Assessment of sea level rise impacts on human population and real property in the Florida Keys
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Material Information

Title:
Assessment of sea level rise impacts on human population and real property in the Florida Keys
Series Title:
Climatic Change
Creator:
Keqi Zhang
John Dittmar
Michael Ross
Chris Bergh
Publisher:
Springer
Publication Date:
Language:
English

Notes

Abstract:
The potential impacts of sea level rise (SLR) on 95% of the land areas of the Florida Keys were estimated through analysis of a digital elevationmodel (DEM) derived from airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) measurements in a geographic information system. The topographic detail of the LiDAR DEM allowed projections of land, population, and property inundation in 0.15 m increments across a broad range of SLR scenarios for the next century. The results showed that a 0.6 m SLR by 2100 would inundate about 70% of the total land surface, but smaller percentages of the population (17%) and real property (12%). A 1.5 m rise in sea level during the same period would inundate 91% of the land surface, 71% of the population and 68% of property in the study area. Comparison of inundation dynamics indicates that the Lower Florida Keys are more susceptible to SLR than the Upper Florida Keys. The inundation dynamics exhibit non-linear behavior and demonstrate tipping points in inundation processes beyond which the inundation of land, population, and property speeds up. Acceleration of SLR will amplify the nonlinear inundation, causing tipping points to be reached sooner.

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
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