New York and San Francisco risk sinking into the ocean and face significant flood risks by 2050
A recent study revealed that 32 major cities in the United States, including New York and San Francisco, risk sinking into the ocean and facing significant flood risks by 2050. The study, conducted by researchers at Climate Central and published in the journal Nature Communications, found that these cities are sinking due to rising sea levels and subsidence, which is the gradual sinking of land. The study highlights how the effects of climate change, such as rising sea levels and extreme weather events, endanger coastal cities. In addition to New York and San Francisco, other at-risk cities include Miami, New Orleans, Houston, and Boston.
The researchers warn that if these cities do not take action to mitigate the effects of climate change and adapt to rising sea levels, millions of residents face catastrophic flooding and displacement. The study emphasizes the urgency of implementing measures to protect these cities from the impacts of climate change, such as improving physical infrastructure, building sea walls, and enforcing zoning regulations to limit development in high-risk areas. Overall, the study serves as a stark reminder of the need for immediate action to address the growing threat of climate change and its impact on coastal cities.
“Climate Central communicates climate change science, effects, and solutions to the public and decision-makers. Climate Central is an independent group of scientists and communicators who research and report the facts about our changing climate and how it affects people’s lives.”
“Nature Communications is an open access, multidisciplinary journal dedicated to publishing high-quality research in all areas of the biological, health, physical, chemical, Earth, social, mathematical, applied, and engineering sciences. Papers published by the journal aim to represent important advances of significance to specialists within each field.”
(Source: Turner, Ben. “32 U.S. Cities, Including New York and San Francisco, Are Sinking into the Ocean and Face Major Flood Risks by 2050, New Study Reveals.” LiveScience, Future US, Inc., 6 Mar. 2024, www.livescience.com/planet-earth/climate-change/32-us-cities-including-new-york-and-san-francisco-are-sinking-into-the-ocean-and-face-major-flood-risks-by-2050-new-study-reveals.)
ClimaTwin® is a leading climate risk intelligence solution for infrastructure assets and the built environment.
We empower infrastructure stakeholders to mitigate climate risks and assess adaptation actions across the total asset lifecycle. By connecting complex climate models and infrastructure digital twins, our solution enables owner-operators, investors, governments, engineers, and other decision-makers to aggregate, visualize, and analyze disparate datasets, revealing site-specific insights at a hyper-local scale. Benefits include 5-10x near-term returns and lifetime cost-avoidance by mitigating risks to systems, services, and societies.
To learn more about climate risk intelligence for your infrastructure assets, please visit www.climatwin.com today.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine presents the report Framing the Challenge of Urban Flooding in the United States. As of today, flooding poses the most significant economic risk and social impact in the United States, of all climate extremes and natural hazards. As a result of our climate crisis, the severity, intensity, and extent of flooding is increasing over time. Further, the book highlights how “…catastrophic flooding from recent hurricanes, including Superstorm Sandy in New York (2012) and Hurricane Harvey in Houston (2017), caused billions of dollars in property damage, adversely affected millions of people, and damaged the economic well-being of major metropolitan areas.” Between 2004 and 2014, major freshwater flood events cost an average of 70 lives and $9 billion USD annually in direct damage — excluding the cumulative impacts of frequent, small floods, which can be similar to infrequent, extreme floods. Examining real-world examples in metropolitan areas, such as New York and Houston, Framing the Challenge of Urban Flooding in the United States identifies similarities and differences in the root causes, adverse impacts, mitigation strategies, and unforeseen issues.
(Source: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Framing the Challenge of Urban Flooding in the United States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25381.)
ClimaTwin® is a leading climate risk intelligence solution for infrastructure assets and the built environment.
We empower infrastructure stakeholders to mitigate climate risks and assess adaptation actions across the total asset lifecycle. By connecting complex climate models and infrastructure digital twins, our solution enables engineers, owner-operators, and governments to aggregate, visualize, and analyze disparate datasets, revealing site-specific insights at a hyper-local scale. Benefits include 5-10x near-term returns and lifetime cost-avoidance by mitigating risks to systems, services, and societies.
To learn more about climate risk intelligence for your infrastructure assets, please visit www.climatwin.com today.
ClimaTwin® is a registered trademark of ClimaTwin Corp. ClimaTwin Basic™, ClimaTwin Enterprise™, the ClimaTwin logo, and Climate Risk Intelligence for Infrastructure Digital Twins™ are trademarks of ClimaTwin Corp. All rights reserved.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine presents the report Framing the Challenge of Urban Flooding in the United States. As of today, flooding poses the most significant economic risk and social impact in the United States, of all climate extremes and natural hazards. As a result of our climate crisis, the severity, intensity, and extent of flooding is increasing over time. Further, the book highlights how “…catastrophic flooding from recent hurricanes, including Superstorm Sandy in New York (2012) and Hurricane Harvey in Houston (2017), caused billions of dollars in property damage, adversely affected millions of people, and damaged the economic well-being of major metropolitan areas.” Between 2004 and 2014, major freshwater flood events cost an average of 70 lives and $9 billion USD annually in direct damage — excluding the cumulative impacts of frequent, small floods, which can be similar to infrequent, extreme floods. Examining real-world examples in metropolitan areas, such as New York and Houston, Framing the Challenge of Urban Flooding in the United States identifies similarities and differences in the root causes, adverse impacts, mitigation strategies, and unforeseen issues.
(Source: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Framing the Challenge of Urban Flooding in the United States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25381.)
ClimaTwin® is a leading climate risk intelligence solution for infrastructure assets and the built environment.
We empower infrastructure stakeholders to mitigate climate risks and assess adaptation actions across the total asset lifecycle. By connecting complex climate models and infrastructure digital twins, our solution enables engineers, owner-operators, and governments to aggregate, visualize, and analyze disparate datasets, revealing site-specific insights at a hyper-local scale. Benefits include 5-10x near-term returns and lifetime cost-avoidance by mitigating risks to systems, services, and societies.
To learn more about climate risk intelligence for your infrastructure assets, please visit www.climatwin.com today.
ClimaTwin® is a registered trademark of ClimaTwin Corp. ClimaTwin Basic™, ClimaTwin Enterprise™, the ClimaTwin logo, and Climate Risk Intelligence for Infrastructure Digital Twins™ are trademarks of ClimaTwin Corp. All rights reserved.
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New flood load provisions to help protect against 500-year flood events
As quoted in the ASCE press release on the ASCE 7-22 Supplement on Flood Loads, Ronald Hamburger, P.E., S.E., F.SEI, Senior Principal with Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc., and Chair of the ASCE 7-22 Committee states “ASCE continuously seeks to update its standards using the latest scientific and engineering knowledge, to assure the standards remain relevant to society’s needs and an appropriate basis for design and construction.”
Primary technical updates relative to future weather and climate extremes feature new requirements connecting flood hazard mitigation design to risk category, a feature consistent across the other environmental hazards in ASCE 7. Further, the four types of the intended use of the structure range from the least risk to human life in the event of a failure in Risk Category I structures to the most significant risk in Risk Category IV structures.
About ASCE 7: Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures (ASCE/SEI 7-22)
“An integral part of building codes in the United States, ASCE/SEI 7, Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures describes the means for determining design loads including dead, live, soil, flood, tsunami, snow, rain, atmospheric ice, seismic, and wind loads and their combinations for general structural design. Structural engineers, architects, and building code officials will find the structural load requirements essential to their practice.”
ClimaTwin® is a leading climate risk intelligence solution for infrastructure assets and the built environment.
We empower infrastructure stakeholders to mitigate climate risks and assess adaptation actions across the total asset lifecycle. By connecting complex climate models and infrastructure digital twins, our solution enables engineers, owner-operators, and governments to aggregate, visualize, and analyze disparate datasets, revealing site-specific insights at a hyper-local scale. Benefits include 5-10x near-term returns and lifetime cost-avoidance by mitigating risks to systems, services, and societies.
To learn more about climate risk intelligence for your infrastructure assets, please visit www.climatwin.com today.
