New York’s Geographic Information Gateway (Gateway) News
New Risk Areas data layer
New York’s GIS Team has developed new (Department of State) Risk Areas for the Lake Ontario coast, data layer available for viewing on the Gateway. DOS Risk Areas were first derived and used in 2012 for New York Rising Community Reconstruction planning carried out in the wake of Hurricane Sandy (which also included communities affected by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee), the areas are a compilation of regulatory flood maps, inundation, and erosion models resulting in Extreme, High and Moderate risk areas.
The Lake Ontario risk areas developed for use in resilience planning along the Lake, extend from the base of Niagara Falls along the Lake coast and down the St. Lawrence River to Massena. The DOS Coastal Risk Area story found on the Climate Change and Resilience page shows how these are developed and used. While the datasets used for developing the Lake Ontario Risk Areas are different, the methodology used to create them is the same as used in developing the maritime coastal risk areas.
Updates
There have been two recent significant updates to information on the Gateway’s Climate Change and Resilience and Atlantic Ocean focus pages. There are new tools available in the Climate Change and Resilience focus area’s additional resources: a new risk assessment tool for Lake Ontario, and updated Riverine and Coastal risk assessment tools. Please contact Jeff Herter for additional information regarding the use of these tools.
New York has also made significant strides in the past 3 to 4 years with regard to offshore renewable energy, necessitating an update of its Offshore Energy Resources story in the Atlantic Ocean focus area, check it out to see how offshore wind is growing!
For general information about the Gateway, please visit the About page.
Delaware
Delaware Wetlands Conference, January 29, 30, 2020
On January 29th and 30th, 2020 wetland enthusiasts, experts and students from the Mid-Atlantic region will gather in Wilmington, Delaware to attend the 9th biennial 2020 Delaware Wetlands Conference. Participants will share the latest in wetland research, innovations to outreach and education, and the progress of conservation programs. To register, click here. For more information, contact: Brittany.Haywood@delaware.gov.
Maryland
Offshore wind can provide a clean, renewable source of energy, but activities during the construction phase can potentially affect marine mammals. To collect baseline data on when and where marine mammals occur within the Maryland Wind Energy Area (WEA) off Maryland’s coast, scientists deployed underwater listening devices to record the ambient noise levels and marine mammal calls.
This study – supported by the State of Maryland and the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and conducted by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and Cornell University – describes the seasonal occurrence of whales, dolphins and porpoises within and around the WEA. This information can be used to inform which species could be at risk of disturbances well as when and how those impacts could be most effectively monitored and mitigated.
Learn more from this Passive Acoustic Monitoring study on this fact sheet here.
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