Preparing for the rising tide
This report discusses current models prediction that Boston will experience up to two feet of sea level rise by 2050 and up to six feet by 2100, and it provides vulnerability analyses for Boston Harbor and time-phased preparedness plans for Boston’s long and central wharves and UMass Boston campus to increase their resilience to coastal flooding over time.
The report is divided into five sections: section i) summarizes current scientific data on how climate change is likely to affect New England’s exposure to coastal flooding; section ii) describes Boston’s preparedness planning as of late 2012; section iii) provides an initial city-wide vulnerability assessment for Boston harbor; section iv) presents site-specific vulnerability assessments and sample adaptation strategies for Boston’s long and central wharves area and the UMass Boston campus; section v) presents the findings of the risk assessment studies and analysis, and provides recommendations for action.