MDOT SHA Climate Change Vulnerability Viewer (CCVV)

The MDOT SHA Climate Change Vulnerability Viewer (CCVV) is an ArcGIS Online (AGOL) web application that showcases a variety of climate related data layers and infrastructure to view, interpret, and utilize for analysis related to climate change, extreme weather, and transportation.

The purpose of the CCVV is to support internal and external transportation professionals throughout Maryland in utilizing data to mitigate against, avert, and adapt to potential impacts of climate change related hazards. This data assists users in identifying potentially vulnerable assets and prioritizing areas of concern. Through this service the CCVV supports future program management, planning, project design and maintenance activity needs and decisions.

Maryland is subject to many climate change related hazards, including extreme weather, extreme high tides, extreme precipitation, and sea level rise. With over 3,100 miles of coast, Maryland is highly vulnerable to sea level rise. These hazards pose a risk to public safety, the preservation of critical infrastructure, natural resources (marine and animal habitats), and more. For transportation professionals, we need to consider these things to build and maintain resilient assets and optimize the spending of public dollars.

• Nuisance Tidal Inundation / Flooding: Nuisance flooding, often called sunny day flooding, is the temporary inundation of low-lying areas during high tide events. The CCVV includes flood depth grids showing the projected impacts of nuisance tidal inundation/flooding scenarios for the years 2020, 2050, and 2100.  These flood depth grids include projected stillwater depth information (in feet) during nuisance tidal flooding scenarios. 
• Comprehensive Flood Modeling: These flood depth grids show the projected impacts of Mean Sea Level (MSL) & Mean Higher High Water (MHHW) storm event scenarios for the years 2015, 2050, and 2100.    These flood depth grids include projected stillwater depth information (ft) for 0%, 10%, 4%, 2%, 1%, and 0.2% annual chance storm event scenarios.
• Roadway Inundation: Representing the linear geographic extent of roadway segments, this data presents the flood depth for 0%, 10%, 4%, 2%, 1%, and 0.2% annual chance storm event scenarios.
• Hurricane Florence Models: Roadway inundation, inundated parcels, and flood depth grids depicting projected impacts of a storm event similar to Hurricane Florence in Maryland.
• Related Data: A variety of climate change and transportation related data products to enhance functionality and evaluation options for assessment.

The CCVV can be accessed by searching "SHA CCVV" or by using this  link .

Upon opening the application you can access an introduction video. Click on the demonstration to see the data available in the viewer. You will also see the MDOT SHA County Flood Statistic Maps available by clicking on any of the counties in blue.

Notice the banner of icons at the top right of the CCVV. These icons provide data viewing options in the CCVV. Hover your mouse over each icon to view the function. This resource will review many of the icons in the banner.

Throughout this resource a gold outline will highlight which icon has been selected for viewing - this gold outline will not appear as you use the CCVV.

Continue reading to learn about how the CCVV can be used for your project planning.

Nuisance flooding, often called sunny day flooding, refers to flooding due to tidal inundation. The CCVV allows users to see how nuisance flooding can impact an area.

To view nuisance flooding in the CCVV click the Nuisance Tidal Inundation icon in the top right banner.

Let's examine an area that experiences nuisance flooding - downtown Ocean City in Worcester County. Ocean City is a resort town between the Atlantic Ocean and Isle of Wight bay with just a few state-owned roads, including US 50, US 113, and MD 58; however, they are critical for the support of commerce, tourism, emergency services, and more.

How does the nuisance flooding data support MDOT SHA? This data shows nuisance flooding is only expected to increase over time. The CCVV is a tool to learn more about how current and future nuisance flooding may impact transportation planning.

Hurricane Florence caused significant damage to North Carolina in 2018. This sparked concerns and conversations about the vulnerability of coastal communities in Maryland - how would a Hurricane Florence storm surge impact our region?

The Hurricane Florence Models seek to replicate the storm surge heights seen with Hurricane Florence to determine a what-if scenario in coastal Maryland.

Knowing the amount of inundation expected from a storm event like Hurricane Florence helps us plan for future storm events.

The CCVV provides comprehensive flood modeling as the projected impacts of Mean Sea Level (MSL) and Mean Higher High Water (MHHW) storm event scenarios for the years 2015, 2050, and 2100. The flood depth grids include projected still water depth information (feet) for the following storm event scenarios:

• 0% Annual Chance Event (No Storm Event)
• 10% Annual Chance Event (10 Year Storm Event)
• 4% Annual Chance Event (25 Year Storm Event)
• 2% Annual Chance Event (50Year Storm Event)
• 1% Annual Chance Event (100 Year Storm Event)
• 0.2% Annual Chance Event (500 Year Storm Event)

The term "Annual Chance Event" refers to the probability of a storm event occurring in an area. For example, a 10% Annual Chance Event means there is a 10% chance a flood event of this magnitude will occur in a year.

Flood depth grids can be used for mid and long-range planning. They are useful for identifying projected impacts areas and for supporting design decisions to maintain and enhance expected asset lifespans.

Flood impacts projected for Mean Sea Level provide the depths for regularly occurring high tides observed hourly at tide stations measured from a fixed reference level. Projected rise of mean sea level can increase shoreline erosion and infrastructure vulnerability to flooding, wave action and storm surge.

Flood impacts projected for Mean Higher High Water provide depths for regularly occurring higher high tides - the extreme high tides coastal areas regularly experience. This data is different from Mean Sea Level as it includes the average higher high tide to be expected in the year. Higher high tides have a significant impact on infrastructure and should be considered for mid and long-term planning.

Let's see how the Mean Higher High Water data can be used for long-range planning.

As a tool, the CCVV provides access to valuable depth grids and a variety of related data to assist with transportation planning. The CCVV has additional functionality to aid the ability to "customize" the application by adding your own, custom datasets to the viewer.

For more information about the CCVV and the data available for transportation planning please visit the  AGOL MDOT SHA Climate Change Vulnerability page .