North Atlantic Region
The North Atlantic includes eleven core states (CT, DE, MA, ME, MD, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, and VT) stretching from Maine to Maryland. Virginia, primarily a Southeast Region state, overlaps with the North Atlantic Region. The region includes a wide range of natural characteristics including rocky shorelines, wetlands, beach/dune complexes, barrier island systems, intertidal and freshwater wetland complexes, and low lying sandy coastal plains. Additionally, four of the Nation’s ten largest metropolitan areas, three of the top five U.S. ports (value of fish landed) and five of the Nation’s top 20 ports (international cargo volume) are in the North Atlantic.
In addition to the traditional applications of accurate heights (transportation systems, airplane runways, and water delivery systems), North Atlantic coastal communities are vulnerable to hazards including hurricanes and nor’easters. Climate change will place additional areas at risk due to coastal storm surge, flooding, sea level rise, salt water intrusion, changes to temperature and precipitation extremes. Height Modernization will support emergency management planning, coastal land use planning and management, and monitoring of elevation changes in these areas.
