Ten years ago, Superstorm Sandy rocked the Eastern Seaboard from Maine to Florida, destroying homes, flooding communities, and taking lives. Its aftermath revealed the vulnerability and challenged the viability of coastal communities. But in Sandy’s wake, Rutgers led the search for solutions.
Kenneth Miller, a Rutgers expert in global warming and sea-level change, has warned that New Jersey needs to prepare for at least a three-foot rise by 2100. For some shore communities, rebuilding may be worth it. But others are being left out entirely.
With drones hovering overhead and lasers beaming from a Rutgers van, engineering professor Jie Gongis generates maps of New Jersey’s roadways and towns to predict flooding and other threats to infrastructure and buildings.
New Jersey towns bearing the brunt of climate change have turned to Rutgers ecologist Brooke Maslo to redevelop shore property and flood-prone areas into meadows, marshlands, and forests, through a state initiative known as Blue Acres.
Using funding awarded by the National Science Foundation, Rutgers professor Robert Kopp is training graduate students to develop and conduct research that addresses real-world climate challenges.
As Sandy approached, Rutgers oceanographer Travis Miles journeyed off the New Jersey coast in rough seas to launch a robot to gather data from the storm-infused waves. The mission later prompted partnerships with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Weather Service, the U.S. Navy and 40 other institutions.
Members of the Rutgers community personally experienced the impact of Superstorm Sandy all across New Jersey. Take a look back at images of the intense damage and inspiring recovery shared by faculty, staff, and others.
Sign up to receive climate news and action updates from the Rutgers Climate Institute, New Jersey Climate Change Alliance, and NJ Climate Change Resource Center, and learn more about the ways Rutgers is working to address climate change.
Rutgers experts discuss critical climate research in media outlets across New Jersey and beyond.
