Activity7- Instructions.mhFl21
pdf
keyboard_arrow_up
School
University of South Carolina *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
101
Subject
Geography
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
Pages
6
Uploaded by JudgeRamMaster98
Activity 7: Sea Level Change and its
Effects on Coastal Communities
Topics:
•
Understand variations in sea level rise change for different coastal communities
•
Calculate sea level rise projections based on annual rates
Additional Resources:
•
NOAA Tides and Currents
•
Google Earth Help
•
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Overview:
The purpose of this activity is for you to consider the changes in sea level for various locations in
the United States. You will use data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to analyze the recent past
and predict the future. You will also use freely available sea level change models.
Background
:
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) releases a report every few years
analyzing the impacts of the changing climate on the Earth’s environment,
which includes
coastal regions. The IPCC estimates average global sea level rise (SLR) rates. However, SLR is
very regionally specific as the rates depend on many factors like subsidence/uplift rates, thermal
expansion of water, and local topography.
Before we begin, download and open the following .kmz files in Google Earth.
•
Location A Charleston, SC.kmz
•
Location B Charleston, SC.kmz
•
Location A Grand Isle, LA.kmz
•
Location B Grand Isle, LA.kmz
•
Location A Juneau, AK.kmz
•
Location B Juneau, AK.kmz
For this activity, you will analyze changing sea levels in the following locations:
•
Charleston, SC
•
Grand Isle, LA
•
Juneau, AK
•
Dauphin Island, AL
To orient yourself with these study areas, you may find it helpful to locate them on an internet
mapping service (e.g., Google Maps).
1. Open the following four websites.
https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/sltrends/sltrends_station.shtml?id=8665530
https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/sltrends/sltrends_station.shtml?id=8761724
https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/sltrends/sltrends_station.shtml?id=9452210
https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/sltrends/sltrends_station.shtml?id=8735180
Examine the pages of each website carefully. These websites provide the
annual average sea
level rise/fall rate
(Entitled as: Mean Sea Level Trend) for the selected locations. You will use
the information from these websites to answer several questions of the assignment. Pay special
attention to the number at the top of the graph next to the city name; this number shows the
change in sea level in millimeters per year (mm/yr).
2. Use these annual values to predict the magnitude of sea level change for each location in 50,
100, and 500 years from the present. Record these values in
Table 1
of the corresponding Excel
file.
EXAMPLE:
The average SLR for Charleston, SC is
3.36mm
. First convert this value into feet
multiplying it by 0.00328 (the conversion factor for mm to feet):
3.36mm/year
* 0.00328 feet/mm= 0.01102 feet/year
Now, to find the magnitude of sea level change at 50 years, the calculation is:
0.01102 feet/year * 50 years = +0.55feet
Your final answer should also include a plus (
+
) or minus (
-
) sign before the value.
“
+
”
indicates sea level rise, and
“
-
”
indicates sea level fall. Finally be sure to round your
answers for estimated change in sea level (for 50, 100 and 500 years) to two decimal
places.
3.
Download and open the following six
.kmz
files (listed above) in Google Earth
(Location A
Charleston, SC; Location B Charleston, SC; Location A Grand Isle, LA; Location B Grand
Isle, LA; Location A Juneau AK; Location B Juneau, AK)
.
Notice that two placemarks were
added in each of the three cities. Zoom in closely and hover over each placemark to find the
elevation information in the status bar at the bottom of your screen. Use that information to
complete Table 2 in the Excel file by placing a
“Yes” or a “No” in the cells.
“Yes” indicates the
area will be flooded, and “No” indicates the area will not be flooded.
The purpose of these
questions is to determine what areas (if any) will be flooded in 50, 100, and/or 500 years.
NOTE:
in Google Earth Under “
Tools
” >>
“
Options
”,
make sure the units of measurements
are in
‘Feet,
Miles’
rather than
‘Meters, Kilometers’.
Q1).
Which location is experiencing sea level fall?
a.
Charleston, SC
b.
Grand Isle, LA
c.
Juneau, AK
d.
Dauphin Island, AL
Q2).
Which location is experiencing the most rapid sea level rise?
a.
Charleston, SC
b.
Grand Isle, LA
c.
Juneau, AK
d.
Dauphin Island, AL
Q3).
The sea level change in 100 years for Grand Isle, LA is closest to ____.
a.
3 feet
b.
1 foot
c.
5 feet
d.
4 feet
Q4).
(Yes or No) According to Table 2, Charleston, SC will be inundated in 500 years.
Q5).
(Yes or No) Placemark A and Placemark B on Grand Isle, LA will be submerged in 500 years.
Q6).
(Yes or No) Placemark A and B only show two locations on the island. Please note the maximum
elevation of Grand Isle, LA is approximately 12 feet. Will the island be completely submerged in 500
years?
Navigate to the following website and find Dauphin Island, AL using the search function.
https://coast.noaa.gov/slr/#/layer/slr/0/-
9810271.314876841/3535082.3391929194/14/satellite/none/0.8/2050/interHigh/midAccretion
Run through the scenarios for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 feet SLR (Look for the MHHW button on the left and
slide it up or down). At the bottom of that line there is a cursor that allows you to swipe to alternate
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
between the satellite image and the modeled SLR in blue tones. Does Dauphin Island get completely
submerged? (Yes or No)
Q7).
(Yes or No) According to NOAA’s Seal Level Viewer, will Dauphin Island, AL be completely
submerged with 6 feet of SLR?
Q8).
The maximum elevation of Dauphin Island, AL is 8 feet. How many years (approximately) will it
take for this island to be completely submerged? (
Hint: Use the numbers in table 1 and assume the
average experienced today still applies).
a.
500
b.
550
c.
600
d.
675
Q9).
Use the second Google Earth figure (below) with additional elevation markers from Grand Isle, LA
to answer the following questions. The image shows a cross-island transect of six locations labeled A-F.
The elevations of those locations are:
A: 3 foot
B: 2 feet
C: 5 feet
D: 7 feet
Q10).
(True or False) The area closer to the Gulf of Mexico (the sandy beach side near Location F) is
more protected from the threat of sea level rise compared to the area closer to Placemark A.
Q11).
Location D is in residential neighborhoods at 5 and 7 feet above sea level. In approximately how
many years will the homes at location D be inundated?
a.
500
b.
120
c.
235
d.
635
Part Two: Navigate to the NOAA Sea Level Rise Viewer:
https://coast.noaa.gov/slr/
Click
‘Get
Started’
which will bring you to a U.S. map. Zoom in to South Carolina and navigate to Isle of
Palms, SC (NE of the Charleston peninsula). Navigate to the tools on the left sidebars and
information tab to learn more about the Sea Level Rise Viewer.
Q12).
Rising water levels illustrated through this tool are relative to what datum?
a.
Mean Lower Low Water
b.
Mean Higher High Water
c.
High Tide Flooding
d.
Low Tide Conditions
Q13).
True or False: Areas that are shaded in green are anticipated to flood because they are low-lying
elevational regions.
Q14).
Yes or No: Given the elevational options on the slider, does Isle of Palms become fully inundated
within
10’
of sea level rise?
Q15).
As you move the slider to higher water levels, does the island become more inundated on the
seaward (closer to the ocean) or landward (closer to the continental coast) side?
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help