Climate change's effects on New York City are blatantly prominent: Temperatures are increasing and sea levels are rising at an alarming pace, according to a 2015 report by the New York City Panel on Climate Change.

A rise in sea level has the potential to increase intensity and frequency of coastal flooding, the report says. The Big Apple's five major boroughs are at risk, with low-lyingof the flooding, Scientific American reports.

This climate hazard to the region's heavily populated areas, ecosystems and infrastructure.

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New York's infrastructure has much to lose if the report's prediction comes to fruition. The U.S. Global Change Research Program's 2014 National Assessment predicts even a , 77 miles of rail, 3,647 acres of airport facilities and 539 acres of runway uselessif flooded.

While protecting infrastructure is vital, developing a risk management strategy for densely populated areas, including the New York metropolitan region, is essential, too. This can be done by mapping climate hazards. Compared to FEMA's 2013 Preliminary Flood Insurance maps, the affected flood-zone area will double once sea levels reach an all-time high in 2100.

Mapping will also help assess the risk for those living outside FEMA's flood zone. After sea levels rise, the report says, those who were once considered to be outside the risk zone will suddenly find themselves in it. Such was the case when at least 300,000 people outside the zone were besieged by Superstorm Sandy's Wrath, said Kim Knowlton, co-author of the report's chapter on public health and a senior scientist of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

New York's vulnerability to dangerous flooding was exposed after Superstorm Sandy swamped subway tunnels, killed several people, leveled homes and caused an estimated $60 to $80 billion worth of damage in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, according to the National Climate Assessment.

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Sea level rise in New York has already exceeded the global average, and the report predicts it will accelerate and continue to do so throughout the century.

The panel's report will assist New York in planning for climate change, including the city's reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the creation of a more resilient shoreline for Staten Island, Scientific American says.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio noted in a : "The task at hand is daunting— and that is why we’re making an unprecedented commitment, with a sweeping plan to reduce emissions 80 percent by 2050, and a comprehensive, multi-layered resiliency plan that is already making neighborhoods safer. I’m grateful to the NPCC for their tireless work on this critical report, and look forward to partnering with NPCC3 as we continue to drive the science forward and ensure an even stronger, more sustainable, and more resilient New York City."

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The Empire State Building towers in the background of an apartment building in Chelsea N.Y., with the facade broken off Oct. 30, 2012, the morning after Superstorm Sandy. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images)