ASSESSING THE IMPACTS AND EXTENT OF INUNDATION DUE TO SEA LEVEL RISE ON LONG ISLAND, NY

Abstract

Sea level rise is a cause of major concern for residents and policymakers of Long Island, New York. Long Island is an immensely populated island located east of New York City. Unfortunately, the island faces massive risk of inundation due to sea level rise. This inundation is a direct result of climate change. At its current pace, sea level rise will cause the uprooting of lives and communities for the next generation of Long Island residents. Even for the current generation, sea level rise poses a sizeable risk to many. This project employs a multitude of geoprocessing and analytical tools from ArcGIS Pro to quantify and assess the risk posed to Long Island. This risk is assessed at a sea level rise of 1 foot, and again at a rise of 4 feet. These two levels are consistent with studies that suggest these levels are realistic values to project for Long Island by the year 2100. This is with one foot being the probable minimum and four feet being the maximum. Additionally, this project utilizes census data for delving into exactly which communities are most at risk, in terms of demographic and income. It is evident that if changes are not made in an attempt to mitigate climate change, Long Island and its wealth of communities and demographics will face devastation. Many homes will be destroyed or completely underwater, shorelines will continue to move inland, and a number of different demographics that reside on Long Island will be deracinated.