Using a groundwater influenced sea level rise model to assess the costs due to sea level rise on a coastal community's stormwater infrastructure using limited groundwater data

摘要

A confounding factor for sea level rise (SLR) is that it has a slow, steady creep, which provides a false sense for coastal communities. Stresses caused by SLR at today's rate are more pronounced in southeastern Florida and as the rate of SLR accelerates, the exposure areas will increase to a point where nearly all the state's coastal infrastructure will be challenged.;The research was conducted to develop a method for measuring the impact of SLR on the City of West Palm Beach (City), assess its impact on the stormwater system, identify vulnerable areas in the City, provide an estimate of long-term costs of improvements, and provide a toolbox or strategies to employ at the appropriate time. The assessment was conducted by importing tidal, groundwater, topographic LiDAR and infrastructure improvements into geographic modeling software and performing analysis based on current data. The data revealed that over $400 million in current dollars might be needed to address stormwater issues arising from SLR before 2100.