FloodVision: Edge of America Tour

June 21, 2024. Boston's harbor has been a major trading port since the 1600s and was a significant stop on Atlantic trading routes. English colonists and other Europeans recognized the harbor as one of the world's finest natural harbors due to its depth, natural defense from the Atlantic, and access to the Charles, Neponset, and Mystic Rivers. But now sea level rise and extreme rain events, made worse by climate change, are causing significant issues for this low-lying, historic city of 650,000 residents.

According to  Climate Central's Risk Finder , the Boston metro area faces an 83% risk of at least one flood over 5 feet taking place between now and 2050. Max and the FloodRover collected data throughout Boston's neighborhoods, to see what flooding could look like midcentury during a significant storm event.

Just around the corner from Fenway Park, music lovers head to the MGM Music Hall to see their favorite entertainers and musicians in concert. The visualization above shows exposure to the theater from a 100 year flood in 2050.

Across the Charles River from Fenway Park's famous Citgo sign, this flashing yellow and red sign illuminates Memorial Drive. The Shell sign, situated at 187 Magazine St., has been on the  National Register of Historic Places since 1994  and in 2010 was designated a historic landmark in Cambridge. Flood waters may not reach the electric signage in a storm by 2050, but they will likely inundate the gas station below.

Boston is known for its many universities, and Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will face exposure to rising waters from the Charles River. The above visualization projects what a 2050 flood event could look like on the MIT campus.

The numerous fishing piers and and the cold, salty North Atlantic waters that surround Boston produce excellent fish. Visitors to Boston will find dozens of highly regarded seafood eateries. But the proximity to the catch of the day also means proximity to flooding, as evidenced in the visualization above, showing a restaurant in the famous North End of Boston.

Expansive redevelopment in Boston's Seaport District in recent years has caused concern for the vulnerability of the neighborhood. It's where Max met up with Tevin Wooten, an Emmy award winning reporter and broadcast meteorologist with NBC 10 in the Seaport District (You can check out Tevin's coverage of the Edge of America Tour  here ).

FloodVision's data collecting in the area exposed flood risk for a number of recently built apartment buildings, the convention center, numerous retail and hospitality spaces, and a concert venue. A documentary called  Inundation District  chronicles the decision making and forces behind the recent building. The following visualizations show Seaport District locations at midcentury with a 100 year storm.

The State of Massachusetts has developed a  Coast Flood Risk Model  that takes into account sea level rise and storm surge for all coastal areas. The map below shows many areas of the Seaport District could experience water levels of 4 feet or more in a midcentury flood event. All of these tools provide a view into the future, which allows decisionmakers and local residents the opportunity to change the future by curbing carbon pollution and strengthening or relocating infrastructure from vulnerable areas. Boston's  Office of Climate Resilience  is implementing climate resilience projects around the city focused on mitigating coastal flooding, stormwater flooding, as well as extreme heat. Perhaps some of these 2050 visualizations will never come to pass.