Climate Central

Surging Seas 2.0 Analysis System

In this major project, we are using high-resolution elevation maps (NOAA's Coastal Lidar) and the most recent SLR projections to produce incredibly detailed flood maps at several different levels of flood elevation above the high tide. We then analyze these flood maps to compute the possible effects on over 100 different categories of features, including socially vulnerable populations, ethnic populations, property values, roads, schools, hospitals, and more. I am the lead developer on this analysis system.

The results of the analysis are published on the Surging Seas Risk Finder site (such as New Jersey), and the high-resolution flood maps are viewable here. I also lead the ongoing maintanence and feature development of these sites. This analysis has been cited in over 100 news articles across the country.

Locked-In Analysis

In this project, we are trying to understand how future cuts to carbon emissions (or lack thereof) can affect the long-term fate of major towns and cities across the county.

Recent projections can give us long-term estimates of global temperatures and sea level rise given different levels of carbon entering the atmosphere. Futher projections also can estimate when these critical atmospheric carbon levels may be reached, depending on if/how we cut emissions. Depending on their elevation above the high tide, some cities may therefore be permanently fated, or "locked in", to flooding in the distant future, due to the pollution entering the atmosphere in the coming decades. Using the SS2 analysis system, we can determine these cities and "locked-in" years.

A small interactive that I developed which visualizes the potentially "locked-in" cities over time can be viewed here.