Our coastal communities have always faced flooding events, minor to major, but these are projected to increase because of warming of the earth's surface temperature and because of increasing sea…

This $2 million cooperative agreement from the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will fund research and development activities through the University of South Florida from March 2023 to February 2027. The award is being made under the Congressionally Identified Awards and Projects program (CFDA 11.469), which facilitates R&D in marine and atmospheric science.

Specifically, the University of South Florida will conduct research and develop tools and resources to help coastal communities address increasing flood risks driven by climate change factors such as rising sea levels and more frequent high-intensity rainfall events. As global temperatures rise, stormwater infrastructure is being stressed by atmospheric conditions that allow more water retention as well as encroaching ocean waters. The project aims to help coastal municipal governments strengthen resilience against these compounding climate hazards through applied scientific inquiry.

Our coastal communities have always faced flooding events, minor to major, but these are projected to increase because of warming of the earth's surface temperature and because of increasing sea levels because of the ocean's increasing temperature and the melting of the earth's ICE sheets. The increasing surface temperature leads to an atmosphere that can hold more water, and this in turn means that there is a greater potential for unexpectedly high rainfall rates. Why does IT matter that the air can hold more water? IT's because our storm water systems were designed to carry a certain amount of water per hour off of our streets and can be overwhelmed if the amount of rain falling in an hour increases due to a warmer atmosphere. This problem is exasperated if the sea level is also rising because of a warming ocean and ICE melt. In most places our storm water drainage system works by allowing water to run downhill, meaning down to sea level, but if the sea level is higher the efficie