To most of us, climate change effects like rising sea levels, shrinking Arctic ice, and more frequent extreme weather events are abstract phenomena. We see them reported in the media but don’t feel the consequences in our own lives. This may lead us to underestimate the urgency of taking action. Therefore, researchers at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) in Canada have created a tool that’s able to visualize the changes about to take place at local communities.
CLIVE (Coastal Impacts Visualization Environment) combines an array of data sources including historical erosion data, model projections of sea-level rise, drone-based aerial imagery, and high-resolution elevation data to create visualizations of local climate change effects. Furthermore, 3D game technology allows users to fly over their own communities and intimately observe changes over time – 30, 60, and 90 years into the future. Users can select different climate models to see the full range of sea level rise and erosion predictions, and navigate from any perspective, at any scale.
Submitted by Jane Gifford
