Risk archetypes for European airports: moving towards climate change adaptation
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Critical infrastructures are potentially exposed elements to climate impacts, which implies consequences beyond the purely physical dimension, in the economic and social spheres. This study presents a multi-risk approach based on indicators that assesses multiple climate-related hazards, as well as the multiple dimensions of exposure and vulnerability, with global availability, climate change scenarios, and time horizons. Based on this approach, an archetype-based critical infrastructure classification is proposed, which serves as a framework for designing adaptation strategies for these infrastructures. These archetypes facilitate the characterization of the different risk components —hazard, exposure, and vulnerability—individually, while maintaining a holistic perspective. Statistical and machine learning techniques are applied to the identification of patterns in the indicators defining the dimensions of risk and that characterize the risk archetypes. As a case study, this methodology is applied to airport infrastructures across Europe, resulting in an archetype-based classification that identifies 23 climate risk archetypes for European airports. The resulting archetypes not only enable the identification of analogous airports from a climate risk perspective but also highlight the primary sources of risk, serving as a valuable guide for adaptation decision-making
Source: Climate Risk Management
Language: English
Subfield: Civil and Structural Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,130
OpenAlex ID: W4410508324