Approved Protocol for Range Characterization
- Robotic Laser Coating Removal System
- MetalMapper
- Understanding cis-DCE and VC Biodegradation
- Eliminating Cr from Medium Caliber Gun Barrels
- Predicting Responses to Landscape Changes
- Applying Statistics and Modeling to UXO Discrimination
- Composites with Low HAP Compounds
- Perchlorate-Free Flares Undergo Qualification Testing
- Recovering Energy from Landfill Gas
- Modeling Underwater UXO Mobility in Reef Environments
- Understanding the Behavioral Ecology of Cetaceans
- Forecasting the Effects of Stressors on At-Risk Species
- Advanced Signal Processing for UXO Discrimination
- Reducing Emissions for Jet Engines of the Future
- Assessing Vapor Intrusion at Chlorinated Solvent Sites
- Passive Sampling of Contaminated Sediments
- Leveraging Advanced Sensor Data to Clean Up UXO
- Source Zone Architecture Key to DNAPL Remediation
- Biopolymers Maintain Training Berms, Prevent Contamination
- Rare-Earth Corrosion Protection Mechanisms
- Cold Spray Technology for Aircraft Component Repair
- Ecological Research Supports Training at Camp Lejeune
- Loss of Permafrost – Impact on DoD Lands in Alaska
- Converting Solar Energy to Electricity and Heat
- ASETSDefense Workshop on Sustainable Surface Engineering
- Forward Operating Bases: Water and Waste Management
- Evaluating Matrix Diffusion Effects on Groundwater
- ES&T Features In Situ Sediment Remediation
- Erosion Resistant Coating Improves Engine Efficiency
- Optimizing Boiler Efficiency Through Combustion Control
- Climate Change Adaptation: Enhanced Decision Making
- Adapting Energy-Efficient Heat Pumps for Cold Climates
- Workshop on Sustainable Surface Engineering Advances
- Ecological Forestry & DoD’s Carbon Footprint
- Munitions Classification in the Hands of Production Firms
- Intelligent and Energy-Efficient LED Street Lighting
- ESTCP Partners with EPA on Watershed Management
- White House Energy Security Blueprint References ESTCP
- Success Classifying Munitions in Wooded Areas
- Evaluating Technology Performance at DNAPL Sites
- ‘Flyer’ Improves OB/OD Air Emissions Measurement
- Identifying Research Needs for Underwater Munitions
- Success Classifying Small Munitions at Camp Butner
- Managing Military Lands in the Southwest
- Partnering to Advance Munitions Classification
- ‘Flyer’ Improves OB/OD Air Emissions Measurement - Preview
- Sonar Identifies Underwater Munitions in Gulf Study
- Protective Coating Improves Jet Engine Fuel Efficiency
- Assessing Pacific Island Watershed Health
- New Insights Into Tracking Contaminants in Bedrock
- ClimaStat Technology Improves HVAC Efficiency
- Innovative Plating Process for Beryllium Alternatives
Climate Change Adaptation: Enhanced Decision Making

SERDP researchers are developing decision frameworks to improve the ability of the Department of Defense (DoD) to assess the potential impacts of climate change on military installations and facilitate appropriate adaptive responses. Despite advances in the state of the science, tools and guidance on how to use appropriate climate-related data generally are lacking. DoD managers will need to assess potential impacts and appropriate actions to take in areas such as fire management, sustainability of water supplies, and military training and range operations. Enhanced decision making that better matches the decision to relevant climate information will reduce climate change vulnerabilities and increase resilience at military installations.
The five SERDP decision framework pilot projects initiated in FY 2012 will enhance DoD’s decision making with respect to potential climate change-related impacts to its installations, including built infrastructure, natural infrastructure, and training ranges, and appropriate planning and adaptive responses. The key question the pilot projects are addressing is: What is an appropriate framework for assessing vulnerabilities and impacts and guiding adaptation decisions to account for uncertainty, avoid maladaptive decisions, avoid over-committing resources, and be robust over time to a range of plausible future scenarios?
With work spanning multiple regions and installations across the United States, the ongoing research to develop climate change decision frameworks and tools includes:
- identifying mission-relevant and asset management decisions and the sensitivity of those decisions to climate
- evaluating how decision makers at the installation level use climate information and what additional information would be useful for guiding future decisions
- engaging DoD managers and stakeholders in the development of a vulnerability and impact assessment framework
- analyzing the utility of and uncertainty associated with downscaling regional climate projections for decision makers to quantify and plan for the impacts at specific locations
- investigating the use of a high-resolution regional atmospheric model to simulate extreme weather events and evaluate changes in severe storm frequency and intensity in the Southwest.
SERDP convened a meeting of these researchers, as well as DoD policy makers and analysts, to promote coordination in the development of decision support approaches and to improve awareness of DoD decision making processes and concerns regarding climate change vulnerabilities. Participants discussed strategies for incorporating climate change-related policy and guidance across DoD and the military Services, as well as the linkages between installation-level and higher level DoD and military Service decisions related to climate change.
Related Resources
- Decision Scaling: A Decision Framework for DoD Climate Risk Assessment and Adaptation Planning – University of Massachusetts
- Assessing Climate Change Impacts for DoD Installations in the Southwest United States During the Warm Season – University of Arizona
- Understanding Data Needs for Vulnerability Assessment and Decision Making to Manage Vulnerability of DoD Installations to Climate Change – Battelle, Pacific Northwest Division
- Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation on Southwestern DoD Facilities – University of Arizona
- Climate Change Impacts to Department of Defense Installations – Argonne National Laboratory
Webinar Series
Promoting the transfer of innovative, cost-effective and sustainable solutions.