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Assessing Coastal Vulnerability of Sea Level Rise and Storm Events in NYC
Type of Session
Poster Presentation
Abstract
The ecologically productive estuarine oasis of Jamaica Bay is surrounded by the
neighborhoods of Gravesend, Flatlands, Flatbush, New Lots, Jamaica with adjacent areas of
Long Island, Hempstead, Rockaway Peninsula to the Southwest Brooklyn and Queens to the
East and the much used JFK airport. The surrounding marshland area supports both wildlife
and urban recreation. It hosts over 325 bird species, 50 butterfly species, 100 finfish species,
and more. Most noticeable is its sizable breeding population of horseshoe crabs (Limulus
polyphemus) which are valued for the harvesting and manufacturing of limulus amebocyte
lysate (LAL) in the pharmaceutical industry. Used to test for gram-negative bacteria, since LAL’s
commercialization in the 1970’s it has become the global standard for screening medical
equipment and injectables for bacterial contamination. One-third of the people living in these
communities are elderly, low-income, minorities or otherwise socially vulnerable. Additionally,
JFK airport contributes $37.3 billion in economic activity and 256,000 thousand jobs in the
region.
Current efforts to improve the resilience after Superstorm Sandy have been inconsistent
and insufficient, largely because they been focused on short-term resilience and locally based.
Coastal flooding has no municipal boundaries or restrictions, yet most flooding is handle by
different municipal stakeholders with different rules, policies and guidelines with few incentives
for collaboration or guidance.
We found that a green infrastructure plan would have positiv feedback loops if
implemented fully and provide social, economic, and ecological benefits. The costs of marshes
may be significant, but with an estimated total of a half billion to line the interior perimeter
compared to the billions invested (and being invested) in JFK, we argue that investment in
Jamaica Bay resiliency is a wise decision. However, integrating gray infrastructure to further
protect JFK from sea-level rise (which green infrastructure is not effective at) could work well
economically and functionally in conjunction with an overall green based plan elsewhere.