In 2016 Rutgers University convened a New Jersey Science and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) on Sea-Level Rise and Changing Coastal Storms on behalf of the New Jersey Climate Change Alliance to synthesize for practitioners the most recent climate science needed to inform efforts to increase the resilience of New Jersey’s people, places, and assets (including infrastructure, communities and natural resources) to regional sea-level rise (SLR), changing coastal storms and the resulting flood risk.
The State of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection engaged Rutgers to conduct new consultations with panels of scientists and practitioners to update its 2016 work to reflect the most recent climate science. Key updates in the new report include the addition of historical sea-level rise information for New Jersey; consideration of the latest information related to ice-sheets changes and their effect on sea-level rise; and assessment of increasing tidal flooding under sea-level rise.
On December 12 the NJDEP released the STAP Report, which projects dramatic sea-level rise in New Jersey. According to the report, sea-level in New Jersey could rise from 2000 levels by up to 1.1 feet by 2030, 2.1 feet by 2050, and 6.3 feet by 2100, underscoring the urgency of the Murphy Administration’s adaptation work to make the state more resilient to the effects of climate change. The report also shows that New Jersey has already been disproportionately affected by climate change—sea-level rise projections in New Jersey are more than two times the global average.
Download the full report, New Jersey’s Rising Seas and Changing Coastal Storms: Report of the 2019 Science and Technical Advisory Panel (PDF)
Download the two page summary, Summary of New Jersey’s Rising Seas and Changing Coastal Storms: A Summary of the 2019 Science and Technical Advisory Panel
Visit the Rutgers Climate Institute website for more information and to download the 2016 report and related documents.
The New Jersey Climate Change Alliance (NJCCA) is a collective of organizations and individuals that share the goal of advancing science-informed climate change strategies and policy at the state and local levels in New Jersey. The Alliance is facilitated by Rutgers University through the Rutgers Climate Institute and the Bloustein School.