Climate Adaptation Research Extreme Weather and Climate Change
Experts at Stevens are fully engaged in responding to extreme weather events and the effects of climate change that impact our society. By studying threats such as storm surges, droughts, and flooding, researchers are protecting ports, cities, and civilians.
Hurricanes are among the deadliest and most costly of natural disasters, and the rapid growth of population and property on US coasts makes them particularly vulnerable. Researchers are assessing the risks to New York City with an innovative and rigorous methodology.
In New York City and Boston alone, billions of dollars of infrastructure lie less than 4 meters above sea level, leaving the cities and its residents susceptible to coastal flooding and storm surges. Rising sea levels caused by climate change makes the two major cities even more vulnerable. With support by the NOAA, researchers from Stevens Institute of Technology and Columbia University are developing plans to respond to coastal disasters.
Vessels that travel along the Hudson River rely on federally and state licensed river pilots of the Hudson River Pilots Association (HRPA) to safely guide them into port. The association sought the expertise of researchers at Stevens Institute of Technology to determine what precautions to take in response to the drought and reduced water levels of the Hudson.
Online Storm Surge Risk Analysis NYSERDA has commissioned a Web application from Stevens that merges flooding data into a model that aids in assessing the risks to communities.
Professors at the Stevens Institute of Technology and the Earth Institute at Columbia University have received funding from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to develop an online risk assessment tool for communities in the Hudson Valley to help prepare for the risk of future flooding due to climate change