Title
Quantifying the Value and Communicating the Protective Services of Nature-Based Flood Mitigation Using Flood Risk Assessment. Technical Report, Draft 2.1
Author(s)
P. Orton; K. MacManus; E. Sanderson; J. Mills; M. Giampieri; K. Fisher; G. Yetman; E. Doxsey-Whitfield; D. Hugens; Z. Wu; L. Yin; N. Georgas; A. Blumberg
Published
2016
Abstract
Municipalities across the nation are weighing the value of nature-based flood mitigation strategies and the ecosystem services they provide, yet there is limited quantitative information available to help inform these decisions. In this study, we use hydrodynamic model-based flood mapping and risk assessment to develop new nature-based flood adaptation concepts, quantify their value, and map their flood protection services. A case study of Jamaica Bay, New York City (NYC) is utilized where the recent impacts of Hurricane Sandy have created strong public support for flood mitigation measures. The project’s first year was a research and public input period. An analysis of historical change was used reconstruct historical landscapes, and models were created for present-day, 1609 and 1877 bay landscapes. A flood mitigation workshop was held with government agency representatives, urban planners, designers, scientists, and the general public, to take input on an initial set of concepts and allow for new ideas to be contributed. Over the subsequent months, nearly 40 flood mitigation concepts were evaluated using simulations of Hurricane Sandy and a Category-3 hurricane. A few important findings were (a) that marsh island restoration activities in the center of the bay do not reduce storm tides, and (b) storm tides were reduced by the 1877 inlet as they propagated into Jamaica Bay, whereas the much wider and deeper present-day inlet causes little if any reduction. The second and final year of the project was dedicated to flood risk/mitigation analysis, benefitcost analysis, and web mapper development. Three final mitigation scenarios that mimic the flood resistance of the 1877 inlet were chosen for deeper analysis. For these, a full flood risk assessment using a set of 144 storm simulations was used to estimate the annual probabilities for different flood heights and damages across the Bay’s floodplain. These data were then used to evaluate the monetary benefits of each adaptation measure for a benefit-cost analysis. The resulting data were used to populate an online flood mapping tool, AdaptMap, which shows flood area and depth for various storm return periods and lets the user select future sea level scenarios and future flood mitigation scenarios to view how flood zones will change. The mapper also includes flood mapping for the two historical landscapes, 1609 and 1877. GIS flood data and flood mitigation benefit-cost analysis data are available for user download, and animations may be viewed for each flood return period, sea level and mitigation scenario. Key results of the project include (1) creation of Jamaica Bay estuary models for present-day and historical landscapes, (2) development of novel, cost-effective strategies for nature-based flood mitigation in an urban harbor; (3) creation of a new type of online tool– a flood adaptation mapper; and (4) frequent incorporation of government and community stakeholder input. Follow-up studies are evaluating the influence of a range of flood mitigation scenarios on waves and water quality, studying how vegetation will co-evolve with protective measures and sea level rise, and quantifying other ecosystem service values beyond flood protection. AdaptMap and the other products above are helping decision-makers and the general public visualize and quantify the benefits of natural features for reducing coastal flooding.

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