A Community risk assessment of flooding and heat hazards in the Baltimore metropolitan area

Details

• Personal Author:
  Freitag, Amy ; Auerswald, Katherine ; Pope, Bria ; Regan, Seann ; Sudol, Taryn
• Corporate Authors:
  National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (U.S.) ; Maryland Sea Grant College. ; NOAA Center for Coastal and Marine Ecosystems-II. ; Sarbanes Cooperative Oxford Laboratory. ; CSS, Inc.
• NOAA Program & Office:
  NOS (National Ocean Service) ; NCCOS (National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science) ; Sea Grant ; CCME-II (Center for Coastal and Marine Ecosystems-II at Florida A&M University)
• Sea Grant Program:
  MDU (Maryland Sea Grant)
• Description:
  Coastal communities are exposed to numerous climate-related hazards, all of which are projected to increase in intensity and frequency in the coming decades. The impacts of these hazards depend on structural and social factors that make coping and recovery more difficult for some communities than others. The study area of the Baltimore metropolitan area—Baltimore City and the five surrounding counties—exhibits all of these dynamics. The region faces increasing pressure from water-related hazards such as storm surge, sea level rise, and stormwater flooding. Given the Chesapeake Bay’s extensive coastline, managing floodwaters is a key priority moving forward. The varied and dense populations of the Baltimore metropolitan area create a high risk of cascading and compounding hazard events where multiple vulnerabilities intersect with climate hazards. This report follows in the tradition of the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Risk Assessment Portfolio, addressing the need for mid-scale assessments between national evaluations and community adaptation projects. It also serves as a comprehensive reference for climate-related hazards and associated vulnerabilities and exposures. The first half of the report presents the collected data one component at a time. These components were determined through stakeholder consultation, during which research questions were prioritized, and a gap analysis of available data was conducted. The second half of the report addresses selected research questions using a geospatial layering technique called bivariate choropleth mapping. This type of work is increasingly required by funding programs to qualify for adaptation grants, and this report can serve as a reference for groups applying for such programs, foundational research for adaptation planning, as well as for education and outreach about handling multiple climate risks simultaneously.
• Keywords:
  Floods Heat Waves (Meteorology) Risk Assessment Urban Ecology (Biology) Heat Waves (Meteorology) Risk Assessment Urban Ecology (Biology)
• Series:
  NOAA technical memorandum NOS NCCOS   369
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.25923/1y2k-4381
• Format:
  pdf
• Document Type:
  Technical Memorandum
• Funding:
  Contract no. EA133C-14-NC-1384
• Place as Subject:
  Baltimore (Md.) ; Baltimore County (Md.)
• License:
  https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
• Rights Information:
  CC0 Public Domain
• Compliance:
  Submitted
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:fe434a865e50f93b63b71b09b6db1a72fc95be131f6214ef263b7b68ca2a13b678bb3f6ca9ec797dc58bc3c721574c3783b87c880f08c84875886c17582f421c
• Download URL:
  https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/73230/noaa_73230_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 15.97 MB ]