CIESIN conducts a range of basic and applied research. CIESIN’s basic research aims at better understanding and predicting the behavior of socio-ecological systems and developing data to support research by others. CIESIN staff have served as principal investigators and senior research personnel on research projects supported by a range of funders (see Programs & Projects) in areas such as environmental security, climate migration, natural hazards, indicator development from remote sensing data, experimental uses of device location and nighttime lights data, and population-environment interactions.
CIESIN’s research has resulted in peer-reviewed publications and a range of reports.
A comparison of social vulnerability indices specific to flooding in Ecuador: principal component analysis (PCA) and expert knowledge
Bucherie, A., C. Hultquist, S.B. Adamo, C. Neely, F. Ayala, J. Bazo, and A. Kruczkiewicz. A comparison of social vulnerability indices specific to flooding in Ecuador: principal component analysis (PCA) and expert knowledge. 2022. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 73: 102897. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2022.102897.
Advancing Data for Street-Level Flood Vulnerability: Evaluation of Variables Extracted from Google Street View in Quito, Ecuador
Velez, R., D. Calderon, L. Carey, C. Aime, C. Hultquist, G. Yetman, A. Kruczkiewicz, Y. Gorokovich and R.S. Chen. 2022. Advancing Data for Street-Level Flood Vulnerability: Evaluation of Variables Extracted from Google Street View in Quito, Ecuador. IEEE Open Journal of the Computer Society. 51–61.
Development of a flash flood confidence index from disaster reports and geophysical susceptibility
Kruczkiewicz, A., A. Bucherie, F. Ayala, C. Hultquist, H. Vergara, S. Mason, J. Bazo, and A. de Sherbinin. 2021. Development of a flash flood confidence index from disaster reports and geophysical susceptibility. Remote Sens.13, 2764. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13142764
Using disaster outcomes to validate components of social vulnerability to floods: Flood deaths and property damage across the USA
Tellman, B., C. Schank, B. Schwarz, and P.D. Howe. 2020. Using disaster outcomes to validate components of social vulnerability to floods: Flood deaths and property damage across the USA. In Climate risk and vulnerability mapping, eds. Alex de Sherbinin and Stefan Kienberger. Special Issue, Sustainability 12(15): 6006. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12156006.
Climate Emergency, Urban Opportunity
(September 2019, 160 pages, 14 MB PDF). A report from the Coalition for Urban Transitions finds that, because sea level rise exacerbates flooding and storm surge, it is a critical threat to urban coastal areas. Research and analysis by Columbia University’s CIESIN contributed to the new findings, based on an updated version of the Low Elevation Coastal Zone Urban Rural Population Estimates. This data set was the outcome of a 2007 study by a team from CIESIN and the International Institute for Environment and Development, which provided the first global estimates of impacts to urban populations from sea level rise.
Flood hazard assessment from storm tides, rain and sea level rise for a tidal river estuary
Orton, P.M., F.R. Conticello, F. Cioffi, T.M. Hall, N. Georgas, U. Lall, A. F. Blumberg, and K. MacManus. 2018. Flood hazard assessment from storm tides, rain and sea level rise for a tidal river estuary. Natural Hazards. 1-29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-018-3251-x.
Social vulnerability to floods in two coastal megacities: New York City and Mumbai
de Sherbinin, A., and G. Bardy. Social vulnerability to floods in two coastal megacities: New York City and Mumbai. 2016. In Special Issue, demographic differential vulnerability to climate-related disasters, Vienna Yearbook of Population Research 13:131–165. http://dx.doi.org/10.1553/populationyearbook2015s131.
Loss and Damage: The Role of Ecosystem Services
(April 2016, 80 pages, 12 MB PDF). This report, published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with contributions by CIESIN, focuses on the role of ecosystems in reducing loss and damage to climate change impacts, as well as the impacts of climate change on ecosystem services. Suggestions are also made for adaptation responses that harness ecosystem services. CIESIN contributed two case studies and associated maps, one on heat waves and flooding in India and Pakistan (Section 3.1), and another on drought and floods in the Sahel and East Africa (Section 3.2).
Channel shallowing as mitigation of coastal flooding
Orton, P., S.A Talke, D. Jay, L. Yin, A.F. Blumberg, N. Georgas, H. Zhao, H.J. Roberts, and K. MacManus. 2015. Channel shallowing as mitigation of coastal flooding. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 3(3): 654-673.
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Clear filtersCIESIN’s applied research efforts are aligned with Columbia’s Fourth Purpose, which leverages the university’s scholarly knowledge to create societal and global impact, in close partnership with organizations outside academia. The goal of this research is to advance human welfare and environmental sustainability by applying the university’s distinct intellectual capacities to practical problem solving and policy development, thereby bringing about meaningful changes. Examples include helping to identify locations for solar desalination, policy-relevant research on climate-related migration, and scientifically robust environmental indicator development for policy audiences. Clients have included USAID, The World Bank, and state agencies.