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Berkeley’s Adaptations

to Sea Level Rise

Diz Swift, PhD

Berkeley Public Works Commissioner

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Jevrejeva et al 2014 Environ. Res. Lett. 9

http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/9/10/104008/

“95% probability sea level rise will be less than 1.8 m by 2100”

“We conclude that [the Amundson Sea] sector of West Antarctica is undergoing a marine ice sheet instability that will significantly contribute to sea level rise in decades to centuries to come.”

Rignot et al 2014 Geophysical Research Letters 9

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2014GL060140/full

Prudent range for planning is 1 to 3 m by 2100

Berkeley Sea Level Rise Scenarios

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http://geology.com/sea-level-rise/san-francisco.shtml

Aquatic Park

Golden Gate Fields

http://geology.com/sea-level-rise/san-francisco.shtml

1 m by 2100

Berkeley Sea Level Rise Scenarios

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http://geology.com/sea-level-rise/san-francisco.shtml

Transfer Station

Aquatic Park

Golden Gate Fields

http://geology.com/sea-level-rise/san-francisco.shtml

2 m by 2100

Berkeley Sea Level Rise Scenarios

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http://geology.com/sea-level-rise/san-francisco.shtml

Transfer Station

4th Street Shopping District

Aquatic Park

Golden Gate Fields

http://geology.com/sea-level-rise/san-francisco.shtml

3 m by 2100

Berkeley Sea Level Rise Scenarios

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Infrastructure Location

  • Rail
  • Freeways

Planning and Permitting

  • Business and residential locations
  • Insurance and liability

Flood Mitigation

Practical Effects of Sea Level Rise

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Berkeley Topography

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Berkeley Topography

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1000 ft

500 ft

0 ft

NE

SW

Berkeley Topography

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schematic

1000 ft

500 ft

0 ft

NE

SW

Hills

High run-off, slide threat

Middle

Optimal for flood mitigation

Lowlands

Flood threat

Berkeley Topography

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Also filters and cleans runoff

Flood Mitigation – Slow Runoff

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Stormwater Catchment

Types of Catchment

  • Cisterns
  • Catchment Basins

Water Handling

  • Allowed to percolate to slow runoff
  • Captured for later use in irrigation or fire control

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Cautions

Prudent Management

  • We’ll know a lot more about magnitude and rate of sea level rise as studies are done

Start Now

  • Cities move slowly
  • Public Works projects last decades or more