1
P r e p a r i n g f o r t h e R i s i n g T i d e
Table of Contents
Glossary of Terms .......................................................................................................................... 2A Tale of Two Cities....................................................................................................................... 3Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 4Section 1. Climate Change in New England ........................................................................... 9Section 2. Climate Change Preparedness in Boston ........................................................... 13
......................................... 18Section 4. Case Studies ............................................................................................................. 31Long and Central Wharves, Downtown Boston ................................................................. 32UMass Boston, Dorchester ..................................................................................................... 44Section 5. Findings and Recommendations .......................................................................... 54Findings ..................................................................................................................................... 54Recommendations for action ............................................................................................... 56References .................................................................................................................................. 60Appendix 1. Reference Sea Level Elevations as of November 2012 ................................. 65Appendix 2. Sample Climate Change Adaptation Strategies. .......................................... 66Appendix 3. Property size analysis
methodology and data issues .................................. 73Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................... 78
ABSTRACT:
Current models predict that Boston will experience up to two feet ofsea level rise by 2050 and up to six feet by 2100. Planning and preparing for thisgrowing threat will save money and prevent
disruption of people’s lives and
livelihoods. This report provides vulnerability analyses for Boston Harbor andtime-
phased preparedness plans for Boston’s Long and Central Wharves and
UMass Boston campus to increase their resilience to coastal flooding over time.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact The Boston Harbor Association at 617-482-1722, vli@tbha.org, jwormser@tbha.org.
Front cover: North End waterfront, Boston, October 29, 2012. Photo by Matt Conti
2
P r e p a r i n g f o r t h e R i s i n g T i d e
Glossary of Terms
100-year flood
More accurately, a flood that has a 1% likelihood ofoccurring or being exceeded in a given year
500-year flood
More accurately, a flood that has a 0.2% likelihood ofoccurring or being exceeded in a given year
Adaptation
Successful adjustment to new environmental conditions
Adaptive capacity
Ability of a system or population to adapt to a changingenvironment
Anthropogenic
Human-caused or produced
Co-benefit solutions
Solutions that also further other goals
Critical elevation
The lowest level at which a property potentiallyexperiences flood damage
MHHW
Mean Higher High Water. The average level of the higher high water of each tidal day over the course of a 19-year reference period (the National Tidal Datum Epoch)
Mitigation
The effort to reduce the severity, in this case, of climate-change causing emissions such as carbon dioxide or methane
NAVD
North American Vertical Datum of 1988. A fixed verticalreference elevation
. In 2012, Boston’s Mean Higher High
Water elevation is 4.8 feet relative to NAVD (4.8 ft. NAVD).
No-regret solutions
Solutions that provide benefits even without climatechange
Resilience
The ability to recover quickly and relatively inexpensivelyfrom flooding or another stress
Resistance
The ability to prevent flooding
Storm surge
Higher-than-average sea level resulting from storm-relatedlow air pressure and high winds
Storm tide
The water level rise during a storm due to the combinationof storm surge and the astronomical tide
(http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare/hazards.php)
Subsidence
The gradual sinking of
the earth’s surfa
ce
Vulnerability
"The degree to which a system is susceptible to, and unableto cope with, adverse effects of climate change, including
climate variability and extremes.” (I
ntergovernmental Panelon Climate Change)
Search History:
Result 00 of 00
00 results for result for
p.
Section 5. Findings and Recommendations for Preparing for the Rising Tide Final
162
Reads
0
Readcasts
3
Embed Views
More From This User
Notes
Load more
