An online mapping tool that zooms in on U.S. coastal areas at risk from rising sea levels added New England to its coverage this week. New York, New Jersey and Florida are already included. The Pacific states are expected to be added later this spring and the remaining U.S. coastal communities this summer.
Climate Central, a New Jersey based nonprofit, used private founding funding to develop its Surging Seas database. The organization pulls data from 10 federal agencies, according to a USA Today report.
Users can search the tool by zip code to see projections related to rising sea levels, including the number of buildings and residents that could be flooded.
As USA Today points out, Surging Seas is part of a new generation of tools that pinpoint how local climates are changing due to global warming. The federal government, for example, recently launched a climate website featuring tools and resources to help shed light on the risks of near-term coastal flooding and future sea level rise scenarios to help communities, businesses and residents prepare.
