The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Electricity Delivery & Energy Reliability (OE) undertook this study to assess the potential sea level rise (SLR) and storm surge risks to energy assets in major Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) for specific cities in the United States.
For purposes of the study, the MSAs (cities) include:
Baltimore, MD
Boston, MA
Houston, TX
Los Angeles, CA
Miami, FL
Mobile, AL
New Orleans, LA
New York, NY
Norfolk, VA
Philadelphia, PA
These MSAs were chosen given their proximity to the coast, their geographical representation, past exposure to significant storm events and potential exposure to SLR and storm surge.
For the purpose of this analysis, two storm categories were examined. Category 1 storms were analyzed to illustrate the effects of exacerbation from SLR on smaller storms. This study does not address the potential changes in return intervals of hurricanes, which may be different under future conditions and affect coastal vulnerabilities. To account for potentially stronger storms in the future, the study analyzed a storm one category higher than the highest previously recorded in that area. For example, if a category 3 was the largest known to have occurred within a specific MSA, then this study would analyze a category 4 to address the potential changes in return intervals.
Internet Archive URL:
https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://energy-oe.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=244e96e24b5a47d28414b3c960198625
