Superfund sites are toxic sites contaminated with hazardous materials known to cause adverse effects in human and animal populations. Of particular concern, are sites in coastal areas that are projected to see increases in the frequency and intensity of flooding as sea levels rise. With increased flooding comes increased risk of water and soil contamination from superfunds as well as increased vulnerability of surrounding communities and ecosystems. To better understand the vulnerability of ecosystems around coastal superfund sites, we determined how many superfund sites are likely to flood under various climate change scenarios through the year 2100. Utilizing the bathtub model, we use tide gauge data as well as multiple NOAA sea level rise estimates (2017) to model extreme flooding along the East and Gulf Coast across time (2040, 2060, 2080, and 2100). The extent of the flooding produced by these methods allowed us to determine the number of superfund sites and nearby communities at ecosystems that could be at-risk of flooding and subsequent toxic contamination.
Results/Conclusions
Preliminary analysis showed that across the East and Gulf coast of the United States there are 262 superfund sites vulnerable to flooding as a result of their close proximity to the coast and approximately 100 sites are likely to flood by 2100 under the highest sea-level rise scenario. When we expand the search radius to account for the area of different superfund sites, the number of flooded sites increases to approximately 115. These flooded areas include a variety of ecosystems including wetlands, salt-marsh estuaries, and urban ecosystems among others. While these ecosystems are already expected to be negatively affected by climate change, the potential for chemical contamination from superfund sites increases the vulnerability of these areas. There are a number of threatened and endangered species found in these regions including the Venus fly trap, peregrine falcon, bald eagle, and Florida panther among others. The increased potential for flooding of coastal superfund sites brought about by climate change has the potential to further threaten species and ecosystems already at-risk due to the changing climate.