PROGRAM BASICS
CLIMATE READY
ESTUARI ES
Adapting to Climate Change
The Climate Ready Estuaries program is a partnership between
EPA and the National Estuary Programs (NEPs) to address
climate change in coastal areas. This effort is building additional
capacity in coastal communities as they prepare to adapt to the
effects of climate change.
Climate Ready Estuaries is supporting NEPs and coastal
communities in becoming "climate ready" by providing
tools and assistance to:
Assess climate change vulnerabilities
Develop and implement adaptation strategies
Engage and educate stakeholders
Share lessons learned with other coastal managers
Tools and Resources
for Estuaries
Assess Vulnerability, Plan,Take Action!
A Coastal Toolkit of information products, data, tools,
workshops, and technical assistance is available
to all NEPs and other coastal managers. This Toolkit
available on the CRE Website (www.epagov/cre),
provides information and resources related to:
r/j
Monitoring
climate change
Tools for assessing
risk and vulnerability
Smart growth
in the context of
climate change
Finding
data
Adaptation
planning
Sustainable
financing options
Protecting Critical Resources
Estuaries are places where rivers meet the sea.They are
highly productive and unique ecosystems. Millions of people
live, work, and play in estuaries, and they are home to many
industries critical to our nation's prosperity. However, estu-
aries are projected to be particularly vulnerable to many
climate change effects. Examples of specific impacts that
may occur in estuaries and other coastal areas include:
• Inundation of and damage to wetlands and marshes.
• Loss of coastal property and infrastructure from
inundation and more severe coastal storms.
• Salt-water intrusion further upstream and into
groundwater and drinking water
• Changes to water availability and quality.
• Changes in habitat, fisheries, and other plant and
animal distributions.
• More acidic ocean and coastal waters, due to higher
concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,
affecting coral and other marine species.
Get Ready!
Coastal resource managers can reduce these risks,
reduce future costs, and improve resiliency by acting
now to identify areas that are particularly vulner-
able, establish monitoring that will warn of impending
changes, and develop and implement adaptation plans
before some of the worst impacts occur
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CRE is Underway!
EPA is providing targeted assistance to NEPs to identify
climate change vulnerabilities, develop adaptation plans,
and begin to implement selected actions within these
plans. Each year, EPA will work with a separate group of
NEPs and other coastal communities. Upon completion
of these adaptation plans, EPA will recognize the different
coastal communities as "climate ready," support efforts
to implement climate adaptation, and help market their
needs to public and private interests.The results and les-
sons learned from working with each NEP will influence
future efforts.
EPA has selected six NEPs to serve as pilots in 2008-09:
• Albemarle-Pamlico NEP
• Charlotte Harbor NEP
• Massachusetts Bays Program
• New Hampshire Estuaries Project
• Partnership for the Delaware Estuary
• San Francisco Estuary Project
PROGRAM BASICS
CLIMATE READY
ESTUARI ES
x>EPA
Climate Ready Estuaries Website
Visit the Climate Ready Estuaries website to find
information on climate change impacts in your
region, access to tools and resources to assist
in monitoring change, and information to help
managers develop adaptation plans for estuaries
and coastal communities.
Basic Information
What are the projected climate change impacts to
coastal systems? What can be done to address these
impacts? Why should coastal resource managers
focus their climate change efforts on adaptation?
Where You Live
Where are the National Estuaries and what efforts
are underway in your region regarding climate
change impacts assessment and adaptation?
Explore Climate Ready Estuaries
Learn how the program is working with coastal
managers to advance coastal adaptation to
climate change.
Coastal Toolkit
What tools and information will help you get
started? This section provides information and guid-
ance on assessing climate change vulnerabilities, find-
ing data, and developing adaptation plans.
www.epa.gov/cre
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Air and Radiation
Office of Water
EPA 430-F-08-027
October 2008
Program Contacts
If you are a coastal manager with specific questions on the program, please contact:
Jeremy Martinich John Wilson
martinich.jeremy@epa.gov wilson.john@epa.gov
Climate Change Division Oceans and Coastal Protection Division
Office of Air and Radiation Office of Water
(202)343-9871 (202)566-1158
For media or press inquiries, please visit www.epa.gov/newsroom/contact-us.htm.
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