Spreading out across 10,000 acres of parkland, Jamaica Bay in Queens, New York will now serve as the focus of a new science and resilience institute spearheaded by the City University of New York (CUNY) to understand how urban ecosystems respond to changing weather patterns and global warming. The CUNY-led research consortium, temporarily housed on Brooklyn College’s campus, will collaborate with other leading New York institutions to study the efficacy of natural flood protections, such as dunes and salt marshes, in safeguarding New York’s coastline. These findings will benefit and be applicable to other cities and regions that are vulnerable to flooding as sea levels rise and storms become more frequent and powerful.

“In the City of New York, we have a powerful and dedicated partner to promote visitation, education programs, scientific research and opportunities for recreation in our urban parks,” said Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell at the announcement of the new program yesterday. “And now, in CUNY and their academic partners, we have a consortium of world-class institutions to advance our understanding of climate change and its impact on our natural systems. Working together, we will develop and coordinate approaches to coastal resiliency for Jamaica Bay that can serve as a model for communities around the world threatened by climate change.”

The institute will formally launch in October with the “Urban Resilience in an Era of Climate Change: Global Input for Local Solutions” symposium, which will investigate and come up with strategies to make urban areas more resilient.

Mayor Bloomberg also introduced a new public-private partnership, called Jamaica Bay—Rockaway Parks Conservancy, founded to support the development and operations of the parklands and waters in the Jamaica Bay area. The Conservancy will also be responsible for programming and amenities including, boat rentals, food trucks, and biking.