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Vulnerability was assessed for the main Hawaiian Islands using the outputs of coastal hazard exposure modeling (provided separately). Potential impacts to coastal highways and major roads were assessed in terms of exposure to chronic flooding in the sea level rise exposure area (SLR-XA) for four future sea level rise scenarios: 0.5 foot, 1.1 foot, 2.0 feet and 3.2 feet based on the upper end of the IPCC AR5 RCP8.5 projections. This particular layer depicts floodway highways and major roads using the 0.5-ft (0.1660-m) sea level rise scenario. While the RCP8.5 predicts that this scenario would be reached by the year 2030, questions remain around the exact timing of sea level rise and recent observations and projections suggest a sooner arrival. Data compiled by the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) for the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Viewer hosted at http://pacioos.org/shoreline/slr-hawaii/. For further information, please see the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report: http://climateadaptation.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/SLR-Report_Dec2017.pdf
Hawaii is exposed to large waves annually on all open coasts due to its location in the Central North Pacific Ocean. The distance over which waves run-up and wash across the shoreline will increase with sea level rise. As water levels increase, less wave energy will be dissipated through breaking on nearshore reefs and waves will arrive at a higher elevation at the shoreline. Computer model simulations of future annual high wave flooding were conducted by the University of Hawaii Coastal Geology Group using the XBeach (for eXtreme Beach behavior) numerical model developed by a consortium of research institutions. The model propagates the maximum annually recurring wave, calculated from offshore wave buoy data, over the reef and to the shore along one-dimensional (1D) cross-shore profiles extracted from a 1-meter DEM. Profiles are spaced 20 meters apart along the coast. This approach was used to model the transformation of the wave as it breaks across the reef and includes shallow water wave processes such as wave set-up and overtopping. The IPCC AR5 RCP8.5 sea level rise scenario was used in modeling exposure to annual high wave flooding from sea level rise at 0.5, 1.1, 2.0, and 3.2 feet. This particular layer depicts annual high wave flooding using the 0.5-ft (0.1660-m) sea level rise scenario. While the RCP8.5 predicts that this scenario would be reached by the year 2030, questions remain around the exact timing of sea level rise and recent observations and projections suggest a sooner arrival. Historical data used to model annual high wave flooding include hourly measurements of significant wave height, peak wave period, and peak wave direction, and was acquired from offshore wave buoy data from PacIOOS. Maximum surface elevation and depth of the annual high wave flooding is calculated from the mean of the five highest modeled water elevations at each model location along each profile. Output from the simulations is interpolated between transects and compiled in a 5-meter map grid. Depth grid cells with values less than 10 centimeters are not included in the impact assessment. This was done to remove very thin layers of water excursions that (1) are beyond the accuracy of the model and (2) might not constitute a significant impact to land and resources when only occurring once annually. Any low-lying flooded areas that are not connected to the ocean are also removed. Annual high wave flood modeling covered wave-exposed coasts with low-lying development on Maui, Oahu, and Kauai. Annual high wave flooding was not available for the islands of Hawaii, Molokai, and Lanai, nor for harbors or other back-reef areas throughout all the islands. Additional studies would be needed to add the annual high wave flooding for those areas. The maximum annually recurring wave parameters (significant wave height, period, direction) were statistically determined using historical wave climate records and do not include potential changes in future wave climate, the effects of storm surge, or less-frequent high wave events (e.g., a 1-in-10 year wave event). In some locations, the extent of flooding modeled was limited by the extent of the 1-meter DEM. Changes in shoreline location due to coastal erosion are not included in this modeling. As shorelines retreat, annual high wave flooding will reach farther inland along retreating shorelines. Waves are propagated along a "bare earth" DEM which is void of shoreline structures, buildings, and vegetation, and waves are assumed to flow over an impermeable surface. The DEM represents a land surface at one particular time, and may not be representative of the beach shape during the season of most severe wave impact, particularly for highly variable north and west-exposed beaches. Undesirable artifacts of 1D modeling include over-predicted flooding along some transects with deep, shore-perpendicular indentations in the sea bottom such as nearshore reef channels. The 1D modeling does not account for the presence of nearby shallow reef which refracts and dissipates some of the wave energy traveling through the channel toward the shore. Wave flooding modeling may be improved in future efforts by employing more complex and data-intensive 2D modeling and through local field experiments. Data compiled by the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) for the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Viewer hosted at http://pacioos.org/shoreline/slr-hawaii/. For further information, please see the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report: http://climateadaptation.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/SLR-Report_Dec2017.pdf
Passive flooding was modeled by the University of Hawaii Coastal Geology Group using a modified "bathtub" approach following methods described in Cooper et al. 2013. The passive flooding model provides an initial assessment of low-lying areas susceptible to flooding by sea level rise. Passive flooding includes areas that are hydrologically connected to the ocean (marine flooding) and low-lying areas that are not hydrologically connected to the ocean (groundwater). Data used in modeling passive flooding include global sea level rise projections, digital elevation models (DEM), and the mean higher high water (MHHW) datum from local tide gauges. DEMs used in this study are freely available from NOAA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). DEMs are derived from aerial light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. The horizontal and vertical positional accuracies of the DEMs conform to flood hazard mapping standards of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA 2012). The IPCC AR5 RCP8.5 sea level rise scenario was used in modeling exposure to passive flooding from sea level rise at 0.5, 1.1, 2.0, and 3.2 feet. This particular layer depicts passive flooding using the 0.5-ft (0.1660-m) sea level rise scenario. While the RCP8.5 predicts that this scenario would be reached by the year 2030, questions remain around the exact timing of sea level rise and recent observations and projections suggest a sooner arrival. Passive flooding was modeled using the DEMs in geographic information systems software to identify areas below a certain sea level height (flooded by sea level rise) when raising water levels above current Mean Higher High Water (MHHW) tidal datum. In other words, water levels are shown as they would appear during MHHW, or the average higher high water height of each tidal day. The area flooded was derived by subtracting a tidal surface model from the DEM. Assumptions and Limitations: In many areas around the State, representing sea level rise from passive marine flooding will likely produce an underestimate of the area inundated or permanently submerged because the model does not account for waves and coastal erosion, important processes along Hawaii's highly dynamic coasts. For this reason, coastal erosion and annual high wave flooding (provided separately) are also modeled to provide a more comprehensive picture of the extent of hazard exposure. The passive flooding model does not explicitly include flooding through storm drain systems and other underground infrastructure, which would contribute to flooding in many low-lying areas identified in the model. The DEMs used in the modeling depict a smoothed topographic surface and do not identify basements, parking garages, and other development below ground that would be affected by marine and groundwater flooding with sea level rise. The passive flooding model is intended to provide an initial screening tool for sea level rise vulnerability. More detailed hydrologic and engineering modeling may be necessary to fully assess passive marine flooding hazards at the scale of individual properties. Data compiled by the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) for the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Viewer hosted at http://pacioos.org/shoreline/slr-hawaii/. For further information, please see the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report: http://climateadaptation.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/SLR-Report_Dec2017.pdf
Passive flooding was modeled by the University of Hawaii Coastal Geology Group using a modified "bathtub" approach following methods described in Cooper et al. 2013. The passive flooding model provides an initial assessment of low-lying areas susceptible to flooding by sea level rise. Passive flooding includes areas that are hydrologically connected to the ocean (marine flooding) and low-lying areas that are not hydrologically connected to the ocean (groundwater). Data used in modeling passive flooding include global sea level rise projections, digital elevation models (DEM), and the mean higher high water (MHHW) datum from local tide gauges. DEMs used in this study are freely available from NOAA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). DEMs are derived from aerial light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. The horizontal and vertical positional accuracies of the DEMs conform to flood hazard mapping standards of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA 2012). The IPCC AR5 RCP8.5 sea level rise scenario was used in modeling exposure to passive flooding from sea level rise at 0.5, 1.1, 2.0, and 3.2 feet. This particular layer depicts passive flooding using the 0.5-ft (0.1660-m) sea level rise scenario. While the RCP8.5 predicts that this scenario would be reached by the year 2030, questions remain around the exact timing of sea level rise and recent observations and projections suggest a sooner arrival. Passive flooding was modeled using the DEMs in geographic information systems software to identify areas below a certain sea level height (flooded by sea level rise) when raising water levels above current Mean Higher High Water (MHHW) tidal datum. In other words, water levels are shown as they would appear during MHHW, or the average higher high water height of each tidal day. The area flooded was derived by subtracting a tidal surface model from the DEM. Assumptions and Limitations: In many areas around the State, representing sea level rise from passive marine flooding will likely produce an underestimate of the area inundated or permanently submerged because the model does not account for waves and coastal erosion, important processes along Hawaii's highly dynamic coasts. For this reason, coastal erosion and annual high wave flooding (provided separately) are also modeled to provide a more comprehensive picture of the extent of hazard exposure. The passive flooding model does not explicitly include flooding through storm drain systems and other underground infrastructure, which would contribute to flooding in many low-lying areas identified in the model. The DEMs used in the modeling depict a smoothed topographic surface and do not identify basements, parking garages, and other development below ground that would be affected by marine and groundwater flooding with sea level rise. The passive flooding model is intended to provide an initial screening tool for sea level rise vulnerability. More detailed hydrologic and engineering modeling may be necessary to fully assess passive marine flooding hazards at the scale of individual properties. Data compiled by the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) for the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Viewer hosted at http://pacioos.org/shoreline/slr-hawaii/. For further information, please see the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report: http://climateadaptation.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/SLR-Report_Dec2017.pdf
Modeling, using the best available data and methods, was conducted to determine the potential future exposure of each of the main Hawaiian Islands to multiple coastal hazards as a result of sea level rise. Three chronic flooding hazards were modeled by the University of Hawaii Coastal Geology Group (CGG): a. passive flooding, b. annual high wave flooding, and c. coastal erosion (see descriptions of individual hazard layers for further details). The footprint of these three hazards were combined by Tetra Tech, Inc. to define the projected extent of chronic flooding due to sea level rise, called the sea level rise exposure area (SLR-XA). Flooding in the SLR-XA is associated with long-term, chronic hazards punctuated by annual or more frequent flooding events. Each of these hazards were modeled for four future sea level rise scenarios: 0.5 foot, 1.1 foot, 2.0 feet and 3.2 feet based on the upper end of the IPCC AR5 RCP8.5 sea level rise scenario. This particular layer depicts SLR-XA using the 3.2-ft (0.9767-m) sea level rise scenario. While the RCP8.5 predicts that this scenario would be reached by the year 2100, questions remain around the exact timing of sea level rise and recent observations and projections suggest a sooner arrival. Assumptions and Limitations: The assumptions and limitations described for the three chronic flooding hazards apply to the SLR-XA. Not all hazards were modeled for each island due to limited historical information and geospatial data. The SLR-XA for the islands of Hawaii, Molokai, and Lanai is based on modeling passive flooding only. Additional studies would be needed to add the annual high wave flooding and coastal erosion to the SLR-XA for those islands. The SLR-XA is an overlay of three hazards and does not account for interactive nature of these hazards as would be expected by natural processes. As with the individual exposure models, the SLR-XA maps hazard exposure on the present landscape. The modeling does not account for future (unknown) land use changes, including any adaptation measures. The SLR-XA also does not include impacts from less frequent high wave events (e.g., a 1-in-10 year event), storm surge, or tsunami. Data compiled by the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) for the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Viewer hosted at http://pacioos.org/shoreline/slr-hawaii/. For further information, please see the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report: http://climateadaptation.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/SLR-Report_Dec2017.pdf