Name:______
Sea Level Rise in the Hudson Valley Webquest
In this webquest you will use Scenic Hudson’s Sea Level Rise Mapper to investigate the effects of climate change on areas along the Hudson River. Follow the instructions and answer the questions. If you can’t figure out an answer based on the page you are on, you might need to use the internet to research.
PART 1
1)Go to:
2)Look at the legend at the bottom of the map:
a)Define “hard shoreline” and “natural shoreline.”
b)The facilities listed in the middle are “Municipal assets.” You can add them to your map (using the layers button at the top) to see where these facilities are in reference to the shoreline. Why do you think it’s important to highlight the municipal facilities listed in the legend (railroad, schools, etc.)?
c)What other facilities would be good to include on the map?
d)What does the orange color represent on the map?
e)If the sea level rise is 18” and an area above water is now inundated by 6” of water, how will you know?
3)Focus in on the City of Kingston so your screen looks like the picture below at right?. Click and drag the map to get the Kingston waterfront in the middle of your shot. Zoom in and out using the - + buttons in the top left corner or by double clicking on the map. You will now change sea level and map layers to investigate the effects of sea level rise on the Kingston waterfront.
4)Click on “Layers” and then on “Municipal Assets” and “Brownfields and Hazmat Sites”
5)Now using the sea level bar on the left side of the map, click on “+1% flood” and answer the questions below. This is a prediction based on sea level where it is today. It looks at an area that has a 1% chance of being flooded in a given year. This could happen as the result of a large storm event (like a hurricane or tropical storm).
a)At “+1% Flood” how many of the municipal facilities along the Kingston waterfront are in the 100-year floodplain?
b)At what height of sea level rise do you think you will start to see significant impacts to the Kingston waterfront?
6)Select “+36” from the bar on the left. This is based on a moderate prediction of sea level rise by 2100—a possible scenario if humans continue to release greenhouse gases at a steady rate (not much of a change in our behavior) and the ice sheets don’t melt rapidly.
a)At “+36”how many municipal facilities along the Kingston waterfront are in the 100-year floodplain?
b)At “+36” how many municipal facilities along the Kingston waterfront are inundated?
c)At “+36” what changes do you notice to shoreline on the Kingston waterfront? Summarize how the Kingston waterfront would be affected with a 36-inch rise in sea level.
7)Select “+72” from the bar on the left. This is the high end of predictions on how much sea level will rise by 2100. It is based on rapid ice melt from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets.
a)At “+72”how many municipal facilities along the Kingston waterfront are in the 100-year floodplain?
b)At “+72” how many municipal facilities along the Kingston waterfront are inundated?
c)At “+72” what changes do you notice to shoreline on the Kingston waterfront? Summarize how the Kingston waterfront would be affected with a 72-inch rise in sea level.
8)Find the wastewater treatment plant in Kingston. At what amount of sea level rise will the plant be inundated? Using the timeline in the bottom of the legend, what is the earliest time this could happen?
9)Under layers turn off the Municipal Assets and Brownfield and Hazmat sites, then click on “Community Summaries” and hover over the city of Kingston so that “City of Kingston” is displayed in the upper right corner. Click on the City of Kingston to open up a fact sheet about Kingston and the effects of sea level rise. Use the fact sheet to answer questions in parts 10 and 11.
NO QUESTIONS IN PART 9?
10)Using the charts on page 2 answer the following questions.
a)At an inundation level of 36” how many households are at risk of inundation? How many acres of land are at risk of inundation?
b)At an inundation level of 72” how many households are at risk of inundation? How many acres of land are at risk of inundation?
11)Using examples and numbers, explain what steps you think would be important for the City of Kingston to take in order to prepare for sea level rise and why they are important.
PART 2
1)Go to:
2)Locate and zoom into the location specified by your teacher on the map.
3)Similar to what you did in PART 1, investigate this area and a one page long summary of what effects it will experience—and how you think the community could prepare for sea level rise.