Ocean City Flooding Data Presented At National Conference

Ocean City residents concerned with flooding have sometimes felt unheard. Their concerns reached a wide audience in December when Dr. Thomas O. Herrington presented findings at the American Geophysical Union's national conference.

The study contains flooding data and projections, as well as ways for communities and scientists to collaborate. The following sea-level rises were estimated: 0.8 feet in 2030, 1.4 feet in 2050, 2.3 feet in 2100 with low emissions, and 3.4 feet in 2100 with high emissions.

The presentation also showed data on projected increases in Ocean City's annual levels of high-tide roadway inundation.

The presentation lists the following community concerns in Ocean City:

• Increased frequency and magnitude of flooding
• Outdated infrastructure enhances problem
• Properties increasingly incur flood damages
• Residents' quality of life is reduced due to flood impacts

The Thriving Earth Exchange, which helps scientists and community leaders solve local challenges, partnered with a community flooding committee in Ocean City, the study says.

The presentation lists the following qualities that community groups should display when helping scientific partners:

• Willingness to engage in research
• Willingness to refine goals and objectives if needed
• Understanding that project results may not serve desired outcomes
• Commitment to not misuse co-created knowledge
• Ability to revise goals and objectives based on results

The study says scientific partners should do the following:

• Listen to needs of community
• Mutually define goals
• Do not become an advocate or consultant
• Engage in collaborative knowledge creation
• Communicate openly/effectively
• Share research outcomes with community

As a result, the State Coastal Management Program partnered with the OC Flooding group and the City of Ocean City to co-conduct citizen monitoring of flood events. The City has provided flood-elevation markers, and the NJ Sea Grant provided certified rain gauges.

The presentation lists the following co-authors:

• Herrington: Associate Director, Urban Coast Institute, Monmouth University; Coastal Community Resilience Specialist, NJ Sea Grant Consortium
• Suzanne Hornick: Founder and Chair, Ocean City, NJ Flooding Committee
• Sarah Wilkins: Project Manager, AGU Thriving Earth Exchange, Washington, D.C.
• Harriet Festing: Co-Founder and Executive Director, Anthropocene Alliance, Chicago

Above: Patch file photo.

Graphs provided by Suzanne Hornick