Much to the ire of many Delawareans, the flooding of roads and properties has become increasingly common in low-lying areas throughout the state. With hurricane season starting June 1, we are entering the time of year when coastal storms become more of a concern, first with tropical storms and later on with nor’easters.

Delaware has the lowest mean elevation of any state, making certain areas susceptible to flooding. The Mid-Atlantic is also experiencing sea level rise at twice the international average. As the Earth’s average temperatures increase, seawater expands and glaciers continue to melt, scientists say waters could rise by up to five feet by 2100, which has severe implications for Delaware’s infrastructure. At the same time, climate change is also leading to intensifying coastal storms, which can bring not only flooding but also high winds and storm surge.

To help Delawareans adequately discuss and document these rising sea levels and flood-prone areas, the Delaware Resilience Awareness Project (DelRAP) has created the Coastal Observer app, available on Android and Apple products. DelRAP is a project of the Coastal Resilience Design Studio, created by the University of Delaware and Delaware Sea Grant.

The Coastal Observer app was recently featured in Delaware Sea Grant’s 15-second science video series.

Edward Lewandowski, a Delaware Sea Grant marine advisory service agent, is one of the principal investigators for DelRAP, and he said that the goal of DelRAP is to provide a platform for concerned citizens to publicly share their observations and perceived threats to their communities from sea level rise and storms.

“This information can help to serve as supportive documentation of issues such as flooding, drought, and impacts on water quality that will further supplement the real-time and situational observations currently taking place in the science community within and around Delaware,” said Lewandowski.

Jules Bruck, director of UD’s Landscape Architecture program and another one of the app’s creators, said the unique aspect of the Coastal Observer app is that it allows citizens to engage closely with each other and with scientists. Users are able to drop pins on a map and post real-time pictures of those areas. Scientists are then able to look at that data and make a variety of different observations based on what people are posting.

Bruck said that she and her fellow researchers were conducting environmental workshops with Delawareans and finding that the majority of those attending were unwilling to engage with scientists or each other about the issue of water levels rising and how it may affect them. This was the main inspiration for creating the app.

“What we came to realize is people’s livelihoods and the equity of their homes are being slowly jeopardized, and we saw how climate change is affecting them,” said Bruck. “No one wants to go on record saying ‘I’m having issues in my community’ because they don’t want to put a bad light on their community. They are worried about things like not being able to sell their houses in the future.”