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Climate change and coastal flooding in Metro Boston: impacts and adaptation strategies

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Abstract

Sea level rise (SLR) due to climate change will increase storm surge height along the 825 km long coastline of Metro Boston, USA. Land at risk consists of urban waterfront with piers and armoring, residential areas with and without seawalls and revetments, and undeveloped land with either rock coasts or gently sloping beachfront and low-lying coastal marshes. Risk-based analysis shows that the cumulative 100 year economic impacts on developed areas from increased storm surge flooding depend heavily upon the adaptation response, location, and estimated sea level rise. Generally it is found that it is advantageous to use expensive structural protection in areas that are highly developed and less structural approaches such as floodproofing and limiting or removing development in less developed or environmentally sensitive areas.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tufts Water: Systems, Science, and Society (WSSS) Graduate Education Program and Research Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) Department, Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA

    Paul Kirshen

  2. Applied Science Associates, 70 Dean Knauss Road, Narragansett, RI, 02882, USA

    Kelly Knee

  3. Center for Integrative Environmental Research, Engineering and Public Policy, University of Maryland, 2202 Van Munching Hall, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    Matthias Ruth

Authors
  1. Paul Kirshen
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  2. Kelly Knee
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  3. Matthias Ruth
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Correspondence to Paul Kirshen.

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Kirshen, P., Knee, K. & Ruth, M. Climate change and coastal flooding in Metro Boston: impacts and adaptation strategies. Climatic Change 90, 453–473 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-008-9398-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-008-9398-9

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