The maps below from NOAA show flood scenarios in the event of a category 1, 2, 3, or 4 hurricane (NOAA National Hurricane Center, n.d.).
(NOAA National Hurricane Center, n.d.)
The map below is showing the vulnerability at current mean higher high water, which is "Mean of higher high water heights during current NTDE," which is "...a 19-year period of water level averaging – the National Tidal Datum Epoch (NTDE)..." (NOAA, n.d.; Virginia Institute of Marine Science, n.d.). This shows that there are already highly vulnerable areas without sea level rise.
(NOAA, n.d.)
The following video is a screen recording from the NOAA sea level rise viewer site showing the anticipated impacts of sea level rise on the Newburyport area with each foot of rising water (NOAA, n.d.).
(NOAA, n.d.)
Newburyport has many areas at low to high risk of flooding, as seen in the 2014 map from the city below (City of Newburyport, 2014).
(City of Newburyport, 2014)
Newburyport is described as "A historic seaport with a vibrant tourism industry... The mooring, winter storage, and maintenance of recreational boats, motor and sail, still contribute a large part of the city's income. A Coast Guard station oversees boating activity, especially in the sometimes dangerous tidal currents of the Merrimack River" (Wikipedia, 2024). Based on the flood data and potential outcomes that could occur with storms and sea level rise, it would make sense for the city to take measures to prepare for tourism to move inland.
Sources:
City of Newburyport. 2014. Newburyport Flood Map. https://www.cityofnewburyport.com/sites/g/files/vyhlif12211/f/file/file/firms2014.pdf
NOAA. n.d. Sea Level Rise Viewer. https://coast.noaa.gov/slr/#/layer/slr/0/-7889505.08278008/5283398.011847759/13/satellite/none/0.8/2050/interHigh/midAccretion
NOAA National Hurricane Center. n.d. SLOSH Model App: Categories 1-4. https://epa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/portfolio/index.html?appid=bb6eb9eb8f6b4b85b7c8b7b9cd145c76
Virginia Institute of Marine Science. n.d. What is a Tidal Datum?. https://www.vims.edu/research/units/labgroups/tc_tutorial/tide_datum.php
Wikipedia. 2024. Newburyport, Massachusetts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newburyport,_Massachusetts
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