Lessons
f^m the CLIMATE READY
ESTUARIES PROGRAM
SOUTHEASTERN US CLIMATE READY ESTUARIES
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Climate Ready Estuaries
in the Southeastern U.S.
EPA's Climate Ready Estuaries
works with the National Estuary
Programs and the coastal
management community
to: (1) assess climate change
vulnerabilities, (2) develop and
implement adaptation strategies,
and (3) engage and educate
stakeholders. CRE shares NEP
examples to help other coastal
managers and provides technical
guidance and assistance about
climate change adaptation.
Since 2008, CRE has worked
with the NEPs in the Southeast
on a variety of local projects
to better prepare them, and
the communities in which they
operate, for climate change.
This document shares some of
the lessons learned from these
CRE climate projects. Additional
information about the projects is
available on CRE's website
(www.epa.gov/cre).
Front cover photo courtesy of:
Mary Lundeberg
Photo at top of page 2 and 3 courtesy of:
Mary Margaret Bailey
Photo at bottom of page 2 courtesy of:
Get the public involved
Community members have a unique perspective on the place where
they live. Helping them to understand how climate change may affect
their varying interests and concerns will be important and can inform
their input on adaptation strategies.
• The Tampa Bay Estuary Program uses king tides to communicate about
sea level rise. King tides are the highest tides of the year in a coastal area
and can cause tidal flooding. TBEP has been asking the public to take
photos of king tides to document what sea level rise could be like in the
future. In 2012, TBEP and the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program teamed up
to hold a king tide photo contest. The winning photos were featured in a
traveling exhibit.
• The Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program reached out to
increase public and local government awareness of climate change in
five counties of the Albemarle-Pamlico region. Public opinion surveys
and targeted interviews were used to design county-specific climate
change communication strategies for meetings with community leaders.
This led to constructive and practical discussion of climate change in the
Albemarle-Pamlico region.
• Sarasota Bay Estuary Program in collaboration with Mote Marine
Laboratory's Marine Policy Institute developed Tips for Sea Level Rise
Adaptation Planning, a communication guide for local community leaders,
planners, resource managers and concerned individuals that provides
basic considerations and tools for climate-related planning of sea level
rise. The focus is on adaptation for the impacts of sea level rise so that
critical human systems (communities, economies, culture) and natural
systems (wetlands, coastal ecosystems, fisheries) can continue to function
effectively and become resilient in the face of climate change.
«.
Nancy Laurson
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Geospatial tools and visualizations
help to clarify problems
CIS, Lidar, digital elevation models and bathymetry
can be integrated in creative ways to identify climate
change risks and responses.
• Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program used Lidar
elevation data from Brevard County for a study of sea
level rise impacts in Satellite Beach, Fla. The vulnerability
of municipal infrastructure, residential housing and
hurricane evacuation routes was shown when sea level
rise scenarios were integrated with the elevation data.
• Sarasota Bay
Estuary Program,
in collaboration
with Mote Marine
Laboratory,
created a Sea
Level rise web
map visualization
tool that shows how different levels of water due to sea
level rise and storm surge will impact areas in Sarasota
and Manatee Counties. This tool (available at: http://
sarasotabay.org/slr-web-map/) will support planning
efforts in these coastal communities by showing which
lands are vulnerable to sea-level rise.
• Restoration of the Indian River Lagoon depends on the
continued existence of seagrass habitat. Sea level rise
will affect seagrasses because they need to be in shallow
water that sunlight can penetrate. The Indian River
Lagoon National Estuary Program began a project using
GIS data for a model to emulate sea level rise effects.
The decision support results from this project will guide
them to select the best strategies for improving water
quality and help with the implementation of TMDLs in
the future.
Partnerships magnify everyone's
capabilities
Working with others who have similar goals or work
in similar places produces better outcomes. Partners
can extend program reach and help to get more
done toward common goals.
• The Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program and its
host agency, the Southwest Florida Regional Planning
Council, assisted the City of Punta Gorda to develop
and approve the first small coastal city climate change
adaptation plan in the country. Since its approval in late
2009, the City has implemented many of the adaptation
priorities through its comprehensive plan update
process, city ordinances and capital improvements. Lee
County built on this work by developing a resiliency
strategy, improving county governance and operations
toward climate change resiliency.
• Mobile Bay National Estuary Program is working with the
Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, the Town
of Dauphin Island, the Dauphin Island Water and Sewer
Authority, and the Dauphin Island Park and Beach Board
to improve Dauphin Island's ability to adapt to climate
change. The collaboration is helping to identify climate
change impacts to the natural and built environments.
They will complete a climate change risk assessment in
order to provide recommendations for addressing the
identified vulnerabilities.
• Mobile Bay National Estuary Program is working with
low income and environmental justice communities
in the lower Three Mile Creek watershed that are
particularly vulnerable to increased stormwater runoff,
nonpoint source pollution, and sea level rise. The project
is working to foster more community engagement in
watershed management and adaptation planning. They
aim to increase the community's understanding of how
climate change will impact the population, water quality
and ecological integrity of the watershed.
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Decision support tools lead to understanding and better solutions
Guidance and examples of how to take information and make good decisions go a long way. Conceptual
models, expert systems and comp//at/ons of best practices are great resources that help focus thinking and
improve outcomes.
The Tampa Bay Estuary Program, in cooperation with Gulf
of Mexico NEPs, National Estuarine Research Reserves,
and other coastal restoration groups, developed a "Gulf
Coast Community Handbook." The guide demonstrates
how to incorporate climate change resiliency into habitat
restoration and protection plans. It has case studies in the
Gulf of Mexico region which can help coastal managers
as they seek to design and construct habitat restoration
projects that are resilient to climate change.
Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program developed
conceptual ecological models (CEMs) of its region to
display the dynamics and interactions of climate change.
CEMs illustrate the relationship of drivers, stressors and
ecological effects. CEMs organize thought in a visual way,
identify important linkages, provide a strategy for research
and communicate complex ideas to citizens and decision-
makers. Managers use CEMs to crystallize large amounts
of science and place project decisions into context.
Representative attributes of the ecological effects are
then tied to specific measures. At the top of the hierarchy,
climate change drivers included air temperature, rainfall,
sea level rise, storm intensity and land use practice.
The Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program worked
with the EPA Climate Ready Water Utilities program to use
the Climate Resilience Evaluation & Awareness Tool. The
GREAT software guides drinking water and wastewater
utility owners and operators to understand their climate
change risks and helps them to identify potential
adaptation options for their situation.
CLIMATE READY
ESTUARI ES
www.e pa .g ov/cre
EPA 842-F-14-001
MARCH 2014
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