Life With Climate Change: A 100-Year Storm Every Year

The extreme weather events and sea-level rise of the relatively near future will overwhelm storm and flood infrastructure with startling regularity, according to new research.

1 minute read

December 9, 2020, 10:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Queens, New York City

The Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge West Pond in Queens, New York City. | Larsek / Shutterstock

A new report by researchers from the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey raises alarms about how climate change might change traditional perspectives on extreme weather and overwhelm the infrastructure built to protect property and lives from the worst disasters.

"In particular, the researchers found that by the end of this century, 100-year and 500-year floods will be regular threats to thousands of homes surrounding Jamaica Bay, New York. Hurricane Sandy devastated communities in this region with flood kennels that had not been experienced for generations," according to an article by Chrissy Sexton sharing the news of the new report.

Study lead author Reza Marsooli, an assistant professor of Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering at Stevens, is quoted in the article offering insight into the report's findings, and tying the data's focus on Jamaica Bay to relevance to other locations around the country and the world. The study can be replicated to model flooding in other regions, according to Professor Marsooli.

Sunday, December 6, 2020 in Earth.com

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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