Overview

The Inundation Analysis Tool is a web-based tool that analyzes how frequently and for how long high tide events have historically occurred, allowing users to better understand saltwater inundation and flooding trends for certain elevations and locations. Users select the site (must be a NOAA CO-OPS tide station), time period of interest, and the elevation for inundation pattern analysis (e.g., mean high water, mean tide level). The Inundation Analysis Tool generates a master table of tide events that have inundated the elevation of interest, as well as three different graphical representations to allow users to explore flooding patterns in more detail. Inundation frequency and duration patterns can be integrated into coastal planning efforts to increase the flood resilience of a variety of projects, such as marsh or aquatic system restoration, infrastructure projects, emergency and/or disaster management planning, land use planning, and other activities.

Example in use: The Inundation Analysis Tool was used in a marsh restoration project at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland. Project partners used this tool to estimate how much time marsh vegetation spends submerged, which informed the suite of species planted as a part of the restoration effort. Planting species that can tolerate projected and recorded conditions helped make the marsh resilient to flooding damage and invasive species colonization, maintaining important ecosystem services and wildlife habitat.

Phase of Adaptation: Awareness, Assessment, Planning, Monitoring

Audience

Land managers, water utility managers, natural resource managers, local authorities, planners, policymakers, engineers, scientists, public