Municipial adaptation to sea-level rise

Permanent Link:: http://dpanther.fiu.edu/dpService/dpPurlService/purl/FI15061828/00001

Material Information

Title:: Municipial adaptation to sea-level rise City of Satellite Beach, Florida
Creator:: Parkinson, Randall W.
Publication Date:: 2010-07-30

Subjects / Keywords:: Climate Change ( lcsh )
Global Warming ( lcsh )
Sea Level Rise ( lcsh )
Florida ( lcsh )
Satellite Beach (Fla.) ( lcsh )

Scope and Content:: It is now widely accepted global sea level will rise a meter or more by the year 2100, yet prior to this investigation no local government along the east-central Florida coast had begun to seriously address the potential consequences of concomitant erosion and inundation. In the fall of 2009, the City of Satellite Beach (City), Florida, authorized a project designed to: (1) assess municipal vulnerability to rising sea level and (2) initiate the planning process to properly mitigate impacts. Results indicate about 5% of the City landscape will submerge during the initial +2 ft (0.6 m) rise, with inundation generally restricted to fringing wetlands and finger canal margins proximal to the Banana River. At +4 ft (1.2 m), 25% of the City is submerged including South Patrick Drive, one of two major transportation corridors through the City. Residential areas in the north- (c.f. Pelican Coast) and south-west corners of the City are subject to limited inundation. At an elevation of +6 ft (1.8 m), 52% of the City is underwater including the entire western half centered on South Patrick Drive. Much of the Pelican Coast neighborhood is submerged, as are residential areas located in the southwest portion of the City. The function of “critical assets” (i.e., fire/rescue), designated emergency evacuation routes (i.e., South Patrick Drive), and the gravity driven storm-water system is compromised proportional to the magnitude of rise. ( English )

Source Institution:: Florida International University
Rights Management:: Please contact the owning institution for licensing and permissions. It is the user's responsibility to ensure use does not violate any third party rights.