{"id":23948,"date":"2017-11-15T16:13:28","date_gmt":"2017-11-15T21:13:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/should-the-port-authority-of-new-york-and-new-jersey-panynj-be-concerned-about-the-long-term-viability-of-john-f-kennedy-jfk-intern"},"modified":"2017-11-15T16:13:28","modified_gmt":"2017-11-15T21:13:28","slug":"should-the-port-authority-of-new-york-and-new-jersey-panynj-be-concerned-about-the-long-term-viability-of-john-f-kennedy-jfk-international-airport","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/should-the-port-authority-of-new-york-and-new-jersey-panynj-be-concerned-about-the-long-term-viability-of-john-f-kennedy-jfk-international-airport\/","title":{"rendered":"Should the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) Be Concerned about the Long-Term Viability of John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport?"},"content":{"rendered":"

While most people associate JFK as NYC\u2019s major international passenger airport, it serves a more vital function as a major shipping, cargo hub, and supply chain participant for North America and its companies.\u00a0 As the number one airport in North America in terms of cargo value, it is home to ~four million square feet of warehouse and storage facilities, with climate-controlled, cold-chain, and animal handling capabilities [1]. With this much valuable cargo running through JFK, it\u2019s a good thing that it isn\u2019t close to any major bodies of water.<\/p>\n

Extreme weather and changing weather patterns are of major concern for the United States\u2019 air travel infrastructure, particularly an airport like JFK.\u00a0 For JFK, some reports have indicated that certain hurricane categories could put its runways under as much as eleven to fifteen feet of water, the highest total among all major U.S. airports [2,3].\u00a0 And these extreme weather events are becoming more prevalent with the US incurring 12 of them in 2011, alone [2]. While storm surges of these levels would obviously halt flight operations, it could result in not only safety issues at the airport, but also damage to any cargo held in its warehouse and storage facilities, costing billions in damaged goods and lost time. This issue could be further exacerbated in the future, as increased sea level rise will move JFK into the flood zone in the coming years (Exhibit 1).<\/p>\n

Exhibit 1: Projected Flooding for New York City (Red Circle Indicates JFK Airport)<\/span><\/p>\n

Areas in the 100-year flood zone have a 1 percent chance of being flooded annually and are particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Rising temperatures also can impact JFK.\u00a0 First, rising temperatures can cause pavement cracking, resulting in higher maintenance and runway repaving costs.\u00a0 Second, higher temperatures require more cooling use, for both runways and more importantly, JFK\u2019s temperature controlled warehouses [3].\u00a0 Overall, the rising temperatures result in higher operating costs which can be passed through to its freight customers through higher lease rates.\u00a0 For JFK to remain the number cargo destination in North America, it must continue to operate an efficient and low-cost airport.\u00a0 The climate issues raised above could put its position in jeopardy as there are other alternative airports on the east coast that are less susceptible to flooding and rising temperatures [3].<\/p>\n

Currently, the PANYNJ has taken actions to address the potential effects of extreme weather and rising temperatures.\u00a0 For all future runway renovation projects, the PANYNJ will model an anticipated increase in temperature and precipitation levels to maximize the useful life and minimize costs.\u00a0 For example, in 2010, JFK renovated its longest commercial runway taking these steps and used light-colored concrete, as opposed to more traditional asphalt.\u00a0 Light-colored concrete absorbs less solar energy than dark-colored asphalt, decreasing the rate of pavement cracking and its associated maintenance costs.\u00a0 Additionally, the use of light-colored concrete raises the height of runways, helping to alleviate the potential effects from rising sea levels [4].<\/p>\n

Over the medium and long-term, PANYNJ is forecasting climate change projections on its major infrastructure assets, including JFK, for three decades 2020s, 2050s and 2080s.\u00a0 These projections are revisited every two years and are used to assess future maintenance and operations efforts, capital projects, and regulations [5].<\/p>\n

In addition to the actions already taken by PANYNJ, additional steps can be taken to mitigate the risks posed by climate change.\u00a0 In the short term, PANYJN could follow Massport\u2019s lead to address storm surge by investing money into additional flood doors and barriers and portable pumps to keep the airport operating in the event of a major weather event [6].\u00a0 PANYNJ should also consider the low-hanging fruit for JFK.\u00a0 Returning to Massport, Logan International Airport decided to relocate all its IT infrastructure to the highest floors of the airport, ensuring all systems remained operational in the event of a storm surge [6].<\/p>\n

In the medium term, PANYNJ should consider consolidating rental car and other ancillary airport activities to conserve space which could be used for increased storage and drainage capacity.\u00a0 An interesting area to consider eliminating at the airport would be parking.\u00a0 Currently, subway service runs from Manhattan to JFK, albeit at a slow speed.\u00a0 If PANYNJ were to create a \u201cbullet train\u201d to JFK from Manhattan, it might decrease the number of self-drivers, taxis, and Ubers, creating more space for mitigation systems against storm surges.\u00a0 An added benefit would also be a decreased carbon footprint from less cars.<\/p>\n

While this paper is not suggesting that JFK is in imminent danger of being submerged under water, there are some important questions for PANYNJ, airlines, and freight customers to consider.\u00a0 For the UPS\u2019 and FedEx\u2019s of the world, is it worth the risk to ship cargo and store cargo at an airport that is susceptible to major flooding from storm surges, even if there is only a 1% chance this can happen (see exhibit 1)?\u00a0 And if so, who should bear the costs of upgrade projects at JFK related to climate change and disaster mitigation?<\/p>\n

[797]<\/p>\n

Sources:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Compiled from https:\/\/www.panynj.gov\/air-cargo\/jfk.html<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  2. Airport Cooperative Research Program, \u201cAirport Climate Adaptation and Resilience: A Synthesis of Airport Practice,\u201d 2012.<\/li>\n
  3. Terence R. Thompson, \u201cClimate Change Impacts Upon the Commercial Air Transport Industry, An Overview, \u201d(Feb 2016) p. 106 \u2013 110.<\/li>\n
  4. Adaptation Clearinghouse, \u201cJFK Airport Runway 13R-31L Rehabilitation (John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City, NY),\u201d (December 2010).<\/li>\n
  5. Brian J. McLaughlin, P.E., LEED AP, M.ASCE, Scott D. Murrell, P.E., M.ASCE, and Susanne DesRoches, LEED AP, Civil Engineering, \u201cAnticipating Climate Change,\u201d April 2011.<\/li>\n
  6. Ronnie L. Garrett, Airport Business, \u201cPrepare Today for Climate Changes Tomorrow,\u201d (June\/July 2015).<\/li>\n
  7. Exhibit Source: Kennedy, Caitlyn. NOAA Climate. Gov, \u201cFuture Flood Zones for New York City,\u201d March 18, 2014. Directed to source from Dr. Terence R. Thompson, \u201cClimate Change Impacts Upon the Commercial Air Transport Industry, An Overview, \u201d(Feb 2016) p. 106 \u2013 110.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    With so much valuable cargo running through JFK, it\u2019s a good thing that the airport isn\u2019t close to any major bodies of water.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10093,"featured_media":23949,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[],"class_list":["post-23948","hck-submission","type-hck-submission","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"connected_submission_link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/assignment\/rc-tom-challenge-2017\/","yoast_head":"\nShould the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) Be Concerned about the Long-Term Viability of John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport? - Technology and Operations Management<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/should-the-port-authority-of-new-york-and-new-jersey-panynj-be-concerned-about-the-long-term-viability-of-john-f-kennedy-jfk-international-airport\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Should the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) Be Concerned about the Long-Term Viability of John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport? - Technology and Operations Management\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With so much valuable cargo running through JFK, it\u2019s a good thing that the airport isn\u2019t close to any major bodies of water.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/should-the-port-authority-of-new-york-and-new-jersey-panynj-be-concerned-about-the-long-term-viability-of-john-f-kennedy-jfk-international-airport\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Technology and Operations Management\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/11\/jfk.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"373\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/should-the-port-authority-of-new-york-and-new-jersey-panynj-be-concerned-about-the-long-term-viability-of-john-f-kennedy-jfk-international-airport\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/should-the-port-authority-of-new-york-and-new-jersey-panynj-be-concerned-about-the-long-term-viability-of-john-f-kennedy-jfk-international-airport\\\/\",\"name\":\"Should the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) Be Concerned about the Long-Term Viability of John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport? - Technology and Operations Management\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/should-the-port-authority-of-new-york-and-new-jersey-panynj-be-concerned-about-the-long-term-viability-of-john-f-kennedy-jfk-international-airport\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/should-the-port-authority-of-new-york-and-new-jersey-panynj-be-concerned-about-the-long-term-viability-of-john-f-kennedy-jfk-international-airport\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/jfk.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-11-15T21:13:28+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/should-the-port-authority-of-new-york-and-new-jersey-panynj-be-concerned-about-the-long-term-viability-of-john-f-kennedy-jfk-international-airport\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/should-the-port-authority-of-new-york-and-new-jersey-panynj-be-concerned-about-the-long-term-viability-of-john-f-kennedy-jfk-international-airport\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/should-the-port-authority-of-new-york-and-new-jersey-panynj-be-concerned-about-the-long-term-viability-of-john-f-kennedy-jfk-international-airport\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/jfk.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/jfk.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":373},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/should-the-port-authority-of-new-york-and-new-jersey-panynj-be-concerned-about-the-long-term-viability-of-john-f-kennedy-jfk-international-airport\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Submissions\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Should the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) Be Concerned about the Long-Term Viability of John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/\",\"name\":\"Technology and Operations Management\",\"description\":\"MBA Student Perspectives\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"性视界Action\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Should the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) Be Concerned about the Long-Term Viability of John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport? - Technology and Operations Management","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/should-the-port-authority-of-new-york-and-new-jersey-panynj-be-concerned-about-the-long-term-viability-of-john-f-kennedy-jfk-international-airport\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Should the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) Be Concerned about the Long-Term Viability of John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport? - Technology and Operations Management","og_description":"With so much valuable cargo running through JFK, it\u2019s a good thing that the airport isn\u2019t close to any major bodies of water.\u00a0","og_url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/should-the-port-authority-of-new-york-and-new-jersey-panynj-be-concerned-about-the-long-term-viability-of-john-f-kennedy-jfk-international-airport\/","og_site_name":"Technology and Operations Management","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":373,"url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/11\/jfk.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/should-the-port-authority-of-new-york-and-new-jersey-panynj-be-concerned-about-the-long-term-viability-of-john-f-kennedy-jfk-international-airport\/","url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/should-the-port-authority-of-new-york-and-new-jersey-panynj-be-concerned-about-the-long-term-viability-of-john-f-kennedy-jfk-international-airport\/","name":"Should the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) Be Concerned about the Long-Term Viability of John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport? - Technology and Operations Management","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/should-the-port-authority-of-new-york-and-new-jersey-panynj-be-concerned-about-the-long-term-viability-of-john-f-kennedy-jfk-international-airport\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/should-the-port-authority-of-new-york-and-new-jersey-panynj-be-concerned-about-the-long-term-viability-of-john-f-kennedy-jfk-international-airport\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/11\/jfk.jpg","datePublished":"2017-11-15T21:13:28+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/should-the-port-authority-of-new-york-and-new-jersey-panynj-be-concerned-about-the-long-term-viability-of-john-f-kennedy-jfk-international-airport\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/should-the-port-authority-of-new-york-and-new-jersey-panynj-be-concerned-about-the-long-term-viability-of-john-f-kennedy-jfk-international-airport\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/should-the-port-authority-of-new-york-and-new-jersey-panynj-be-concerned-about-the-long-term-viability-of-john-f-kennedy-jfk-international-airport\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/11\/jfk.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/11\/jfk.jpg","width":800,"height":373},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/should-the-port-authority-of-new-york-and-new-jersey-panynj-be-concerned-about-the-long-term-viability-of-john-f-kennedy-jfk-international-airport\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Submissions","item":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Should the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) Be Concerned about the Long-Term Viability of John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/","name":"Technology and Operations Management","description":"MBA Student Perspectives","potentialAction":[{"@type":"性视界Action","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hck-submission\/23948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hck-submission"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/hck-submission"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10093"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23948"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hck-submission\/23948\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}