Living along the northern Gulf, we all love and rely on the water in so many ways. The Gulf and its associated waterways provide us with entertainment, food, jobs and so much more. However, these things are all threatened by sea-level rise, an increasing problem in our region.
Roads that never flooded before are flooding now. High tide flooding is increasing. Houses that were safe in past hurricanes are seeing effects for the first times. These are just some of the many sea-level rise impacts that we have been experiencing. Because sea-level rise in our region is projected to be about 25% greater than the global average, these impacts are only increasing.
Sea-level rise can seem like an overwhelming problem, but we are here to help.
PLACE: SLR is a partnership between the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, Florida Sea Grant, NOAA Sea Grant and Mississippi State University Extension. PLACE: SLR was established to leverage extensive science, service and stewardship to increase sea-level rise resilience in the northern Gulf. This means that we have been and will continue to work to bridge the gaps between on-the-ground needs with research and solutions to sea-level rise impacts.
To accomplish this, our program is building from the work that was previously done under the northern Gulf Sentinel Site Cooperative. From 2014 to 2020, the cooperative worked with staff, partners and stakeholders to identify and fill gaps and needs in sea-level rise science and management. Though the name has changed, the mission has remained largely the same. PLACE: SLR is carrying on the work of the cooperative in all coastal counties between the Pearl River in Louisiana and the Suwannee River in Florida.
To achieve our program goals, we take a three-part approach. First, we gather stakeholders at a biannual meeting to identify and prioritize gaps and needs and brainstorm ideas for addressing them. Second, we develop a two-year action plan to set objectives and activities based on discussions from the biannual meeting. Lastly, we pursue action items to achieve the objectives.
There are four primary types of action items: 1) enhancing sea-level rise science and related data, 2) supporting the application of sea-level rise science and data in coastal decision-making, 3) fostering informed and productive dialogue about sea-level rise vulnerabilities and adaptations and 4) identifying and pursuing funding for implementing sea-level rise adaptation or mitigation activities.
PLACE: SLR has a number of projects currently wrapping up and underway that work with a variety of stakeholders.
To increase the understanding of sea-level rise science and solutions, we have worked with scientists and educators to create the high school curriculum “Sea-Level Rise in the Classroom.” The curriculum enhances scientific, environmental and civics literacy skills and capabilities of students through the completion of hands-on activities and inquiry-based lessons.
PLACE: SLR has also recently completed an update to the Gulf Surface Elevation Table (SET) Inventory map. SETs help researchers understand how marsh elevation is changing and what it means in the context of rising seas. The inventory and associated map will help researchers identify gaps in marsh elevation monitoring and better understand the future impacts of sea-level rise on natural ecosystems.
In addition, we have created short films to communicate what sea-level rise looks like in our region and what stakeholders are doing about it. We also provided small grants to northern Gulf communities to improve their sea-level rise resilience. These communities have completed a variety of resilience actions, such as vulnerability assessments, recommendations for mitigation of historic structures and development of a web application to help residents understand their flood risk - just to name a few of the outputs.
The three examples above are just a few of the projects that PLACE: SLR is working on. You can find more information on these and other projects at https://placeslr.org/our-work. Upcoming projects include a NOAA Environmental Literacy Program grant, exploring a legal analysis of road responsibilities, and more. Of course, as part of our mission, the staff at PLACE: SLR is ready to help with any questions, project ideas or other sea-level rise resilience related topics.
We recently rolled out our brand new website, https://placeslr.org, where you can find everything including staff information, our projects, upcoming events, our products, trainings we provide and much more. You can also follow us on Twitter (@PLACE_SLR) and keep up to date by signing up for our newsletter.
Meet the author
Sara Martin
Wetland Specialist, Mississippi State University
Sara Martin is a wetland specialist and extension associate with the Program for Local Adaptation to Changing Environments and the Mississippi State University (MSU) Coastal Research and Extension... Read more
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