The U.S. Geological Survey recently launched an online portal that interactively serves up information on past, present and future coastal hazards to help communities improve their resilience.
The USGS Coastal Change Hazards Portal can aid in decisions that involve emergency preparedness, ecosystem restoration, and where and how to develop coastal areas to help ensure they are safe and resilient.
No sophisticated technology is required. The tool runs on web browsers, tablets, and smartphones. It is designed for a wide-range of audiences, from federal and state agencies to non-governmental organizations, public entities, and private citizens.
One key component of the portal is the ability to explore coastal hazard risks at varied scales, from a local area of interest to a national perspective. Pick your favorite beach location, type in the name, zoom in, and view potential impacts of extreme storms, historic shoreline changes, and coastal vulnerability to sea-level rise.
This location-specific capability is extremely valuable for planning and preparedness and for making decisions to build coastal resilience. For example, if a hurricane alert is issued, users can input their city and state to see maps and imagery of potential impacts for a similar storm scenario. If an individual is planning to move to a beach, they can type a location into the portal to view what types of coastal hazards and impacts have occurred nearby. The Coastal Vulnerability Index feature shows the relative susceptibility of the Nation’s coasts to sea- level rise. Resource managers can also make decisions on how best to protect precious ecosystems.
Watch the video tutorial to get started.
Access: USGS Coastal Change Hazards Portal
Follow USGS Coastal Change on Twitter: @USGSCoastChange.
For more details, read the USGS Top Story.