National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA)

There are numerous ways for sea level rise to be monitored, including several free web based modeling processes. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provides access to bathtub models, which show direct change based on elevation and a set rise in the base sea level against current elevation. In addition to this Sea Level Rise viewer, NOAA offers access to the Sea, Lake, and Overland Surges from Hurricanes (SLOSH) model. This model provides a view of the threat to various locations based on the elevation above sea level, using a color scheme to display the level of threat of any storm strength to an elevation in a specific location. This is a solid model to predict storm surge and determine what areas will be affected by each strength of storm. There are always discrepancies within any data set, due to the shifting and dynamic coastal environment, where offshore formations will affect waves and the consequent surge. This concern is not limited to the nearshore, as onshore structures, from revetments and seawalls, as well as green infrastructure (mangroves, dunes), also provide a level of protection from a surge.

The NOAA Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper is an online visualization tool that supports communities that are assessing their coastal hazard risks and vulnerabilities. The tool creates a collection of user-defined maps that show the people, places, and natural resources exposed to coastal flooding. The maps can be saved, downloaded, or shared to communicate flood exposure and potential impacts. In addition, the tool provides guidance for using these maps to engage community members and stakeholders. In partnership with other organizations, the South Florida Regional Planning Council (SFRPC) has produced the following information sheet and handout that help guide users when accessing the NOAA Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper.

University of Florida

The Florida Sea Level Scenario Sketch Planning Tool provides a map viewer that helps visualize the effects of current and future flood risks on transportation infrastructure in Florida. The Sketch Tool provides a screening level view of potential flooding under various future SLR scenarios.

The SLR inundation surfaces are available for download and the scenarios were mapped by county using local tide gauge data and sea level trends. Inundation model outputs include a simple bathtub model and a modified bathtub model that applies a hydrologic connectivity filter to remove isolated inundated areas not connected to a major waterway.  Additionally, some model outputs represent the approximate depth of flooding for a SLR scenario and other model outputs represent the extent of flooding for a SLR scenario.

The Affected Transportation Layers are also available for download. The following transportation data were analyzed for future flood exposure:

  • Florida Department of Transportation – Road Characteristics Inventory (RCI) data (linear features)
  • Local Roads – U.S. Census Bureau’s TIGER/line data (linear features)
  • Rails (linear features)
  • Transportation Facilities (polygons): Airports, Seaport, Spaceports, and Freight Terminals

All data were intersected against the SLR Inundation Surfaces to determine the amount and percentage of impact per road, rail, and highway segment and facility type. Each decade of transportation data includes analysis of nine SLR projections.