Climate Change and Sea Level

Maps of Susceptible Areas (versión en español)

Shoreline geomorphology, erosion, deposition, and subsidence, tide range and wave height, engineered structures such as jetties and seawalls, and elevation above sea level are some of the many factors that determine the degree to which a coastal area is susceptible to sea level rise. Of these, elevational data are available for any region of the globe and are very effective in depicting and communicating to the public areas that may be susceptible to sea level rise.

Using digital elevation models (DEMs) available through the United States Geological Survey (USGS), we calculated coastal areas susceptible to sea level rise based solely on elevation and adjacency to the sea for regions around the globe (Weiss and Overpeck, in preparation). Data from the Global 30 Arc-second Elevation Dataset (GTOPO30), which offer a global DEM with raster resolution of approximately one kilometer, were used for global analysis. Shorelines are an inherent feature in this dataset.

For Puerto Rico and selected subregions of the United States, data with raster resolution of 30 meters from the National Elevation Dataset were utilized. At the time of data retrieval, this dataset contained Puerto Rico, the conterminous United States, Hawaii, and Alaska. Coverage of American Samoa has since been added. As shorelines are not defined in this dataset, vector shoreline data from the NOAA Coastal Services Center were obtained, converted to raster format, and employed in defining shorelines.

We created an algorithm for application in geographic information system software in order to perform a cell-by-cell analysis of DEMs, determining for each cell whether or not its value (i.e., elevation) is less than or equal to a particular integer and, if so, whether or not this cell is adjacent or connected to the sea by cells of equal or lesser value. The algorithm was applied for integer values from one through six to reflect our goal of determining areas susceptible to sea level rise of one to six meters.

Choose from the following list of regional and subregional maps to view static images and animations of areas susceptible to sea level rise of one to six meters (in red). For purposes of presentation, regional maps give a general overview of susceptible areas at continental scales, sometimes compromising the visibility of details over small places such as islands. Subregional maps are at a larger spatial scale and thus provide better detail. High population areas (in white) derived from the LandScan 2000 Global Population Database are included on these maps.

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Environmental Studies Laboratory, Department of Geosciences, The University of Arizona
All contents © 2003 Arizona Board of Regents
Send comments or questions to Jeremy Weiss, jlweiss@email.arizona.edu

Earth image retreived from http://www.osei.noaa.gov/Events/Unique/ on 14 January 2003

Last updated March 28, 2006
Document located at http://www.geo.arizona.edu/dgesl/research/other/climate_change_and_sea_level/sea_level_rise/sea_level_rise.htm