Rising Waters in Western Queens

Growing up, I considered the neighborhoods of Sunnyside, Woodside, and Long Island City to an extent to be my home.  All of these neighborhoods will be affected as waters rise in the next 80 years.  In the past, New York City has seen an average rise in sea level of 1.2 inches per decade, but scientists are now seeing that waters are beginning to rise faster, having more consequences for New Yorkers. The New York Academy of Sciences projects that by 2100, the waters surrounding New York may rise as high as six feet.  Using this projection and the NOAA Sea Level Rise Viewer shows that flooding will affect these neighborhoods drastically.  Both Woodside and Sunnyside are marked deep red indicating that by 2100, populations in these areas are vulnerable to the effects of climate change through flooding.  Additionally, one can see that rising waters may become an issue for Long Island City, but there is a park that is meant to serve as protection.  This is especially interesting to consider because Long Island City is a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood filled with luxury condos. It makes me wonder how the area will fare in the next 80 years.