CHOOSE A MAP TYPE FROM BELOW

Two-Dimensional Maps

Openlayers Example

Three-Dimensional Maps

My picture

Animations

Openlayers Example

To view both nuisance flooding and strom inundation maps, choose the Two Dimensional Maps figure above. Here you can view the projections from 2003, 2050, and 2100. The maps can be zoomed in to a specific area at a street level zoom to determine if ypour desired area is flooded. The maps are created using openstreet with an overlay with the flood data for the desired scenario of your choosing. There are Min, Mean, and Max scenarios for both RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5.
To get a closer look at the flooding in Baltimore City, choose the figure above and you can choose a spoecific area in the city to view a three dimensional flood map of the city. Here you can choose the same conditions as the two dimensional maps. The maps are rendered using Google Earth which means that Google Earth must be installed on the device you are using to view the maps. If you do not have Google Earth, you can click HERE to download the software needed to view the maps.
To view a timeline of the storm inundation floodings, click on the figure above. This will open up a page with videos showing the timeline of flooding for 2003 Hurricane Isabel and the predicted flooding from a similar storm in 2100 under RCP 8.5 Mean. The three areas of focus for these timelines are Baltimore City, Annapolis, and Dorchester County. The videos are uploaded to the site via youtube so they are compatible for all devices. You can either click the expand button in the corner of each video to view full screen or keep it the same size and click through the different videos.

Representative Concentration Pathways, or (RCP's) are the different scenarios describing the alternative trajectories of carbon dioxide. RCP trajectories are generally used to describe scenarios between 2000 and 2100. Researchers will agree on a set of guidelines used to make these assumptions on future use and trajectories of carbon dioxide to prepare their data. The different levels of RCP used to create these trajectories are RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6, and RCP8.5. The two RCP's used in this study are RCP4.5 and RCP8.5.

Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5 (RCP4.5) is based on the assumption that emissions peak around 2050 being fifty percent higher than the emissions level in 2000. Following 2050, emissions are said to decrease dramatically over the course of the following thirty years and stabilize at half of what was noted in 2000. The CO2 concentration levels are said to increase dramatically as well reaching around 520ppm at 2070 then slow down until 2100 while still increasing slightly. Population is said to reach just under 9 billion as global economic growth remains at a high point. The amount of oil consumption remains fairly constant through 2100 while nuclear power and other renewable resources play a greater role in the day to day lives of people. Croplands as well as grasslands are said to decline significantly while the effort for reforestation increases the area of natural vegetation.

Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5) is based on a worst case or dramatic downshift in society where resources are used to its maximum extent and the environment is tanked downhill. Emissions are said to continue to increase rapidly throughout the century and by 2100, emissions are right at 30 gigatonnes where in 2000 emissions were only at 8 gigatonnes. CO2 concentrations continue to rapidly increase reaching 950ppm by 2100 and continue to increase throughout the next 100 years. Population is said to reach 12 billion by the end of the century at the end of the UN projections. Total consumptions of energy continue to grow to more than three times the current levels and oil use grows rapidly up until 2070 where there is a sudden dramatic drop in oil consumption. Coal is said to be the bulk of energy consumption throughout the century while land use continues its current path increasing crop and grasslands while decreasing the amount of forest.