Building a Coastal Flood Hazard Assessment and Adaptation Strategy with At-Risk Communities of Alaska

Coastal flooding and erosion caused by storms and sea-level rise threaten infrastructure and public safety in Alaska Native communities. Though the problem is well known, there are few tools that can assess local vulnerability to coastal flood hazards. Even fewer tools can be customized with specific community information to support local adaptation planning.  

The main goal of this project is to use the Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) platform to co-produce customized local flood hazard maps and online tools to support the development of culturally-appropriate and cost-efficient adaptation strategies in Alaska. The project team will work with federal, state, and local community representatives to understand which tools and products are most relevant for local use.  

CoSMoS is a dynamic modeling approach developed by the USGS in collaboration with state and federal agencies that can detail potential coastal flooding scenarios. While CoSMoS is already used in California, the East Coast, and the Pacific Islands, researchers are adapting the model for Alaska communities along the Beaufort, Chukchi, and Bering Sea coastlines where storm threats are highest. The model system maps plausible coastal flood hazards through the mid-21st century including hazards caused by sea ice cover loss, changing coastal storm patterns, permafrost thaw, and shoreline changes.  

Anticipated outcomes from this project include a web-based, user-friendly flood hazard mapping tool that can be used locally in community-level hazard planning and decision-making.