Being able to visualize potential impacts from sea level rise is a powerful teaching and planning tool. The Sea Level Rise Viewer, developed by the NOAA Office for Coastal Management, offers access to data and information about the risks of sea level rise, storm surge, and flooding along the coastal United States. The web-based map lets community planners, city officials, and coastal residents identify flood-prone locations in their area.

The tool offers hard-to-find data and information regarding the flood risks due to various possible scenarios of sea level rise. Community planners can assess what infrastructure is vulnerable under these conditions, and the tool enables business- and homeowners along the coasts to make decisions regarding their livelihoods and see how rising sea levels may affect them in the future.

Users adjust a slider bar to visualize how various levels of sea level rise will impact coastal communities. This tool is distinct from viewers provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); unlike FEMA tools that indicate which areas have flooded in the past, the Sea Level Rise Viewer shows potential future inundation from specific levels of global sea level rise. Maps are not currently available for Alaska.

Features

• Displays potential future sea levels
• Provides simulations of sea level rise at local landmarks
• Communicates the spatial uncertainty of mapped sea levels
• Models potential marsh migration due to sea level rise
• Overlays social and economic data onto potential sea level rise
• Examines how tidal flooding will become more frequent with sea level rise