Coastal cities around the world are exploring engineered approaches to defend against extreme storms and the resulting surges of ocean water that cause massive flooding. Storm surge barriers are one option to minimize flooding and protect people and property; however, their impacts on estuary ecosystems are poorly understood.

About this resource

This project overview describes a catalyst project that began in the fall of 2018. When this project began, an initiative was underway to consider the construction of a gated storm surge barrier to protect the New York metropolitan area.To explore the potential impacts, this project modeled and analyzed the physical influences of surge barriers and hosted a series of workshops to synthesize and share results. The project amplified existing collaborative science, gave scientists and community stakeholders a more robust understanding of surge barrier effects on the Hudson River and its wetlands, and identified priorities for future research.

The project overview details the project approach, benefits, products and next steps.