A sampling of results and impacts from completed New York Sea Grant-funded research projects, written during the period February 1, 2009 – January 31, 2010

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Improving Coastal Flood Forecasts Along the South Shore of Long Island through Real-Time Monitoring and Simulation of Past Major Hurricane Events
R/CCP-13, Colle / Buonaiuto / Bowman / Wilson

Metropolitan New York, northern New Jersey and the south coast of Long Island (including Brooklyn and Jamaica Bay) are at risk of coastal flooding due to major storm events (winter nor’easters and seasonal hurricanes).

This project has produced a state-of the-art operational modeling system that includes the impacts of hurricanes and severe nor’easters on storm surge and waves. The system has potential to provide a real-time, publicly accessible, web-based coastal warning system, for forecasting the location, timing and severity of such flooding events.

The research team has developed an operational 50-hour time horizon high resolution storm surge prediction model which is regularly visited by the National Weather Service as they prepare coastal flooding watch alerts.

The principal value of the Stony Brook Storm Surge Model for coastal early warning and water quality implications lies in providing timely and precise guidance for these measures. This provides additional assurance that the lives, property and health of populations at risk are protected, while reducing the likelihood of false alarms.

This project has also provided guidance on the historical climatology of storm surge events for the NY City area in the last 50 years and how these numbers may change as sea level rises.