Mapping and Tools

2020 Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge Recommendations

• A report by the Maine Climate Council's Scientific and Technical Subcommittee (MCC’s STS) 

• Recommendations for Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge (pg. 11-12 )

• The Scientific Assessment of Climate Change and Its Effects in Maine Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge Chapter (pg. 70)

Updated 2024 Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge Recommendations

• A report by MCC’s STS 

• See pg. 93 for reviewed updated SLR scenario w/"commit to manage" scenarios

• See pg. 95 for new guidance for planning applications at specific locations

The City of Portland, Maine GIS FEMA Flood Map Viewer

South Portland | AxisGIS Mapping

Understanding Coastal Flooding in South Portland

Sea Level Rise/Storm Surge Interactive Map

Green Space

Maine Healthy Beaches

• The Maine Healthy Beaches Program (MHB) is a partnership between the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and local municipalities/state parks

Maine Rivers

Significant Wildlife Habitat: Significant Vernal Pool Habitat

• Natural Resources Protection Act (NRPA), Maine Department of Environmental Protection

Urban Heat Island Mapping Project (GMRI)

U.S Sea Level Change Website

Reports

• Maine Won’t Wait

• Maine Won't Wait Dashboard

• Maine Won't Wait December 2022 Progress Report

• Maine Won't Wait December 2020

• Maine Won't Wait - Flip Through Edition

• Maine Won't Wait Executive Summary

• Major Updates to Maine’s Climate Action Plan (Maine Conservation Voters, September 2024)

• Update: Next Four Years (November 2024)

• ACS Commuting / Journey to Work 

• ASLA Climate Action Plan

• BSLA Fieldbook | CLIMATE

• The Circularity Gap Report 2024

• Climate Resilience Game Changers Assessment (Biden-Harris Administration, July 2024)

• Climate Strategies that Work (US DOT)

• Coastal Flooding Community Science (GMRI)

• Commercial Street Operations + Master Plan (City of Portland)

• Community Profiles (Island Institute)

• National Resilience Guidance: A Collaborative Approach to Building Resilience (FEMA, August 2024)

• Greater Portland Metro Data Dashboard

• Landscape Architecture Solutions to Extreme Heat

• Maine Climate Council Special Resilience Meeting (January 2024)

• Maine Climate Council Working Group 2024 Draft Strategies (June 2024)

• Maine Community Resilience Workbook (May, 2023)

• Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission’s Sea Run Special Report (MITSC, February 2023)

  • Wabanaki Experiences and Perspectives on “Our Shared Ocean”: Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission Special Report Sea Run (Anthony Sutton, et al. 2023)

• Maine State Economist - Build Your Own Datasheet

• Nature Positive: Guidelines for the Transition in Cities

• The Preparedness Payoff: The Economic Benefits of Investing in Climate Resilience (U.S. Chamber of Commerce, June 2024)

• Reflecting on the recent history of coastal Maine fisheries and marine resource monitoring: the value of collaborative research, changing ecosystems, and thoughts on preparing for the future (Waller, et al. August 2023)

• Scientific Assessment of Climate Change and Its Effects in Maine

• Sea Level Rise Guide (Yale Climate Connections)

• State of Casco Bay Report

• Surfrider Foundation's 2023 State of the Beach Report Exposes Climate Crisis on Our Coasts

• UGA Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems

• Underfinanced. Underprepared – Inadequate investment and planning on climate adaptation leaves world exposed (UNEP’s Adaptation Gap Report, 2023)

• 2021 Waterfront Working Group Report

• Biodiversity Resource Guide, Landscape Architecture Foundation

• Looming Deadlines for Coastal Resilience: Rising Seas, Disruptive Tides, and Risks to Coastal Infrastructure (Union of Concerned Scientists, June 25, 2024)

• Begin Again: reckoning with intolerance in Maine (Maine Memory Network of the Maine Historical Society)

Portland, Maine

• The Complete City: Mapping Portland

• Sustainable Landcare programs

• Coastal Flooding Community Science

• Community Composting Program

• 2017 Downtown Parking Study 

• Electrify Everything!

• EV Charging in Portland

• Go Solar program

• Land Use Code Evaluation

• Metro Ridership Data

• Portland Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee

• Portland Transportation Center Study

  • Executive Summary and Final Report (2021)

• ReCode Portland

  • The Climate Resilience Overlay Zoning

  • CR1 Resilient Buildings and Neighborhoods

• Sustainable Landcare programs

• Instagram @sustainableportlandme

South Portland

• South Portland Online Museum and Research Library

• Electrify Everything!

• Coastal Resilience project, story map, and dynamic flood model

• Current Bicycle & Pedestrian Initiatives

• EV Charging Grant Program

• Food Waste Recycling Program

• Help shape the future of South Portland!

• Our Sustainable City: Energy sources, coastal resilience and energy transitioning (Jenna D’arcy, April 2024)

• South Portland 2040 Resource Page

• The South Portland Electric Tool Library (SPETL)

• South Portland Sustainability Linktree

• 100 Resilient Yards

• Preparing for Very Hot Weather (Maine CDC)

• Instagram @soposustainability

  • South Portland Sustainability Linktree

Climate Resilience

• CENTER FOR AN ECOLOGY-BASED ECONOMY

• Climate action guide for urban planners (C40

• Cultivating Community

• Gulf of Maine Research Institute

• Indigenous Knowledge Systems Initiative Working Syllabus

• Maine Climate Impact Dashboard 

• maine environmental education association

• Maine Won't Wait (4 Year Plan for Climate Action, Dec 2020)

• Nature Based Education Consortium

• Natural Resources Council of Maine Youtube Channel

• One Climate Future (Joint Climate Action Plan for Portland and South Portland) 

• Maine Community Resilience Partnership (Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future)

• Resilience Guidance for Charleston

• A global coalition forging coral reef resilience (Race to Resilience, June 2024)

• The Architectural Designer Planning Climate-Friendly Buildings for a Resilient Future (Time, October 2023)

  • Alyssa-Amor Gibbons: How to design climate-resilient buildings (TEDx Talk)

• Are Floating Cities the Solution to Rising Seas? (New York Times, May 2024)

• ASLA survey finds increased demand for nature-based solutions to climate change among landscape architects (Archinect, June 2024)

• A Tale of Two Sea Level Rise Solutions (Claire Greenburger, February 2024)

• Baltimore Project Brings Together Environmental Resilience and Community Development (Maryland Department of Natural Resources, June 2024)

• Building Coastal Resiliency (National Park Service)

• Coastal Flooding: Storms and Sea Level Rise (Gulf of Maine Research Institute, January 2024)

• Coastal Climate Messaging Essentials: It’s All in the Telling (National Parks Service, August 2024)

• Community-Based Conservation in Papua New Guinea: Challenges and Opportunities (Yale Alumni Academy, 2021)

• Down the drain, and then what? (Island Institute, March 2024)

• FAQ: Sea Level Rise and California (Scripps, January 2024)

• Governor Hochul Announces Investments in Long Island Resiliency Projects to Protect Communities from Extreme Weather (Governor Hochul’s Office, January 2024)

• How Moon “Wobble” Affects Rising Tides (New York Times, July 2021)

• How Parking Reform Is Helping Transform American Cities (Yale Environment 360, January 2024)

• How the U.S. Plans to Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Its Buildings (Time, July 2024)

• Is coastal resiliency about re-building or retreating? Here's what's being considered. (Cape Cod Times, May 2024)

• Legislation Proposes a State-Wide Coastal Resiliency Plan in Rhode Island (Newport Buzz, January 2024)

• Madagascar: Climate Change in a Hypervariable Environment (Yale Alumni Academy, 2022)

• Maine Voices: A Trip to Fiji, Where Climate Change is Very Real (Portland Herald,  2023)

• Offshore wind’s blustery big picture (Island Institute, January 2024)

• Offshore wind threatens centuries of fishing (Island Institute, March 2024)

• Oyster Castles: Maryland's innovative defense against rising sea levels and erosion (CBS News Baltimore, December 2023)

• Study shows sea level rise threatens critical infrastructure on New Hampshire’s seacoast (WBUR, July 2024)

• ‘That conversation is coming’: South Coast towns may consider managed retreat, green infrastructure in response to rising seas (The Public’s Radio, June 2024)

• The Clean Energy Future Is Roiling Both Friends and Foes (New York Time, April 2023)

• The Shifting Sands of Hurricane Resilience (May Wang, October 2023)

• This River Is A Model (Lizzie Yarina, February 2024)

• Turning the Tide: Ocean Climate Action Next Steps (Middblebury Institute of International Studies, June 2024)

• Resilience Guidance for Charleston (Preservation Society of Charleston)

• When sea-level rise threatens coastal wetlands, don't look to rivers for help, scientists say (Phys.org, December 2023)

• Hurricanes Are Too Fast for Category 5 (Atlantic, February 2024)

• 4 Exciting New Possibilities for Concrete (Metropolis Magazine, September 2024)

• 8 Principles of a Regenerative Economy

Climate Justice

• Happy Climate

• Maine Youth for Climate Justice

• WHERE2024 (Atlantic Black Box, 2024)

• The Best Resources for More Meaningful Community Engagement (Metropolis Magazine, 2024)

  • NAACP Guidelines for Equitable Community Involvement in Building and Development Projects and Policies

  • AIA Equitable Development Frameworks

  • EDR’s Community Engagement Document

  • SEAM Certification

• Art therapy can ease climate-related anxiety (Yale Climate Connections, May 2024)

• Climate change is affecting mental health literally everywhere (Yale Climate Connections, May 2024)

• Climate Justice and Environmental Justice (Yale Alumni Academy, 2022)

• Confronting Place Ignorance in Education (Fiona Hopper, December 2020)

• Designing Spaces for Racial and Cultural Justice | Bryan C. Lee Jr., Design Principal, Colloqate (WRLDCTY, October 2023)

• Diversity & density: How can we embrace climate migration? (Annie Ropiek, May 2024)

• Environmental Justice: Beyond Sustainability (Yale Alumni Academy, March 2021)

• Global Warming, Emotional Responses, and Mental Health (Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, Spring 2024)

• Got climate anxiety? Taking action can be the right medicine. (Yale Climate Connections, July 2024)

• Healing to Wellness Court: Tradition, Justice, and Recovery in the Penobscot Nation (Maine Conservation Voters, September 2024)

• i am ákʷitən, the medicine tree vessel that carries our relatives (Open Waters, 2020)

• Increased demand for Indigenous-led architecture means challenging the norms of a colonial industry (Melanie Ritchot, May 2024)

• Indigenous Knowledge Systems Initiative Working Syllabus

• Indigenous, U.S., Canadian efforts restoring fish run (Island Institute, January 2024)

• In unincorporated communities, climate change worsens inequalities for BIPOC (Ray Levy Uyeda, October 2023)

• Is distress about climate change associated with climate action? (Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, August 2023)

• Language Keepers (PBS Videos)

• A New Film Calls Designers to Mimic Nature (Metropolis Magazine, September 2024)

• Penobscot Nation to Reclaim Ancestral Land in North Central Maine (Native News Online, November 2023)

• The prevalence of Climate Change Psychological Distress among American adults (Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, July 2023)

• The Problem with Problem Definition Mapping the Discursive Terrain of Conservation in Two Pacific Salmon Management Regimes (Syma Alexi Ebbin, 2011)

• The promise and pitfalls of ‘climatopias’ for building resilience in coastal communities (Emory News Center, September 2024)

• Promotion of Wabanaki cultural tourism gains momentum in Maine (Kelly Bouchard, May 2024)

• Saving ‘Salter’ Brook Trout (Ted Williams. Native Fish Coalition, December 2017)

• Team Zostera in Casco Bay

• The Cruelty of Hostile Architecture (Andrew Lee, August 2022)

• Washington Post - Opinion | In Maine, a return of tribal land shows how conservation can succeed (Bina, Venkataraman, November 2023)

• To Save the Amazon, What if We Listened to Those Living Within It? (Inside Climate, June 2024)

In the Press: Maine

• Dock Talk Podcast

• Portland eyes zoning overhaul to create more housing (GPCOG Podcast)

• Adaptive Fisheries: Climate Change (Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries)

• A fast-warming Gulf of Maine is rising faster than ever (Portland Press Herald, June 2024)

• A Maine lobster co-op looks to recover after storm ravages fishing pier (Bangor Daily News, January 2024)

• An Overview of Climate Effects on Forestland Biodiversity in Maine (Forest Climate Change Initiative)

• Beyond the bale: High-performance straw building panels (Green & Healthy Maine, May 2022)

• Building a welcoming, resilient Maine ahead of the climate crisis (Annie Ropeik, October 2023)

• Building a better waterfront: Castine replaces harbor deck with new material (Island Institute, September 2024)

• Can Maine’s coastal restaurants survive climate change? (Portland Press Herald, July 2024)

• Changes in the Gulf of Maine (Maine Public Radio, July 2024)

• City of Portland revises flood elevations and hazard areas for flood insurance rate maps (Maine Public, January 2024)

• Climate change, rising home costs converge to drive up Maine insurance rates (News Center Maine, July 2024)

• Coastal communities unite: tackling floods and environmental preservation on Sawyer Road/Street (Rebecca Richard, February 2024)

• Coastal Erosion - Frequently Asked Questions (Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry)

• Cracking the ‘ReCode’ that could decide Portland’s housing future (Spectrum News, June 2024)

• Environmental study allows Gulf of Maine offshore wind research lease to advance (AP News, June 2024)

• EPA officials discuss plans to clean up toxic sites from Maine's industrial past (AP News, June 2024)

• Erosion on Chebeague Island seen as warning to other coastal communities (Portland Press Herald, September 2023)

• Fish Out of Cold Water? (UNH Today, August 2022)

• From Augusta: Maine’s future depends on us saying “yes” to forward-thinking climate projects (Rep. Marc Malon, April 2024)

• Governor Mills Signs Executive Order to Establish Commission on Infrastructure Rebuilding and Resilience (Office of Governor Mills, May 2024)

• Gulf of Maine Research Institute study seeks to improve flood resiliency in coastal communities by tracking water levels (NewsCenter Maine, October 2023)

• How to make wetland crossings more resilient (Maine Monitor, August 2023)

• How vulnerable is Maine's coast to sea level rise and climate change? (Maine Public, June 2024)

• Intertidal: Preparing for a future with climate change (Portland Herald Press, January 2024)

• Island Institute Launches New Initiative to Support Maine’s Lobster Industry (Island Institute, September 2024)

• Island Journeys after the Storm (Island Institute, January 2024)

• Kelp farming off Maine waters could help to contribute to environmental sustainability (WMTW 8, June 2024)

• Letter: Cities should compete in ‘Battle for Urban Sustainability’ (Portland Press Herald, December 2023)

• Lobster apprenticeship program aims to diversify working waterfront (Portland Herald Press, September 2023)

• Low-lying wharf in Portland offers early glimpse at how coastal Mainers adapt to rising sea levels (Maine News Center, April 2024)

• Maine’s aging wastewater facilities adjust to meet new challenges (Bangor Daily News, May 2024)

• Maine isn’t prepared for a huge threat to its fishing industry (Bangor Daily News, April 2024)

• Maine oyster farmer stares down climate change, learns to adapt (Global Seafood Alliance, December 2017)

• Maine's Changing Climate: Do we have enough electricians to 'Electrify Everything?' (Maine News Center, April 2024)

• Maine's climate goals focus on job growth, diversity (Maine News Center, November 2023)

• Maine makes it easier to rebuild sand dunes flattened by January storms (Bangor Daily News, February 2024)

• Maine’s newest invasive species are here thanks to climate change (Bangor Daily News, August 2022)

• Maine's Next Generation Of Lobstermen Brace For Unprecedented Change (September 19, 2021 By Shannon Mullen)

• Maine’s salt marshes play key role in fight against climate change, new report says (Portland Press Herald, August 2023)

• More Maine towns are getting serious about planning for climate change (Bangor Daily News, December 2023)

• Midcoast scientists team up to save marsh habitats (Portland Press Herald, July 2024)

• Multiple Midcoast towns awarded planning grants supporting coastal resilience and access (Penobscot Bay Pilot, October 2023)

• Mussels, Kelp, and Climate Resilience: One approach to tackling ocean acidification (Salty Talks Podcast, September 2023)

• New research on the impacts of restrictions on the applicability of federal Indian policy to the Wabanaki Nations in Maine (Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, 2022)

• New science on Maine’s climate future and a call for hope (Annie Ropeik, March 2024)

• Pier Pressure: A low-lying wharf in Portland Harbor is a “living laboratory,” offering early glimpses of how coastal Mainers are adapting to a rising sea (The Maine Monitor, April 2024)

• Pingree Welcomes $1.3 Million for Coastal Resilience Projects in Maine (Office of Congresswoman Michelle Pingree, December 2023)

• Portland is updating its zoning laws. What does that mean? (Grace Benninghof, May 2024)

• Portland, Maine, could launch a ​‘trust fund’ to fight climate change (Annie Ropeik, May 2024)

• Over 450K heading to Maine coastal communities focusing on climate vulnerability (WABI5, July 2024)

• Roux Institute approved for new Portland campus at former baked bean factory site (Nicole Ogrysko, June 2024)

• Scarborough Takes Action To Bolster Resiliency of vulnerable Coastal Roads in Face of Rising Sea Levels (Press Herald, November 2023)

• Severe storms are dramatically changing Chebeague Island’s landscape (Bangor Daily News, August 2023)

• Southern Maine’s housing shortage is bad. The industrial one is worse. (Bangor Daily News, January 2024)

• South Portland and Portland downtowns are Maine’s hottest ‘heat islands’ (Portland Press Herald, July 2024)

• South Portland unites to tackle coastal resiliency after devastating storms (Rebecca Richard, February 2024)

• South Portland unveils new maps that detail what future flooding will look like in coming decades (Nicole Ogrysko, May 2024)

• Talk of the Towns series begins with climate resilience (Island Ad-Vantage, November 2023)

• The transformation of Portland’s eastern waterfront (Island Institute, June 2024)

• The Ebb and Flows of Maine’s Three-Port Strategy (Island Institute, January 2024)

• Want Your Community To Take Action On Ambitious Climate Goals? Follow What Maine Does (Carolyn Fortuna, May 2024)

• What happens when tides can't be held back any longer amid climate change? (Caroline Lecour, May 2024)

• Women of the waterfront (The Island Insititute, May 2024)

• 8 takeaways for the Northeast from the National Climate Assessment (Connecticut Public Radio, November 2023)

• The transformation of Portland’s eastern waterfront (Clarke Canfield for Island Institute, June 2024)

• Over $70M in federal dollars coming to Maine for coastal resilience, rural energy (Maine Morning Star, July 2024)

Books

• Bold Visions - edited by Theo H.B.M. Holtwijk & Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr.

• California Against the Sea: Visions for Our Vanishing Coastline by Rosanna Xia

• Floodscapes by Frederic Rossano

• The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet by Jeff Goodell

• Inventing Disaster: The Culture of Calamity from the Jamestown Colony to the Johnstown Flood by Cynthia Kierner

• Life as We Know It (Can Be) by Bill Weir

• The Lobster Gangs of Maine by James M. Acheson

• Material Health: Design Frontiers by Jonsara Ruth

• The Moorings of Mackerel Sky: A Novel by MZ

• Nature Based Solutions for Cities by McPhearson, et al.

• Not the End of the World: How We Can be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet by Hannah Ritchie

• Our Maine by Aram Calhoun, Malcolm Hunter and Kent Redford

• Pamphlet Architecture 36: Buoyant Clarity by Shawna Michelle, et al.

• Ricanstruction: Reminiscing & Rebuilding Puerto Rico by Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, et al.

• Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action by Dana R. Fisher

• Sea Change: An Atlas of Islands in a Rising Ocean by Christina Gerhardt

• Solvable How We Healed the Earth, and How We Can Do It Again by Susan Solomon

• Shinrin Yoku: The Art of Japanese Forest Bathing by Professor Yoshifumi Miyazaki

• The Nature Fix by Florence Williams

• The Great Displacement (forthcoming from Simon & Schuste) by Jake Bittle

• With a Little Kelp from My Friends by Mathew Bate

Videos

• NE CASC YouTube Channel

• A Brief History of the Future (PBS)

• Audubon ~ Dr. Hannah Baranes & Andrew Allyn, Rising Seas & Warming Waters- Climate Stresses to Gulf of Maine Marine Species

• Biocentrics Film (2022)

• Climate Activism Without Burnout: Evidence-Based Practices to Improve Well-Being (Yale Science Communications, September 2024)

  • Lecture Key Takeaways

• How to build a resilient future using ancient wisdom (June 2020, Julia Watson, Lo-TEK Institute)

• Coffee & Climate: Bird Safe Maine with Addy Smith-Reiman (City of Portland Sustainability Office, September 2024)

• Coffee and Climate: Environmental Justice (City of Portland, ME Sustainability Office, November 2023)

• Coffee & Climate: Our Energy Port (City of Portland, ME, April 2024)

• Coffee and Climate: Urban Heat and the Power of Trees (City of Portland, ME, August 2024)

• Current Climate Moment: The Movement toward Deep Decarbonization (Yale Alumni Academy, 2021)

• Discover the WHERE2024 Project with Meadow Dibble and Lilah Akin (Maine Conservation Voters)

• Ever-Changing Casco Bay (Friends of Casco Bay, November 2023)

• February High Tides: Gathering Scientific Data 1/31/2024 (Gulf of Maine Research Institute, January 2024)

• Gulf of Maine, Explained: The Warming Gulf of Maine (GMRI, February 2019)

• Gulf of Maine Flood Hazard: From Theoretical to Community-Collaborative Research (Hannah Baranes, March 2023)

• Hope in the Water Series (PBS)

• January 2024 Storm Damage to Maine Lighthouses (American Lighthouse Foundation, January 2024)

• Mitigating the Public Health Effects of Climate Change (Yale Alumni Academy, 2021)

• Offshore Wind: Revisit the Conversation and Comment (Friends of Casco Bay, January 2022)

• Reflections on the Maine Climate Council Meeting (Island Institute, September 2023)

• Storm Response in Action: Maine’s Climate Action Plan and the Science that Supports It (Island Institute, November 2024)

• Tekαkαpimək Rising: the Remarkable Story of Creating a Welcome Center at Katahdin Woods and Waters (Maine Conservation Voters, September 2024)

• Spring 2022 UTSOA Lecture Series: Alan Organschi, “Building the Regenerative City” (Texas Architecture, March 2022)

• Storm Recovery and Resources (Gulf of Maine Research Institute, 2024)

• The State of Maine’s Lakes and What You Can Do To Help (Maine Audubon, April 2023)

• 2023 Evening for the Environment featuring a conversation with Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson (Maine Conservation Voters, October 2023)

• Water as Inspiration: Art and Casco Bay (Friends of Casco Bay, March 2023)

• Webinar Recording: Storm Science | Understanding the New Normal (Island Institute, January 2024)

• Maine and the West Indies Trade, a talk with Historian Seth Goldstein (Maine Historical Society, February 2024)

• Sea Change: Bounty in the Gulf of Maine | Full Documentary | NOVA PBS Official (July 2024)