Sea Level Rise in the Face of Climate Change
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| There is broad scientific consensus that global climate is warming largely as a result of increased concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Sea level rise in the coming decades is anticipated to be a major effect of climate change with mostly negative impacts for many coastal regions, including Florida.
Managing the impacts of sea level rise will require adapting human activities in the coming decades through decisive policies, programs and actions so that critical human systems — communities, economies, emergency response systems — and natural resources — wetlands, coastal ecosystems, fisheries — can continue to function effectively as ‘resilient' systems in the face of climate change. In 2009, MPI published a synopsis entitled "Policy Tools for Local Adaptation to Sea Level Rise," which is available here. The synopsis condenses main issues and observations from the full report and abstracts the full assessment in the following sections:
Sea Level Rise Activity Elsewhere The Marine Policy Institute (MPI) at Mote Marine Laboratory has been monitoring how other coastal jurisdictions are responding to climate-related sea level rise with adaptation policies and actions to address negative impacts over the near and long term.MPI has researched key aspects of these initiatives and periodically prepares summaries of the processes and policy responses underway. The objective is to help provide information about experiences and lessons being learned elsewhere to help local decision makers along Florida's Gulf Coast stay informed about the latest sea level rise adaptation strategies. Storm Smart StormSmart Connect: A Gulf of Mexico Network on Coastal Coordination Abstract by Luke Maier, Intern with Mote's Marine Policy Institute The Marine Policy Institute (MPI) monitors some of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance’s (GoMA) web tools to keep track of what other coastal communities, counties, and states in the Gulf of Mexico are doing to address climate change, especially concerning sea level rise. The community is encouraged to also utilize these web tools. GoMA began with an agreement among the Governors of the 5 Gulf states, including Florida. GoMA focuses on five main categories, with Mote's MPI being most involved in the Coastal Community Resilience and Community of Practice working groups to contribute to regional discourse on sea level rise.The GoMA Governors’ Action Plan 2, adopted by the five then governors of the Gulf states, called for an online intercoastal information network to be set up; this role has now been fulfilled by StormSmart.Floridian coastal communities can especially benefit from connecting to StormSmart, as it facilitates storm planning and sea level rise planning – environmental developments particularly pertinent to this area. StormSmart’s primary uses: 1. Connect with costal decision makers and disaster planners 2. Spread information about costal research and events 3. Act as a repository for research and information resources StormSmart’s tools: 1. Links to major coastal storm and climate chance planning tools and research 2. Online collaboration networks, large and small 3. Weekly updates on regional science activities in the Gulf of Mexico States 4. Calendar of collaboration events with GoMA 5. State-by-state disaster response resource inventories of GoMA states 6. Document and research report repository For instance, StormSmart contains links to the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council and Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program’s Charlotte Harbor Vulnerability Assessment, which recommends adaption tools for sea level rise and other climate coping. StormSmart also lists tools such as Hazard Identification and Mitigation reports specific to each member state. The network currently supports 48 networking groups and 571 members from across the nation with most members coming from the Gulf states. The network houses working groups that focus on certain topics. Connect at: www.stormsmart.org. Presentations Sea Level Change: moving toward adaptation Presented by Barbara Lausche, Director, Marine Policy Institute
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Mote Marine Laboratory has been a leader in marine research since it was founded in 1955. Today, we incorporate public outreach as a key part of our mission. Mote is an independent nonprofit organization and has seven centers for marine research, the public Mote Aquarium and an Education Division specializing in public programs for all ages.
