Resiliency Resources & Tools

Information on Extreme Heat

  • Taking Stock: Climate Driven Heat Impacts on the Tampa Bay Region Under a High Emissions Scenario
    • This report considers the implications of a high greenhouse gas emissions climate scenario—dubbed the High Emissions scenario, on critical points of the regional economy— agriculture, mortality rates, labor productivity, and energy demand. This report delineates the magnitude of key potential impacts to the region’s economic and fiscal baseline and some of the indirect and interaction effects between climate change and policy. It will be up to future efforts to explore how adaptation and mitigation measures will change the region and the state’s course.

Models and Projections

Access models showing the effects of sea level rise on regional resources (natural and built) as well as projections and calculations of sea level rise trends.

Maps and Viewers

Experiment with sea level rise viewers that map the regional and state-wide impacts of sea level rise to critical infrastructure and to the transportation and emergency management sectors within our region’s most vulnerable areas. Understanding these trends can help with prioritizing plans for responding to and protecting residents, infrastructure and the environment. 

  • University of Florida Sea Level Rise Viewer 
    • The UF sea level rise viewer uses data from the NOAA Coastal Services Center to identify vulnerable infrastructure and census block groups under three different sea level rise scenarios: low (1 foot), medium (2 feet) and high (5 feet).
  • University of Florida Sketch Planning Tool
    • This tool, created by UF’s GeoPlan Center (with funding from the Florida Department of Transportation’s Office of Policy Planning) identifies transportation infrastructure that is potentially at risk from projected sea level rise.
  • Tampa Bay Estuary Program Sea Level Rise Visualization Tool
    • This tool provides data and maps that illustrate the affects of potential sea level rise on estuarine habitats in the Tampa Bay area.  
  • U.S. Geological Survey Coastal Change Hazards Portal
    • Use this interactive map viewer to explore short-and long-term changes to beaches and shorelines. This portal also provides a coastal vulnerability index and shoreline change forecasts.

Data

Review tidal datum from the St. Petersburg, Florida station and access reports for tides and water levels showing extreme water levels, exceedence probability curves and seasonal variation of exceedence probability levels.

  • NOAA Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer
    • This viewer is a web-based map that provides access to data and information about storm surge, flooding and sea level rise. Users can simulate various sea level rise scenarios, from one foot to six feet, and zoom in to see individual buildings, use a “confidence” tool to identify flood-prone areas, and a “vulnerability” function to identify people at most risk.

Reports and Best Practices

Read about best practices for incorporating sea level rise data into conservation efforts, hazard mitigation, surface water management, water quality, and planning and education about climate change and adaptation.

Tampa Bay

Florida

Access tools to support sea level rise planning and policy, ranging from community resilience assessments and sketch planning programs to infrastructure planning and economic modeling.

Florida

National

NOAA

  • Community Resilience Index (CRI)
    • The CRI allows community leaders to discuss and assess the impacts of storms and ability to recover from storm damage in their communities. The Index involves six main categories: critical infrastructure, transportation, community plans and agreements, mitigation measures, business plans and social systems.
  • Digital Coast Data Sets
    • Access data sets from NOAA’s Office of Coastal Management on a variety of data types (e.g., economic, demographic, ocean uses and planning areas) in locations throughout the US.
  • Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP)
    • Use this online data viewer to search for specific types of land cover changes and determine trends in size and location.
  • Inundation Analysis Tool
    • By clicking on a tidal station, access data on the frequency and duration of observed high waters.
  • Cakex–  source of climate adaptation case studies and resources. Share lessons, ideas, and opportunities with others in the field.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

  •  Climate Resilience Evaluation & Awareness Tool (CREAT)
    • CREAT is software designed to help drinking water and wastewater utilities professionals understand potential climate change threats and to assess risks to individual utilities. It features downscaled scenarios of climate change and offers a range of potential scenarios to consider and explore.
  • National Stormwater Calculator
    • The Stormwater Calculator (SWC) is a desktop application that provides an estimate of the annual amount of rainwater and frequency of runoff from any specific site in the US. It is a useful tool for site developers, urban planners, landscape architects, etc.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

  • Flood Maps
    • FEMA’s flood maps are the official public source for flood hazard information. The site features other products and tools detailing communities’ flood risk, including non-regulatory products that provide a user-friendly analysis of flood risks for property owners, community planners, developers and other community decision makers.

The Nature Conservancy (TNC)

  • Coastal Resilience Tools, Apps & Training
    • TNC’s mapping portal recently won the Special Achievement in GIS Award (2015). This application is a web-based mapping and visualization platform that allows users to interactively examine storm surge, sea level rise and vulnerable communities  and to develop risk and restoration strategies.
    • TNC’s Coastal Resilience network consists of 12 U.S. coastal states, four Latin American countries and three island nations in the Caribbean. Applications feature a range of topics, from coastal defense, habitat and restoration, to risk and community planning.  By clicking on a TNC  marker on the Coastal Resilience Map, you can access specific information about each site.

Other Helpful Tools:

  • Zofnass Economic Process Tool
    • The Zofnass tool is a platform that provides insight into the sustainability externalities of infrastructure projects. It was developed at Harvard University’s Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure and is primarily for use by academic researchers.
    • Zofnass Envision Interactive Model
  • Consensus Building Institute Role Play Simulations
    • The role-play simulations offered by the Consensus Building Institute (CBI) allow participants to assume stakeholder and third-party roles while engaging in negotiations that mirror real-life situations. Resources on responding to climate change include “Role-Play Simulations on Managing Climate Change Risks,”  “Winning Public Support for Addressing Climate Change,” and “Making Tough Choices.”
  • Surging Seas Risk Finder
    • This interactive searchable data toolkit shows populations, infrastructure and assets that are vulnerable to flooding and sea level rise. It uses LiDar data from NOAA to assess the exposure of infrastructure and allows users to explore vulnerability on a zip code, city, county, and state level.
  • U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit for Coastal Flooding Risk
    • The toolkit features filters such as coastal flood risk, ecosystem vulnerability and water resources, as well as a variety of functionalities (e.g., risk assessment, scenario development and stakeholder engagement) that provide resources and tools for responding to coastal flooding risks.
  • Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI)
    • SoVI provides a geographic illustration of the degree of social vulnerability of particular U.S. counties to environmental hazards, revealing where resources might be used most effectively.
  • Ecosystem-Based Management Tools Network
    • Features decision-support tools, projects and resources for coastal-marine spatial planning and ecosystem-based management. It features information and resources in five areas: tools, projects, resources, organizations and practitioners.

Research

  • Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report
    • The IPCC is an international body of scientists from member countries of the United Nations and the World Meteorological Organization who review the most recent scientific, technical and socio-economic data about climate change. This report provides comprehensive information on the physical scientific aspects of the climate system, the vulnerability of socio-economic and natural systems and options for adaptation and mitigation.
  • National Climate Assessment
    • This report summarizes climate impacts on a national scale, highlighting seven sectors: human health, water, energy, transportation, agriculture, forests and ecosystems. It also explains how climate affects particular regions of the US: the Northeast, Southeast and Caribbean, Midwest, Great Plains, Southwest, Northwest, Alaska, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands.
    • The Global Sea Level Rise Scenarios for the National Climate Assessment report, commissioned by the National Climate Assessment, provides a synthesis of scientific literature on global sea level rise ,as well as four scenarios of global mean sea level rise that can be used in assessing vulnerability, impacts and adaptation strategies.
  • NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information State of the Climate 2014
    • This report is based on contributions by 413 scientists from 58 countries around the world. It provides detailed updates on global climate indicators such as weather events, carbon dioxide emissions, ocean heat, precipitation and more.
  • Progress Report: Highlighting Federal Actions Addressing the Recommendations of the State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience – July 2015
    • The State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience has compiled the climate resilience priorities of the Obama Administration, as well as the status/progress on each agenda. Priorities include resiliency investments, disaster recovery, infrastructure investments, community development and water resources.
  • Risky Business: The Economic Risks of Climate Change in the United States
    • This report was developed through collaboration between Michael Bloomberg, Henry Paulson and Tom Steyer (co-chairs) and the Rhodium group, an economic research firm specializing in analyzing disruptive global trends. It provides an assessment of the potential consequences for each region in the US and for selected sectors of the national economy. Its primary findings are: the most economically significant risks are likely to result from damage to coastal property and infrastructure from sea level rise and storm surge, climate-driven changes in agricultural production and energy demand, and impacts of higher temperatures on labor productivity and public health.
  • United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Responses to Climate Change
    • The Responses to Climate Change Program is focused on applying adaptation measures at local and regional scales and on supporting practical, nationally consistent and cost-effective approaches and policies to reduce potential vulnerabilities to the nation’s water infrastructure resulting from climate change and variability. The Program’s home page links to Pilots and Demonstrations, which offers reports on regionally specific adaptation projects, as well as Vulnerability Assessments and Reporting, which are used to guide adaptation planning and implementation in the USACE’s operations, missions, projects and programs.
  • Urban Land Institute Urban Resilience Program
    • The Urban Resilience Program reports provide information on risk assessment processes and resilient building. It is useful for informing decisions about how to design or adapt a building or other asset to anticipated climatic impacts.
  • Survey of Regional Planning for Climate Adaptation
    • This White Paper provides survey findings on Regional Planning Organizations’ (RPOs) responses to the challenges of climate changes around the US. The purpose of the survey was to determine whether exposure to severe climate events has more influence on the level of activity reported by a RPO.
  • Mote Marine Policy Institute
    • Mote Marine is an independent research institution focused on conservation and sustainable use of oceans. The goal of its Policy Institute is to improve the connection between science and society and to strengthen the scientific basis of public policy and societal decision making. One of its policy areas, Sea Level Rise, features a synopsis report, Policy Tools for Local Adaptation to Sea Level Rise.
  • Preliminary Estimate of Impacts of Sea Level Rise on Regional Water Resources of Southeastern Florida
    • This article, published in the Journal of Coastal Research, provides an analysis of the impact of sea level rise on the ability to meet regional water management objectives. Using the South Florida Water Management Model, it provides measurements for and comparison of the current and EPA-projected 2050 sea level conditions.