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Workshop Summary: Planning For The Impacts of Sea Level Rise and Climate Change
Workshop Summary: Planning For The Impacts of Sea Level Rise and Climate Change
Workshop Summary
Synopsis
Over 50 coastal zone managers and stakeholders from North Carolina were invited to
participate in a workshop to discuss and identify potential modeling and mapping tools to
plan for, and mitigate the regional impact of future sea level rise and extreme events. The
participants were presented with information about the NOAA Sea Level Rise Project,
sponsored by the Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research (CSCOR), and then
identified four priority applications for scientifically informed decisions:
The workshop was a success and heralded as a model NOAA initiative. To continue
momentum and maintain contact with participants, a satellite advisory group, the Sea
Level Rise Advisory Group, is being formed for managers with a keen interest in keeping
up with the effort and having input on NOAAs sea level rise projects. Diverse
representation desired! If you are interested in becoming a member of the Advisory
group, please contact the NOAA Program Manager, Carol Auer at [email protected]
or 301-713-3338.
Forward
The Workshop Summary has been made available to provide new information about the
needs of managers of coastal lands and natural resources in planning for the effects of sea
level rise and long-term climate changes. The results documented in this Report will help
NOAA scientists to emphasize state- and community-level management applications and
challenges, as they design the models and modeling products with the ultimate goal of
unifying local and national needs.
Background
A workshop was held on Wednesday and Thursday, January 31, 2007 -February 1, 2007
at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, North Carolina. The goal of the
workshop was to solicit guidance from the coastal management community for designing
scientifically informed modeling and mapping tools that will assist governing agencies
and businesses located in North Carolinas coastal zone.
Expert advice from North Carolina coastal managers is invaluable in aiding NOAAs
CSCOR and its academic partners in designing useful management products. Advice
from the workshop will help create user friendly mapping and modeling tools that
forecast the effects of proposed management activities under various long term sea level
rise and storm surge scenarios. For more information about the scientific underpinnings
of the program, please see:
http://www.cop.noaa.gov/stressors/climatechange/current/sea_level_rise.html
Workshop Objectives
Identify potential applications of sea level rise and long-term climate change
modeling to inform current work on hydrodynamic and ecological impacts
modeling.
Identify user groups and target audiences for sea level rise and long-term climate
change modeling information.
Solicit input from potential end users on the desired content and format of
information products and decision-support tools that might be developed based on
ongoing modeling efforts.
Share initial knowledge and findings from ongoing modeling projects, and solicit
feedback to guide next steps
State Commissions
In North Carolina, probably the best governmental venue to influence legislation relating
to sea level rise and other climate change issues is via the Climate Change Commission.
Two of the scientists involved in the NOAA project are members of this Commission:
Dr. Peterson of University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), and Dr. Riggs of
East Carolina University (ECU). Our goal should be to develop useful models to forecast
various ecological impacts due to SLR and climate effects and then target the planning
and policies that can use models first. The resulting ecological forecasts and maps can
then guide regulations to implement Implementing rule changes is easier if it starts at the
commission level thus helping get the word out and soften the playing field. The
Commission can then better formulate regulations that will mitigate habitat loss. Other
commissions to engage may include the Environmental Management Commission that
would then direct the Division of Water Quality to implement policies, as well as the
Coastal Resources Commission and the Marine Fisheries Commission. Other possible
audiences to whom we could highlight our suite of models, are those involved in the
statewide conservation plan and the beach and inlet management plan.
Recommendations for the desired information products and decision-support tools that
might be developed based on the ongoing modeling efforts include: ease of interpretation,
interactive; scenario-based, model should push out layers that can be incorporated in
ESRI products; hard copy maps; and ease of displaying a range of projections or the
ability to run a range of projections.
Models may help decide where recreational infrastructure should be sited. From a Parks
& Recreation perspective, modeling tools can help decision makers to site public access.
Conservation decisions upstream, such as the removal of dams will cause salinity change,
affecting freshwater input into sounds. Thus, conservation planning could be helped
End users
The end users of this research and modeling information include: resource managers,
Councils of Government, local planners and zonering officials, state agencies, county
commissioners, private property owners including large corporate land owners, the
General Assembly, and other policy makers and climate change strategic planners.
Probably the best approach to reach these users is by making presentations and other
forms of personal contacts to get people to use this data and models: the grassroots
approach.
The product should also include: clearly presented assumptions and scenarios of the
model, a focus on infrastructure impacts to get attention, and should also provide
probability of impacts. The timeline is important.
What can the model products accomplish? A new permit process that incorporates sea
level rise issues from experts. The products must be local and specific, include GIS
layers which may vary county by county. Perhaps we could link to tax map?
Finally, there should be both a map with tools to look at different layers with a range of
scenarios/suite of changes including incorporation of historical events and probability.
Topic 4 Understanding risk (as it pertains to people and development) and related
hazards (flooding, surge, etc.)
The long term risk includes a risk to natural habitats, including ecosystem change due to
water level rise, accompanying shoreline change, potential increase in number and
intensity of storms, marsh disappearance, loss of land, habitat loss (migration due to
warming), and biogeochemical changes (fresh to brackish to salt water). There is also a
risk to humans including salinization of ground water,road loss, evacuation problems,
property loss (insurance) and public infrastructure. There is a need for planning of future
settlements. Restoration and mitigation sites should be considered, since potentially
mitigating marsh that will be lost to sea level rise in 30 years. Planners should consider
the creation of isolated wetlands inland, the shift of habitat on the coast, and impact on
beach/erosion.
End Users
Those involved in emergency management need model applications to better plan their
response with life-saving measures and improve understanding of what resources are
needed, in advance, to respond. Products are needed to inform local government for
education on what to expect as the climate changes and sea level rises.
Putting sea level rise information into public policy can be problematic. The project can
plan sea level rise zones for regulation (15, 30, 45 year periods represented on a map).
However, restrictions on development could be a takings case. Thus, we must verify our
models. If models are wrong government is legally liable. Could we incorporate our
models into HAZUS (for HAZards United States) a GIS-based natural hazard loss
estimation software package developed by FEMA. to assess economic risk? By
marrying models to HAZUS, we could represent economic, environmental, and social
risk. HAZUS is broadly used at the local level.
(1) Simulation of tidal variations, wind-driven tides, and hurricane driven surges,
baroclinic circulation, as well as changing shoreline and inundation patterns. The
model extends from 90 km offshore of the barrier island system inland to the
NAVD88 15 m topographic contour, and from just southwest of the New River to
the north end of Currituck Sound. Horizontal resolution at the shoreline averages
100 m, and the model uses a 2 second time step. Included in this model is
information from a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) with horizontal resolution of
6 m and vertical resolution of 15 cm, The DEM uses a continuous elevation
dataset relative to NAVD88 assembled using the vertical datum transformation
tool VDATUM.
(2) Maps of changes to the hydrodynamics of the system due to sea level rise (and
investigate the effects of any coincidental changes as well). However, the main
role of the Coastal Flooding Model providing input to ecological sub-models. The
combined product of these models should be a system that provides predictions of
ecosystem change as a function of sea level rise (and provides these predictions in
a user-friendly format).
(3) Shore-zone and shore-line characterization and GIS tools to understand change
for selected areas of marshes, sediment banks, and swamp forests, to calculate the
influence of changing water levels, geomorphology, land-use, and hydrodynamics
with a 50 m shoreline resolution
* Evaluate shoreline change over 40-year period (1958-1998), provide more
realistic maps of shoreline retreat due to flooding (i.e. not just bathtub model)
* Evaluate dominant factors affecting shoreline displacement; develop maps
displaying differences in forcing factors (e.g. fetch, wave energy, etc.)
* Evaluate the relationship between shoreline retreat and marsh vertical accretion
(3 study sites; Roanoke Island, Cedar Island, and Pine Knoll Shores)
* Provide maps of areas at high risk of change due to sea level rise
(4) Ecological state in response to estuarine forcing
* Determination of feedback and transition processes between marsh and forest,
marsh and subtidal environments and what thresholds are needed
to initiate state changes from one zone to another
* Provide information on the impacts of future sea level rise when making land
use decisions, especially in vulnerable coastal wetlands, which are an important
habitat for a number of commercially valuable species of fish and shellfish.
* Predict and assess the ecosystem impacts of sea level rise in the sounds,
nearby estuaries, and coastal regions, including landscape responses relevant to
critical natural resources.
* Develop a combined geological and ecological framework of landscape
condition and change relative to sea level rise. This can be used for large-scale
policy decision making that acknowledges the underlying eco-geomorphology.
University of North Carolina, Institute of Marine Science products for Back and
Bogue Sound
(9) Habitat simulation modules linked to the NOS coastal flooding model that will be
shoreline stabilization on the productivity of unvegetated sub-tidal, submerged
aquatic vegetation (SAV), inter-tidal flat and oyster reef habitats in Back and
Bogue Sounds. GIS friendly
(10) A map series of the sampling/modeling domain within Back and Bogue
Sounds that depicts baseline habitat distribution, baseline biogeochemical and
trophic characteristics, and spatially distributed forecasts from different model
scenarios.
(11) Short and long term predictions of the functioning of unvegetated and
vegetated subtidal and intertidal habitats producing the primary, secondary and
higher trophic level utilization of the unvegetated sub-tidal, SAV, inter-tidal flat
and oyster reef habitats of Back and Bogue Sounds for use in the Landscape
model.
(12) Landscape model focused at the mid and long -range temporal/spatial
scales for a watershed in eastern North Carolina to explore the hydrodynamics
and wetland interactions in this estuarine area. The model includes
morphological, biological, hydrodynamic and landscape change sub modules, all
interacting with each other to predict coastal habitat change. Horizontal
resolution 500 meters; 5 cm vertical resolution, time frame 100 yrs, time step 1
day.
1. Saltwater intrusion will not be addressed by any of the models since a groundwater
component is not an area of priority at this time. However, the landscape model will
predict salinity on the surface of wetlands and ECU is looking at salinity in their work.
2. The need to map infrastructure/transportation isnt directly part of any model, but the
layer could be added to the interface for analysis. The model will need this component
because infrastructure affects the ecological impacts.
3. Project activities include some shoreline analysis of pre and post shoreline hardening,
looking at hardened vs. sills, plant tolerance to flooding, and this information will be
incorporated into the models. Different levels of information will be needed for different
audiences.
4. Shoreline change is addressed in the current project through the flooding model,
looking at historical shoreline and shoreline change due to geological processes
addressed in the Neuse by ECU. UNC is addressing shoreline change from ecological
processes, as well as the ecological effects of hardening.
5. Legislation was recently passed that funded a high performance computing center in
North Carolina. Several state universities will have an engagement center to access the
super computer. ECU is among the first of these centers. Enrique Reyes of ECU, who has
also been designated as the NOAA-Sea Level Rise project landscape modeler, plans to
use this resource to run storm surge models looking at risks to the coastal areas using the
Advanced Circulation Model (ADCIRC), a Finite Element Hydrodynamic Model for
Coastal Oceans, Inlets, Rivers and Floodplains. It serves as the basis for the flooding
model. The ADCIRC model is being developed in turn by Jesse Feyen, a NOAA scientist
at Coast Survey Development Lab.
6. The models are not specifically for understanding risk and related hazards but
information produced by the model can feed into that possibility. The ADCIRC model
can be used for storm surge prediction as well.
7. Rainfall is not captured in the ADCIRC model, and we presently cant incorporate
rainfall into the interface. Other models can capture rainfall. Rainfall usually falls for a
shorter duration, days, or a week or so. The temporal scale of sea level rise is much
longer.
8. Once scenarios are determined, a timeline of how much habitat is lost, when, where a
general timeline -- could be established.
9. Economics and environmental and societal values are not components of the project.
10. The various models will produce useful information for natural resource managers
including mapping priority areas. Critical fisheries areas are included in several of the
models.
Large group discussion on how attendees would like to get modeling information
accessibility?
Conservation runs state water management district and have technical people with
statewide influence for technical assistance and education.
10. Possible private sector users include: R
esource Conservation and Development
Program (RC&D) Councils for agriculture/soil issues, coastal land reserves,
Nature Conservancies, coastal engineers, home builders associations, realtors,
green builders, timber companies, and the military.
11. An interactive kiosk in aquariums/maritime museums, as well as in coastal state
and national parks where the public could run scenarios with different parameters
would be a great outreach method.
12. Working with the DENR, NC Department of Environmental Education would be
a great partnership as they are good at translating science in pamphlets
Final remarks
NOAA and its research partners will stay engaged with the group through email and
websites. Face to face discussion will occur through future workshops. We would
encourage participants to keep the interaction going! There is a small group being
formed, the Sea Level Rise Advisory Group, for those with keen interest in keeping up
with the effort and have input on future projects. Diverse representation desired! Please
contact the NOAA Program Manager, Carol Auer at [email protected] or 301-713
3338X164.
Acknowledgements
Prepared by Carol Auer, Program Manager for the NOAA program, the Ecological
Effects of Sea Level Rise..Special thanks to our partners who so expertly helped plan and
execute our meeting: Heidi Recksiek, Stephanie Fauver, and Lynne Dingerson- NOAA
CSC Whitney Jenkins and Lori Davis NC NERRS
Gabrielle
Open Grounds Farm
Onorato
Bob Emory [email protected]
Weyerhaeuser Co.
Bryan Hulka [email protected]
NCDOT
Rob Hanson [email protected]