HW_Sea Level NYC (1)

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Temple University *

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0836

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Civil Engineering

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Apr 3, 2024

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EES 0836 Sea Level Rise in New York City Disasters: Geology vs. Hollywood Introduction We are going to start by examining some trends in relative sea level change. “Relative sea level changes” refer to changes in sea level relative to a point on land that is also changing. Individual coastlines undergo their own vertical changes due to tectonic activity, erosion, coastal subsidence, etc., so although global sea level as a whole is currently rising, different geographic areas are experiencing different local relative rates of sea level rise. In some places (like parts of Alaska), tectonic activity is causing gradual uplift of the coastline, so local relative sea level is actually falling, even while global sea levels rise. Learning Objectives : ● Indicate how sea level rise will have an impact on coastal areas in New York City. (2, 5, c) ● Criticize how the government responds to preparing our coastal areas for future flooding events. (2,3, d) Part 1 : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Navigate to the NOAA Sea Level Trend viewer. You should see a map like the one included that shows parts of North America and Central America. Take a look at the legend below the map, illustrating sea level trends listed in millimeters per year, and, in parentheses, feet per century. Every arrow on the map represents a different station along the coast that collects sea level data. The sea level trend measurement for each station can be viewed by clicking on the appropriate arrow.

EES 0836 Part 2 : New York City Zoom in on the map by clicking on “East Coast”. Compare the colors of the relative sea level trend arrows around Philadelphia and New Orleans. 1. What is the average relative sea level trend around Philadelphia? Express your answers in mm/year, and make sure that your answer includes whether the sea level trend is positive (rising) or negative (dropping). The average relative sea level trend around Philadelphia is 3.02 mm/year and is positive. 2. What is it around New Orleans? Express your answers in mm/year, and make sure that your answer includes whether the sea level trend is positive (rising) or negative (dropping). the sea level trend is 5.76 mm/year and +1.17mm/year. 3. What do you think might explain the difference in relative sea level trends between Philadelphia (and most of the East Coast) and the area of the Gulf Coast around New Orleans? The warming of the ocean's surface and the significantly warmer temperature of New Orleans in the south compared to Philadelphia in the north are the main drivers of the rise in sea levels worldwide. Let’s focus on the area around NYC. Zoom in on the map so you can see the 4 individual arrows in this area clearly. For reference, here is a map of the five boroughs of New York City. We are going to focus on the two sea level trend arrows that fall within the limits of NYC itself. These are “The Battery” at the southern tip of Manhattan, and “Bergen Point” on the northern part of Staten Island. 1. What is the relative sea level trend at each of these two locations? a. The Battery: the relative sea level trend is 2.87 mm/year with interval +0.09 b. Bergen Point: 4.44 mm/year with interval of 0.74 mm/year 2. What is the average trend for NYC if we take the average of these two points? Express your answers in mm/year, and make sure that your answer includes whether the sea level trend is positive (rising) or negative (dropping). the average trend for NYC uis 4.44mm/year, rising 0.74 mm/year 3. NYC experienced significant coastal flooding as a result of the storm surge from Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Based on your answer to Question 3, how much has relative sea level changed in

EES 0836 NYC since Hurricane Sandy hit? Express your answers in mm, and make sure that your answer includes whether the sea level trend is positive (rising) or negative (dropping). the sea level trend is positive and rose to 6 4. If you own property along the coastline in New York City, would these trends concern you? Explain your reasoning. yes they would concern me because flooding could occur which could damage my property Part 3 : Flooding With a population of nearly 20 million people and 2400 km of coastline, the NYC region is susceptible to even small changes in sea level. As sea levels rise, the magnitude and frequency of coastal flooding increases. While it is impossible to attribute a single storm, like Hurricane Sandy, entirely to climate change, higher sea levels certainly did increase the extent and magnitude of the coastal flooding. When scientists and stakeholders consider potential impacts of sea level rise, they often consider a particular area’s susceptibility to a 100-year flood event and how sea level rise could increase the probability of a 100-year flood in the area. The included figure shows the extent of the 100-year floodplain in 2013 (just post-Sandy) and estimates of the extent of the 100-year floodplain in the 2020s and 2050s as it changes due to rising sea levels. 1. Compare the geographical extent of the floodplains and floodplain projections in the provided figure. What can you say about the predicted future changes in the extent of the 100-year floodplain compared to the location of the 2013 100-year floodplain? In comparison to the 2013 500-year floodplain, the projected future changes in the 100-year floodplain's extent encompass a larger area and appear to be in the same locations as well as greater than the 2013 500-year floodplain. 2. Which boroughs do you think are most at risk from increased coastal flooding as a result of rising sea levels? Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten island.

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EES 0836 3. Given what you know about cities (population, waste, utilities, business, industry, etc.), what would be the environmental impact from future flooding events in NYC? Mostly, floods are caused by contaminated water that may contain chemicals or diseases that lower the quality of the surrounding soil. In the event of flooding, animals may also have to relocate. Since their habitats have been destroyed, many animals perish after a flood. Because of its enormous population, New York may eventually lose a great deal of people and businesses as some will have to close. 4. Given everything you have seen in this exercise, what, if anything, do you think NYC should be doing about all this? I think they should take precautions for flooding, manage water improvement. 5. Considering that flooding events are relatively infrequent, does this frequency of flooding events impact your answer? yes it does. Part 4 : Sea Walls? Because of our warming climate and sea levels rising globally, many governments and/or agencies are concerned with protecting our coastal areas from flooding. Since we focused on NYC throughout this activity, we will continue to do so for this last part. Read the article from the New York Times about a Sea Wall in Staten Island and answer the following questions. 1. Do you think constructing a 6-mile-long sea wall is the best way to protect Staten Island? Explain why or why not. Constructing a 6-mile-long sea wall for Staten Island may not be the best idea due to the high cost, potential negative environmental impact, limited effectiveness against diverse climate change challenges, ongoing maintenance requirements, and the importance of involving the community in decision-making for a more comprehensive and sustainable solution. 2. Do you think constructing a wall addresses the issues associated with a warming climate and the trends in sea level, or does this wall signify that we are accepting warming/sea level rise as being inevitable? the wall does signify that we are accepting warming sea level as inevitable but not associated with global change.

EES 0836 3. Does the cost of the wall challenge your thinking on its construction in any way? yes, because I do not think it will be that effective and the money will be kind of a waste. 4. Is this a ‘one size fits all’ approach, or do you think we need to do more than just build walls to fix the issues associated with rising sea levels? Explain your answer. I believe that "one size fits all" is an understatement for the various threats that the climate can cause, and that building walls will not solve the problem. As sea levels rise, it will eventually lead to the construction of a larger wall, which is why this isn't the solution to our problems.

HW_Sea Level NYC (1)

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