Predicted Sea Level Rise on Plum Island, MA

• Main Author: Batchelder, Jessica P
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Digital Commons @ Colby 2015
• Subjects: sea level rise; Plum Island; Greenland; Ice Sheet; National Snow and Ice Data Center
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/atlas_docs/vol2015/iss2/8; https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/context/atlas_docs/article/1127/viewcontent/PredictedSeaLevelRisePlumIslandBatchelder2015.pdf; https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/context/atlas_docs/article/1127/filename/0/type/additional/viewcontent/PredictedSeaLevelRisePlumIslandBatchelder2015_copy.pdf

ArcGIS 10.2.2 and NAD1983 Massachusetts Stateplane Mainland FIPS 2001 projection was used to model sea level rise on Plum Island, Massachusetts. Under high sea level rise conditions of 3m, 81.9% of the buildings on the island will be inundated in addition to a total of 11.06km2 or 75.44% of the islands land area. 86.5% of the wetlands would be inundated, the most loss of any vegetation type on the island. The modeled sea level rise assumes catastrophic conditions such as the melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet (National Snow and Ice Data Center). Based upon elevation data, this model provides a basic analysis of the impacts of extreme sea level rise on Plum Island.