Spring NEARC 2019

AUTHORS: Bryanna Weigel

ABSTRACT: The ways in which the island nations of Oceania have or have not been able to cope with the growing number of extreme and hazardous effects of climate change have made the region frequently looked on upon as an example of how other countries plan to address future weather and climatic events in their local regions. This project looks to examine the vulnerabilities to sea-level rise and extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and inundation, of coastal properties – both residential and commercial – on the Majuro Atoll of the Marshall Islands. To map the vulnerabilities experienced at a particular site in the region, this project will utilize data from a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) published by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) detailing, at one-meter resolution, the topobathymetric characteristics of Majuro Atoll. The USGS data set consists of data sources dating back to 1944 and as recent as 2016, as well as 20,000 images using Structure from Motion (SfM) Imagery. Elevations calculated in the DEM data set will be used in combination with a georeferenced image base map of the Majuro atoll so that properties on the atoll can be located. Census data collected by the Marshall Islands government will provide key demographic information that will further highlight certain populations’ vulnerability.

AUTHORS: Nate Herold, NOAA Office for Coastal Management; Jamie Carter*, Lynker/CSS on contract for NOAA OCM

ABSTRACT: Current, accurate land cover and change information is a common foundational data set that can be used to address a wide range of management issues, from flood risk and natural infrastructure to policy evaluation and land use planning. Knowing what exists on the ground gives planners more information, and the better that data, the better our understanding. For almost two decades, NOAA?s Office for Coastal Management has been producing standardized, 30 meter resolution land cover and change information for the coastal United States through its Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP). More recently, NOAA has been working to establish an operational higher resolution land cover product line, bringing the national C-CAP framework to the local level and allowing for more site-specific, local applications through the production of higher resolution (1 meter) land cover data. This product is not yet publically available everywhere, so NOAA is concurrently developing a hybrid (10 meter) land cover product that leverages the detail of the 1 meter, automated products but at a scale where errors from those products won?t impact their use. This presentation will highlight the methods of recent data development efforts, showcase recently released products in Massachusetts, discuss progress in Connecticut and Rhode Island, and lay out the vision for ongoing efforts to expand both high resolution and hybrid data products throughout New England.