1 00:00:05,640 --> 00:00:08,370 When you think of sea level rise and NASA, 2 00:00:08,490 --> 00:00:10,260 if that's the kind of thing you think about, 3 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:14,670 I feel like it's only natural to imagine scientists pouring over satellite data, 4 00:00:14,700 --> 00:00:18,210 trying to better understand what's happening and what the future might look like 5 00:00:18,211 --> 00:00:19,080 on our coasts, 6 00:00:19,470 --> 00:00:23,400 including right here where I live in the Hampton roads area of Virginia. Uh, 7 00:00:23,430 --> 00:00:27,840 my name is Joe Atkinson and I'm a science communicator at NASA's Langley 8 00:00:27,841 --> 00:00:28,770 Research Center. 9 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:33,420 This area is one of the hot spots for sea level rise in the country. 10 00:00:33,421 --> 00:00:36,630 Even on a beautiful, gorgeous, sunny day, 11 00:00:36,631 --> 00:00:41,250 we can have nuisance flooding just because of a high tide, 12 00:00:42,150 --> 00:00:46,560 but we'll get back to this area later. And specifically NASA Langley. 13 00:00:46,980 --> 00:00:51,390 The thing is, even as scientists are studying sea level rise, 14 00:00:51,930 --> 00:00:55,170 the agency itself is having to confront the reality of it. 15 00:00:55,171 --> 00:00:59,340 It has field centers and coastal communities around the country. 16 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:03,810 I wanted to find out how seriously NASA is taking this threat. 17 00:01:03,990 --> 00:01:08,460 So I got in touch with a guy whose job it is to worry about this kind of stuff. 18 00:01:08,970 --> 00:01:13,350 Uh, his name is Calvin Williams and he is the associate administrator for NASA's 19 00:01:13,380 --> 00:01:15,360 Office of Strategic Infrastructure. 20 00:01:15,860 --> 00:01:17,660 First of all, I like to say, thank you, Joseph, 21 00:01:17,661 --> 00:01:20,210 for the opportunity to speak to you about this. 22 00:01:20,690 --> 00:01:25,070 Sea level rise is a very major concern for us. Uh, 23 00:01:25,370 --> 00:01:29,810 we have about two thirds of our NASA facilities 24 00:01:30,290 --> 00:01:33,320 are within 16 feet of sea level, 25 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:38,030 and that comes to about $20 billion value of, uh, 26 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:38,630 infrastructure. 27 00:01:38,630 --> 00:01:39,021 That we have. 28 00:01:39,021 --> 00:01:43,730 Now that long list of facilities includes Kennedy Space 29 00:01:43,731 --> 00:01:47,210 Center in Florida, Johnson Space Center in Texas, 30 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:51,860 Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana, 31 00:01:52,100 --> 00:01:54,320 Ames Research Center in California, 32 00:01:54,530 --> 00:01:58,820 and Wallops Flight Facility and NASA Langley right here in Virginia. We have. 33 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:03,860 Estimates that within the next 60 years or so that there could be 34 00:02:03,861 --> 00:02:07,190 potential four feet rise in sea level. 35 00:02:07,460 --> 00:02:10,790 And so therefore we are trying to take measures now. 36 00:02:11,270 --> 00:02:15,740 Now in broad terms, that means moving to higher ground or, you know, 37 00:02:15,741 --> 00:02:20,180 making facilities more resilient. At two of NASA's launch sites, 38 00:02:20,181 --> 00:02:24,650 resiliency equals the movement of lots and lots of sand. 39 00:02:25,820 --> 00:02:30,380 Um, for example, we have done some reconstruction work at Wallops, um, 40 00:02:30,410 --> 00:02:32,930 and also at KSC where we have, um, 41 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:36,800 stabilized the shoreline and the dunes there. 42 00:02:37,250 --> 00:02:41,300 And that's something that we have to, uh, replenish, uh, 43 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:43,130 approximately every five years. 44 00:02:43,670 --> 00:02:48,590 So you have to wonder, is this something that would keep Calvin up at night? 45 00:02:49,070 --> 00:02:49,880 Well, it is. 46 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:52,010 Yeah, at the top of our lists, uh, 47 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:56,600 definitely at the centers that are on the coastal areas. Uh, 48 00:02:56,601 --> 00:03:00,310 we want to make sure that we are taking the necessary steps to ensure. 49 00:03:00,310 --> 00:03:04,060 That, uh, in the future we have launch facilities, 50 00:03:04,390 --> 00:03:08,380 research facilities that can continue the mission of NASA. 51 00:03:08,910 --> 00:03:13,440 Now Calvin talked about the beach replenishment efforts at Wallops and Kennedy 52 00:03:13,441 --> 00:03:14,910 Space Center. Um, 53 00:03:14,940 --> 00:03:18,720 but I kind of wanted to dig a little deeper and find out what's happening at two 54 00:03:18,721 --> 00:03:22,620 of NASA's research centers Ames on the West coast. 55 00:03:22,621 --> 00:03:26,190 And of course I wanted to know what's happening here at Langley on the East 56 00:03:26,191 --> 00:03:30,540 coast. Um, since I work at Langley, I knew exactly who to go to. 57 00:03:30,870 --> 00:03:32,340 And that's Loretta Kelemen. 58 00:03:32,341 --> 00:03:35,880 She is the director of Langley's Center Operations Directorate. 59 00:03:36,390 --> 00:03:40,440 Certainly we are a, uh, a coastal, uh, center it's on the coast. 60 00:03:40,441 --> 00:03:43,530 We're surrounded by two rivers, um, the, uh, 61 00:03:43,531 --> 00:03:46,860 the York River and the James River and along with the Chesapeake Bay. 62 00:03:46,861 --> 00:03:51,450 So a lot of opportunity for flooding and for sea level rise to present 63 00:03:51,451 --> 00:03:53,700 itself as a problem, uh, for our center. 64 00:03:54,180 --> 00:03:57,570 And so this is a big issue for us and certainly one we've been addressing for 65 00:03:57,571 --> 00:03:58,950 some time. Now. 66 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:03,780 Conservative estimates show about a 15 inch rise in sea level at Langley by 67 00:04:03,781 --> 00:04:06,600 2080, uh, more extreme estimates, 68 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:10,080 push that number as high as 49 inches or about four feet. 69 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:13,800 The center uses a flood tool as sort of a, I guess, like a crystal ball. 70 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:20,250 This tool, great tool developed by our geospatial information systems folks, 71 00:04:20,551 --> 00:04:21,990 our GIS team, uh, 72 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:26,940 that allows us to visually picture the rising sea level and which facilities 73 00:04:26,941 --> 00:04:27,900 and areas are affected. 74 00:04:28,380 --> 00:04:29,430 In 2011, 75 00:04:29,431 --> 00:04:32,970 following a study that highlighted some of Langley's biggest vulnerabilities, 76 00:04:32,971 --> 00:04:33,421 the center, 77 00:04:33,421 --> 00:04:37,560 which is actually NASA's oldest - it's just over a hundred years old now - began 78 00:04:37,561 --> 00:04:42,090 taking action in the form of a major revitalization effort. Um, 79 00:04:42,450 --> 00:04:47,370 this effort aims to shrink and consolidate Langley's campus and minimize those 80 00:04:47,371 --> 00:04:48,450 vulnerabilities. 81 00:04:49,420 --> 00:04:53,580 We've been demolishing facilities that are in highly vulnerable areas and 82 00:04:53,581 --> 00:04:56,340 building all of our new facilities and consolidating a lot of our, 83 00:04:56,790 --> 00:05:01,770 our missions into, uh, fewer facilities at our higher elevations. And, 84 00:05:02,100 --> 00:05:06,180 and for us, uh, at NASA Langley, our higher elevation is around 12 foot. 85 00:05:06,630 --> 00:05:09,240 And so we're not very high here. Further. 86 00:05:09,630 --> 00:05:14,130 Complicating the issue at Langley is a phenomenon known as subsidence. Um, 87 00:05:14,340 --> 00:05:15,360 the ground, 88 00:05:15,630 --> 00:05:20,250 the center sits on is slowly sinking by about 2.2 millimeters a year. 89 00:05:20,550 --> 00:05:20,821 Now, 90 00:05:20,821 --> 00:05:25,800 if you add that to the 4.6 millimeters of sea level rise a year, 91 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:27,450 uh, let me do the math here. 92 00:05:27,451 --> 00:05:32,430 You're actually getting about 6.8 millimeters of relative sea level 93 00:05:32,431 --> 00:05:37,050 rise a year at Langley - currently. The center isn't taking any chances, 94 00:05:37,500 --> 00:05:40,500 uh, they can't pack up and head for the mountains, of course, 95 00:05:40,501 --> 00:05:45,270 but in addition to squeezing the campus onto the highest possible ground, 96 00:05:45,870 --> 00:05:47,840 they're also making really smart construction choices. 97 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:49,561 The, 98 00:05:49,561 --> 00:05:53,700 study that we did in 2011 of course recommended that when we build all of our 99 00:05:53,970 --> 00:05:57,410 first floor elevations to 10 foot, six inch minimums, 100 00:05:57,411 --> 00:06:00,950 and that goes into our design requirements for all of our new facilities. 101 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:05,200 For Loretta sea level rise, isn't just a work concern. 102 00:06:05,201 --> 00:06:09,760 It's a personal concern too. Uh, she and her family live right on the water, 103 00:06:10,690 --> 00:06:13,900 but the communities in Hampton roads are taking the issue seriously. 104 00:06:13,901 --> 00:06:17,650 And the federal agencies are too. So she takes heart in that, 105 00:06:17,651 --> 00:06:21,310 not just as a federal employee, but also as a private citizen. 106 00:06:22,660 --> 00:06:24,490 I am I'm on the water. Always say, 107 00:06:24,491 --> 00:06:27,460 I'm on the water or I'm in the water depending on the storm that day. 108 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:32,110 So you just never know. So it is a little personal and a little, um, 109 00:06:32,830 --> 00:06:36,040 drives a little anxiety, but I'm very encouraged by, um, 110 00:06:36,070 --> 00:06:38,950 certainly the work that the city of Hampton's doing. And I think, uh, 111 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:42,250 the things that they'll do, uh, will continue to support, uh, 112 00:06:42,280 --> 00:06:45,940 and they're very engaged in the federal community here in Hampton. 113 00:06:45,941 --> 00:06:48,640 And I think all the things that they're doing are going to help our center as 114 00:06:48,641 --> 00:06:52,360 well to try to move water, move water out in a way, you know, from the, 115 00:06:52,780 --> 00:06:53,530 from the city. 116 00:06:53,530 --> 00:06:54,310 Okay. 117 00:06:54,310 --> 00:06:58,750 So now we're going to move all the way across the country to Ames Research 118 00:06:58,751 --> 00:07:00,910 Center, which is in Mountain View, California, 119 00:07:00,911 --> 00:07:04,990 right in the heart of Silicon Valley at the southern end of the San Francisco 120 00:07:04,991 --> 00:07:07,180 Bay. Now, when I reached out to Ames, 121 00:07:07,181 --> 00:07:09,760 they put me in touch with a guy named Garrett Turner. 122 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:14,530 He is the restoration program manager in the Environmental Management Division 123 00:07:14,531 --> 00:07:18,550 at Ames. And when Garrett thinks of sea level rise at Ames, 124 00:07:18,551 --> 00:07:23,020 he thinks back to 1998 and a series of storms that moved through the area. 125 00:07:23,290 --> 00:07:27,550 Now this gave officials at Ames a big scare because it flooded the north end of 126 00:07:27,551 --> 00:07:32,530 the center and threatened to inundate a telecommunication gateway facility 127 00:07:32,531 --> 00:07:33,100 there, 128 00:07:33,100 --> 00:07:37,120 which actually would have shut down the internet for all of Silicon Valley. 129 00:07:37,660 --> 00:07:41,470 We managed to keep that from happening by getting a lot of 130 00:07:41,890 --> 00:07:45,310 employees, uh, both civil servants and contractors, 131 00:07:45,311 --> 00:07:47,290 to go and put sandbags out. 132 00:07:47,770 --> 00:07:51,670 And then we were able to pump some of the water in the channels 133 00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:57,370 over a levee into Stevens Creek. Um, after that, 134 00:07:57,371 --> 00:08:01,600 we kind of decided that we needed to have a proactive, uh, 135 00:08:01,620 --> 00:08:03,820 way of at least addressing big storms. 136 00:08:03,970 --> 00:08:06,700 Now much like Langley, um, Ames, 137 00:08:06,701 --> 00:08:09,820 which is the second oldest NASA field center, 138 00:08:10,150 --> 00:08:12,730 decided it needed to look to higher ground. 139 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:17,080 That decision was based on hundred year sea level rise projections. 140 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:21,610 We are now requiring a much higher minimum elevation 141 00:08:22,210 --> 00:08:24,640 for a new facility that gets built. 142 00:08:24,641 --> 00:08:29,320 So we have these little top up areas and our master plan has 143 00:08:29,321 --> 00:08:33,490 envisioned taking facilities that are in that a hundred year flood, 144 00:08:33,491 --> 00:08:37,960 plain and relocating them and relocating the entire campus 145 00:08:38,290 --> 00:08:39,310 farther south, 146 00:08:39,490 --> 00:08:44,230 which is several feet higher and has a 147 00:08:44,231 --> 00:08:47,740 much lower expected impact from sea level rise. 148 00:08:48,190 --> 00:08:49,570 There is a wrinkle here. 149 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:53,470 It's not just the bay that's a problem at Ames. 150 00:08:53,680 --> 00:08:58,230 There's an old system of salt ponds and levees nearby that date back to the 19th 151 00:08:58,231 --> 00:09:00,570 century. And they further complicate things. 152 00:09:00,571 --> 00:09:03,810 And it's not a problem that Ames can just deal with on its own. 153 00:09:04,340 --> 00:09:09,110 Levee maintenance is outside of NASA's property and we can't go 154 00:09:09,111 --> 00:09:12,440 and fix all of these and keep them, uh, 155 00:09:12,470 --> 00:09:16,340 from pouring water into, uh, into NASA. 156 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:20,330 One thing they're doing is working with the local water district. 157 00:09:20,780 --> 00:09:25,250 We're working on trying to figure out how we can reinforce those 158 00:09:25,251 --> 00:09:29,630 levees and potentially raise them that we have kind of 159 00:09:29,870 --> 00:09:33,950 a bicycling and walking trail, the bay trail that goes around. 160 00:09:34,190 --> 00:09:37,970 They'll have to look to their neighbors on either side for help too. 161 00:09:38,750 --> 00:09:42,920 If we protect the levees immediately in front of us and they do nothing with 162 00:09:42,921 --> 00:09:43,754 theirs, 163 00:09:43,940 --> 00:09:47,990 we end up with the water just going over their levee and then coming in. 164 00:09:48,380 --> 00:09:53,240 So this is going to have to be a partnership kind of regional with 165 00:09:53,270 --> 00:09:57,980 other stakeholders to make sure that we can come up with a strategy that 166 00:09:57,981 --> 00:10:00,290 works for all of us. 167 00:10:00,980 --> 00:10:05,750 One of those strategies is actually to turn those old salt ponds into wetlands, 168 00:10:06,020 --> 00:10:08,930 which would help slow the effects of sea level rise. 169 00:10:09,350 --> 00:10:12,350 It would also be a return of sorts to what once was. 170 00:10:12,950 --> 00:10:17,300 Civil engineers have it perfectly in the early 19 hundreds - we drained all the 171 00:10:17,301 --> 00:10:20,570 swamps. Now we're creating wetlands. 172 00:10:20,571 --> 00:10:22,430 It's kind of reversing what we did before. 173 00:10:22,431 --> 00:10:24,380 So it's all part of the same training. 174 00:10:26,090 --> 00:10:28,280 We've had a little change of scenery here. 175 00:10:28,281 --> 00:10:32,360 Obviously I wanted to wrap things up on my front porch here in Hampton. 176 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:37,220 We're just a few blocks in from the water and we're on relatively high 177 00:10:37,221 --> 00:10:38,510 ground. Still, 178 00:10:38,660 --> 00:10:43,220 worst case longterm sea level rise projections would have me 179 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:45,260 sitting in the water here, um, 180 00:10:45,290 --> 00:10:50,210 and even minor to moderate projections are pretty bad news for some folks right 181 00:10:50,211 --> 00:10:54,590 here in this neighborhood, just a few miles across the water in Norfolk, 182 00:10:54,591 --> 00:10:56,060 that way, 183 00:10:56,420 --> 00:11:00,410 the high tide nuisance flooding I mentioned back at the beginning of this video, 184 00:11:01,250 --> 00:11:05,930 um, is already encroaching regularly on urban areas and 185 00:11:05,990 --> 00:11:10,370 frequently makes city streets a gamble for drivers in all, 186 00:11:10,371 --> 00:11:11,990 but the tallest vehicles. 187 00:11:12,860 --> 00:11:16,160 And so just as these coastal cities are having to deal with these wet realities, 188 00:11:16,161 --> 00:11:20,210 so too is NASA. Uh, 189 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:21,740 when I set out to do this, 190 00:11:21,741 --> 00:11:26,630 I really had very little idea what NASA was doing to deal with sea level 191 00:11:26,631 --> 00:11:28,490 rise itself. Um, 192 00:11:28,550 --> 00:11:32,270 now after talking to Calvin and Loretta and Garrett, 193 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:37,310 I realize that there's a lot going on. In some cases, 194 00:11:37,311 --> 00:11:40,310 there are things that centers can do similarly, 195 00:11:40,311 --> 00:11:43,400 like move facilities to higher ground to help, 196 00:11:43,550 --> 00:11:46,460 but there's really no one size fits all approach. 197 00:11:46,490 --> 00:11:49,430 Every place has its unique consideration. 198 00:11:49,431 --> 00:11:54,370 Ames has the levees and salt ponds, Langley has subsidence, 199 00:11:54,760 --> 00:11:58,390 uh, Kennedy, and Wallops have beach erosion to deal with. 200 00:11:59,290 --> 00:12:02,740 Staying ahead of this stuff is obviously a big, 201 00:12:02,770 --> 00:12:07,570 big job that requires a lot of expertise, foresight, 202 00:12:07,930 --> 00:12:10,930 planning, and coordination. Thankfully, 203 00:12:10,931 --> 00:12:14,800 it's a job that NASA is taking seriously. Um, 204 00:12:14,801 --> 00:12:19,600 and it's a job that will allow NASA to continue its critical work in 205 00:12:19,601 --> 00:12:23,560 space exploration and aeronautics and Earth science, 206 00:12:24,310 --> 00:12:26,110 even as the water keeps rolling in.