REGIONAL RESILIENCY (Completed)
NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management has committed $891,243 to NERACOOS and partners to improve prediction and protection from coastal storms across New England. Each year coastal storms cause severe damage to communities and properties throughout the Northeast and studies indicate that climate change may cause the frequency and intensity of these storms to increase over time. This award will support efforts of fourteen partners in each of the five coastal states of New England to improve the prediction of storm impacts and implement protective infrastructure in vulnerable communities. |
The project began in the summer of 2016 and over the next several years NERACOOS and partners will better prepare New England communities for the impacts of coastal storms. Research teams from the University of Connecticut, University of Rhode Island, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, University of New Hampshire and University of Maine will develop detailed coastal flooding forecasts for vulnerable coastal communities. Project management will be overseen by Spaulding Environmental Associates, LLC.
Additionally, the Nature Conservancy and coastal managers from each state– Connecticut Institute of Resiliency and Coastal Adaptation (CIRCA), Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council, Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, Maine Coastal Program– will implement protective green infrastructure to shield vulnerable communities from storm impacts. Project management for this will be overseen by the Northeast Regional Ocean Council (NROC).
With the help of the RPS Group and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), project results will be shared and made available online. This award will “aid our primary goal to protect life and property and stimulate maritime economics along the Northeast Coast” said Dr. Jason Tuell, Director of the National Weather Service Eastern Region.
MAPS
These maps show projected sea level rise in each coastal Northeast state during a 100-year storm event. (Note: a “100-year storm” is a way to describe the probability of a storm happening in any given year; in this case, it’s a 1-in-100 chance, and it’s one way to communicate the severity of a storm or flooding event. Visit the USGS to learn more.) All maps open in new tabs.
A high-resolution map of coastal New England showing predicted hotspots of coastal storm and flood risk throughout the region.
A THREDDS Data Server is a way to store and access metadata and large datasets used for scientific research. These links will take you to UMass School of Marine Science & Technology server catalogs where you can download sea level rise scenario datasets for historic storm events. Each event contains data for scenarios reflecting 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 feet of sea level rise.