Climate Ready Boston Map Explorer

tool for exploring spatial climate change data in the City of Boston

map climate change Sea Level Rise coastal flooding Heat Island stormwater flooding flooding social vulnerability

The Map Explorer features spatial data from Climate Ready Boston. Explore which areas in Boston are projected to be at risk of flooding (due to sea level rise and increased precipitation) and extreme heat (due to rising temperatures and the urban heat island effect). Overlay climate data with population demographics to better understand the social factors that intersect with and contribute to vulnerability. See the current and upcoming projects the City is working on to enhance climate resilience. And then dive deeper and download the data through the City's Analyze Boston platform.

You can compare specific data sets by turning on and off layers in the "Layers" tab. This map shows 2070 coastal storm flooding conditions overlaid on top of areas with a higher concentration of older adults. Older adults (those over age 65) have physical vulnerabilities in a climate event; they suffer from higher rates of medical illness than the rest of the population and can have some functional limitations in an evacuation scenario, as well as when preparing for and recovering from a disaster.

You can zoom into specific areas manually or use the search bar to find a specific location. This map is comparing land surface temperatures with open spaces. At this more detailed resolution we can notice that areas around parks tend to be cooler. It is interesting to note that Madison park (in the middle) does not follow this trend as it is actually an Astroturf field, and so the surrounding areas do not benefit from the cooling effect of plants.

Map Components

Layers

The visibility and opacity of layers displaying data related to flooding, extreme heat, and social vulnerability can be adjusted in the “Layers” tab to compare specific datasets and create a unique look.

Details

You can view information about each component and its source data by clicking the feature on the map. More details, source information and links to download the data are available in the “Details” tab.

Basemaps

In order to explore your neighborhood more in depth and get the look you desire, the “Basemap gallery” tab allows you to swap out the light grey underlying map for other street maps or satellite imagery.

Projects

You can check out proposed, upcoming, and in-progress Climate Ready Boston projects. Learn more about what the City is doing to address the impacts of climate change at a local level.

About the Data

Coastal Flooding

Area of potential coastal and riverine flooding in Boston under various sea level rise scenarios (9-inch in 2030s, 21-inch in 2050s, and 36-inch in 2070s) at high tide and in the event of storms with an annual exceedance probability (AEP) of 10 and 1 percent.

Source: Boston Harbor Flood Risk Model, MassDOT.

Stormwater Flooding

Approximate stormwater flooding extents from a 10-year, 24-hour rainfall event under various climate conditions, due to combined future sea level rise and extreme precipitation (5.6-inch, 5.8-inch, and 6-inch rainfall).

Source: Boston Water Sewer Commission Wastwater Facilities Study

Heat Island

Areas designated urban heat islands with elevated daytime land surface temperatures (LST) averaging at least 1.25 degrees Fahrenheit above the mean daily temperature during late June/early July.

Source: Metro Area Planning Council and the Trust for Public Land, using Landsat Land Surface Temperature derived with the LandSat TRS tools toolbox.

Social Vulnerability

Census tracts where the concentration vulnerable populations falls in the top quartile (25 percent) of Boston tracts. Social vulnerability is defined as the disproportionate susceptibility of some social groups to the impacts of hazards, including death, injury, loss, or disruption of livelihood. Groups identified as being more vulnerable are older adults, children, people of color, people with limited English proficiency, people with low or no incomes, people with disabilities, and people with medical illnesses.

Source: 2008-2012 American Community Survey 5-year Estimates.