Professor Arie Kaufman in the Reality Deck, a unique visualization facility located at the Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology (CEWIT) at Stony Brook University. Photos by John Griffin.

The future of Long Island’s coastal communities is being shaped by cutting-edge climate research at Stony Brook University.

As severe storms, rising sea levels and extreme weather events pose increasing threats, Stony Brook scientists and engineers are working to ensure that Long Island is prepared to weather the storm. From advanced storm tracking and visualization technology to infrastructure innovation, the university’s research is bridging the gap between science and community resilience.

A groundbreaking storm simulation and visualization tool led by Arie Kaufman, distinguished professor in the Department of Computer Science and chief scientist at the Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology (CEWIT), aids in envisioning the impact of storms. Kaufman and his team use the Reality Deck, a fully immersive, super-high-resolution visualization system, to model and visualize extreme weather events in unprecedented detail.

“My primary expertise is in visualization, virtual reality, and machine learning,” Kaufman explained. “We use our Reality Deck for visualizing storm surge in extreme weather situations. We simulate storms on a computing cluster and immerse users in the environment, allowing them to see potential flooding impacts down to the street level.”

This technology has been instrumental in helping emergency managers, city officials and policymakers anticipate storm impacts and plan accordingly. “We’ve collaborated with the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS), NOAA, the National Weather Service, and even the mayor’s office in New York City,” Kaufman said. “They don’t typically have good visual mechanisms to communicate storm impacts, but we can immerse them in the simulation, showing them real-time effects and evacuation routes.”

From immersive storm visualization in Stony Brook’s Reality Deck to cutting-edge infrastructure research in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Stony Brook is helping to determine how Long Island weathers the storms of tomorrow.

Professor Ari Kaufman and students developed a storm/flooding simulation that can show the water damage to cities and other coastal areas.

Though much of this work was initially focused on New York City following Superstorm Sandy in 2012, Stony Brook researchers led by Professor Brian Colle from SoMAS have also applied it to Long Island. Kaufman noted, “We included Long Island because we are a Long Island-based university. Our findings help us understand what would happen if another storm of Sandy’s magnitude hit our region.”

Long Island’s geography makes it particularly vulnerable to storm surges and high winds. Stony Brook researchers have been studying the intensification of storms in this region and how coastal communities can better prepare for future storms and extreme weather events.

Donovan Finn, urban planner and associate professor in SoMAS, said communities on Long Island face challenges in becoming more resilient to and recovering from environmental hazards.

For example, in nearby Port Jefferson, residents have a deep connection toward coastline areas despite storm vulnerability. Simply relocating them inland to places like Coram or Centereach would fundamentally alter the community’s character, he said. This attachment to a town poses a significant challenge for climate adaptation planning across Long Island’s coastal communities.

Finn emphasizes that resilience transcends physical infrastructure alone: “It’s the people, it’s the infrastructure, it’s the land use, it’s the transportation, it’s economic base, it’s the public policy, it’s leadership — it’s, you know, it’s everything.”

Port Jefferson Harbor in the summer.

“Historical data, combined with predictive climate modeling, allows us to anticipate how storms will behave as climate change accelerates,” Kaufman explained. “We’ve incorporated wave synthesis, road networks, evacuation centers, and other critical infrastructure into our models, giving emergency planners a comprehensive view of potential impacts.”

The modeling shows that certain areas of Long Island are significantly more vulnerable than others. “Some of the highest locations remain relatively safe, while low-lying coastal towns face extreme risk,” Kaufman noted. “This information is crucial for developing future adaptation strategies.”

But preparing for future storms is not just about prediction, it’s also about adaptation. Stony Brook researchers are at the forefront of designing resilient infrastructure, learning from past engineering failures to develop stronger and smarter solutions in collaboration with stakeholders from the community.

Gary Halada, an associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, emphasized the importance of innovation in building materials and construction techniques. “We need to think about not just repairing after storms, but rebuilding in a way that makes our infrastructure more resilient,” Halada explained. “This includes the use of advanced materials, new coastal protection measures, and green infrastructure solutions.”

One major focus of Stony Brook’s research is the use of nature-based solutions, such as living shorelines. Unlike traditional seawalls, which can be damaged by intense storms and force water to move to less protected areas, living shorelines use vegetation and natural barriers to absorb storm surges and reduce erosion.

“We’ve seen great success with these approaches in pilot projects around Long Island,” Halada said. “They not only protect communities but also restore ecosystems.”

Another area of innovation is retrofitting existing structures. “Many buildings and roads in coastal areas were not designed with today’s climate challenges in mind,” Halada noted. “Through research and pilot programs, we’re identifying the most effective ways to reinforce these structures to withstand stronger storms.”

Smoke from the Canadian wildfires on June 7, 2023, as seen on campus.

Stony Brook scientists are working with Suffolk and Nassau County officials to improve flood zone mapping and emergency response planning. “Having access to high-resolution storm models allows policymakers to make more informed decisions,” Kaufman said. “Whether it’s planning evacuation routes or updating zoning regulations, our research is providing a visual analytics-driven foundation for smarter policies.”

Historical zoning decisions that seemed reasonable decades ago may need fundamental reconsideration to respond to the changing climate. “I think in some ways, public policy aside, the market may self-correct, in some ways, on that,” Finn said.

The real estate landscape in high-risk areas faces dramatic transformation as climate impacts intensify. Finn points to an emerging reality where properties in vulnerable locations become increasingly uninsurable. This trend is already evident in California and Florida, where insurance markets are retreating from high-risk zones. The consequence may be that vulnerable yet desirable coastal areas become exclusive enclaves for the wealthy who can afford to “self-mitigate before a disaster happens… And they have the money to pay out of pocket to rebuild.”

Resilient systems must develop the capacity to “bend but not break,” Finn said, a quality that requires both physical engineering and social cohesion.

“The reality is, we are going to see more storms like Superstorm Sandy,” Kaufman warned. “But through advanced prediction, resilient engineering, and smart policy decisions, we can reduce the damage and protect our communities.”

Beth Squire
SBU News