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EPA estimates of the Area of Dry Land Close to Sea Level in New York

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The table below provides EPA's estimated uncertainty range of the area of dry land below particular elevations, in square kilometers. The uncertainty range considers the varying accuracy of the elevation data that the EPA study used. For example, Queens has between 15 and 28 square kilometers of dry land within one meter above spring high water

The majority of land close to sea level in the Empire State is wetland rather than dry land, so the EPA study also provided a table of the area of New York wetlands vulnerable to sea level rise. A printer-friendly file with the area of dry land and wetland vulnerable to sea level rise in New York is also available.

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Low and High Estimates of the Area of Land Close to Sea Level in New York1


Meters above Spring High Water


0.5

1.0

2.0

3.0

5.0


low
high

low
high

low
high

low
high

low
high
County (borrough)

----------------Square kilometers of dry land below a given elevation---------------
Bronx

0.4
3.2

2.2
6.3

5.9
13

11
19

22
27
Brooklyn

3.1
10

8.5
17

20
34

37
52

64
69
Manhattan

0.03
2.2

1.4
4.3

4.2
8.3

7.2
12

14
17
Nassau

2.2
19

13
44

51
85

85
104

119
132*
Queens

6.2
17

15
28

32
49

51
67

77
81
Staten Island

0.3
7.8

5.1
15

15
25

23
31

34
39
Suffolk

14
51

43
97

115
181

189
251

319
371*
Westchester

0.2
2.9

1.7
5.7

5.2
11

9.2
15

16
21*
Ellis & Liberty Islands2

<0.01
0.05

0.03
0.1

0.09
0.14

0.14
0.14

0.14
0.14
Statewide

26
114

90
218

248
405

412
551

665
757*
*This value is probably too low because of a data limitation.  See the EPA report.
1. Low and high are an uncertainty range based on the contour interval and/or stated root mean square error (RMSE) of the input elevation data.  Calculations assume that half of the RMSE is random error and half is systematic error.  For a discussion of these calculations, see the EPA report.
2.  Includes the part of Ellis Island in New Jersey.