Topic: Coasts and Oceans, Education and Communication | Region: Western Washington | Year: 2021

Exploring Sea Level Rise in South Seattle with Virtual Reality

  • Heidi Roop, UW Climate Impacts Group
  • Juan Rubio, Seattle Public Libraries
  • Terrell Strong, University of Washington
  • Robert Rood
  • Nora Hailey
  • Cody Stamm
  • Julian Martlew
  • Completed
  • Seattle Public Library
  • Seattle Public Utilities
  • Tableau
  • UW EarthLab Innovation Grant
  • Seattle Public Utilities
  • National Science Foundation
  • University of Minnesota
  • Academy of Interactive Entertainment in Seattle

Alongside the Seattle Public Library and other community partners, we developed an immersive virtual reality experience that explores the impacts of sea level rise on the Duwamish River and South Seattle neighborhood. The VR experience expands on a Seattle Public Library project depicting the history of the Duwamish River.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Duwamish VR experience is not currently available for use at the Seattle Public Libraries. Instead, the virtual reality headset can be checked out by community groups such as Boys and Girls Clubs, youth groups or 4-H Clubs. If you are a community partner, you can check request a VR kit through the library’s website.

The VR experience begins by explaining how gases like carbon dioxide create an invisible blanket around Earth, trapping solar radiation. The user can hold up a magnifying glass that makes Earth’s atmosphere appear blue. Later in the experience the narrator explains how glaciers in Antarctica, right, contribute to rising seas. University of Washington/The Seattle Public Library

Project Background

Warming global temperatures are causing land-based glaciers and ice sheets to melt, which in turn is causing sea levels to rise. The ocean has also absorbed more than 90% of the excess heat humans have added to the climate system, causing the oceans to warm and expand.

In the Northwest and around the world, sea level rise threatens homes, communities and recreational sites in coastal areas. In the Puget Sound region, neighborhoods in South Seattle and along the Duwamish River are particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels.

As the climate changes, communities will need to consider steps to adapt to rising sea levels. With this project, we aimed to increase awareness and use of sea level rise projections by Washington communities and decision-makers, by creating engaging, immersive and interactive tools to help tell the stories of the science, risks and realities of regional sea level rise to a range of audiences. These stories are needed to deepen understanding of the real-world implications of rising seas and to facilitate the uptake and use of the best available sea level rise science across Washington state.

Photo credit: brewbrooks CC-by-SA-2.0 via Flickr

Project News

GeekWire: Testing a New Time Traveling VR Experience that Explores Sea Level Rise in Seattle

Hearst Television: Virtual Reality Increasingly Used to Convey Climate Urgency

UW News: UW Seattle Public Library, Seattle Public Utilities Collaboration Uses VR Goggles to Visualize Sea Level Rise in Seattle

Photo credit: Joe Mabel CC-by-SA-4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
GEEK WIREHEARSTUW NEWS

Related Studies and Resources

Interactive Sea Level Rise Data Visualizations. These two interactive Tableau data visualizations help users query, visualize and compare the latest projections for sea level rise out to the year 2150. These tools are designed for direct application to risk management and planning in Washington state.

Washington Coastal Resilience Project. The Washington Coastal Resilience Project (WCRP) was a three-year effort to rapidly increase the state’s capacity to prepare for coastal hazards, such as flooding and erosion, that are related to sea level rise. The overall aim of this collaborative project was to improve risk projections, provide better guidance for land use planners and strengthen capital investment programs for coastal restoration and infrastructure. These are the tools coastal communities need to become more resilience to coastal hazards.

Photo credit: Benjamin Cody, CC-by-SA-3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Sea Level Rise Data VisualizationsWashington Coastal Resilience Project