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HomeAboutNOS Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Report

# NOS Priority: Coastal Resilience

## NOS Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Report

## Report Reveals Increase in Nuisance Flooding Caused by Sea-level Rise

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal resilience 

NOAA's Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) national network of long-term coastal water-level stations collects the highly accurate data required to determine local sea-level trends. A new analysis of the data, released in the report "Sea Level Rise and Nuisance Flood Frequency Changes around the United States," revealed that eight of the top 10 U.S. cities along the East Coast have experienced major increases in nuisance flooding caused by rising sea levels – from 300 percent to 925 percent in the last half-century. Nuisance flooding causes such public inconveniences as frequent road closures, overwhelmed storm drains, and compromised infrastructure from saltwater exposure. The report supports NOAA's coastal resilience priority by providing better understanding of the ongoing impacts of climate change in coastal areas. The report received extensive media attention at the national, regional, and local levels through print, radio, and TV.

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## Maps and Predictions Inform Ocean Energy Development 

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal intelligence, place-based conservation, coastal resilience 

NOAA’s  National Centers for  Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) works closely with the U.S. Department  of the Interior, including the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the  U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, to deploy  mapping tools that support environmental assessment and planning for ocean  energy development. Accurate maps and predictions of living marine resource  distributions foster effective coastal  and marine spatial planning, which reduces potential conflicts  between human uses and sensitive marine ecosystems—thereby supporting healthy  and resilient coastal communities and economies.

In FY14, NCCOS developed advanced statistical models  of seabird and deep-sea coral distributions for the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf  of Mexico. By merging large databases of seabird and coral observations with  environmental data gleaned from NOAA satellites and ocean  observations, NCCOS produced predictive maps of bird  and coral distributions and disseminated them through a joint NOAA–BOEM Web service.

Also  in FY14, a renewable energy transmission company used NCCOS’s coral  distribution maps to help evaluate routing alternatives for a proposed undersea  energy transmission cable into Maalaea Bay, Maui. The cable system under  consideration would transmit renewable wind power generated in Maui County for  consumption on Oahu, contributing to Hawaii’s 2030 goal of having 40 percent of  its electricity sales come from renewable energy.

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## NOAA Forecasts and Responds to Harmful Algal Blooms

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal intelligence, coastal resilience 

In  August 2014, NOAA’s National  Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) supported the  response to a bloom of cyanobacteria, a toxic blue-green algae, that contaminated  drinking water in Lake Erie. The bloom left nearly 400,000 people in Toledo,  Ohio, without drinking water for two days.NOAA’s  weekly Lake Erie Harmful Algal Bloom Bulletin, produced by NCCOS and NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research  Laboratory, tracks the size and location of blooms and  predicts their movement until the bloom season ends in the fall. This year, in  response to requests from Ohio agencies, NOAA increased the frequency of the  bulletins from once to twice a week. The August 1 bulletin caught escalation of  the bloom and helped Toledo prepare for the hazard. NOAA currently provides, or  is developing, harmful  algal bloom and hypoxia (low dissolved oxygen) forecasts for Lake Erie, the Gulf of Maine, the  Chesapeake Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific Northwest.

Also  in FY14, NCCOS addressed paralytic  shellfish poisoning (PSP)—a public health threat that affects Alaska’s residents more frequently  than those residing anywhere else in the U.S. The remoteness of coastal  communities in Alaska makes monitoring this threat challenging. NCCOS worked  with the Food and Drug Administration and the biotechnology company Mercury  Science to develop rapid laboratory and field test kits capable of detecting  saxitoxins found in shellfish. Saxitoxins are produced by the microalgae *Alexandrium* and are the cause of PSP.  Shellfish accumulate saxitoxins as they feed on *Alexandrium*. The saxitoxin field test can be used with minimal  training, requires no expensive equipment, and is commercially available. 

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## Research Supports Climate Change Planning in the Gulf of Mexico

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal intelligence, coastal resilience 

In  FY14, scientists funded by NOAA’s National Centers for  Coastal Ocean Science found that projected changes in coastal  Gulf of Mexico land use and land cover (e.g., urban development) could increase  the extent of storm surge flooding by up to 70 percent above the flooding that  might be expected from projected sea-level rise alone.

The  finding comes from a modeling study that investigated the ecological effects of  sea-level rise in the Gulf of Mexico. The study is yielding predictive tools  that assist coastal zone managers as they develop strategies to mitigate the  future ecological and socioeconomic impacts of climate change.            The  study is also the focal point of the Northern Gulf of Mexico Sentinel Site Cooperative,  a federal-state partnership established to advance prediction and assessment  capabilities for sea-level rise. The cooperative seeks to improve coastal data  and research products to foster planning and adaptation to sea-level rise and inundation. 

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## Research and Monitoring to Support U.S. Coral Reef Conservation

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal intelligence, place-based conservation, coastal resilience 

NOAA’s National Centers for  Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) works with federal, state, and  local management agencies to monitor and assess the condition of U.S. coral  reef ecosystems within sanctuaries, reserves, and other special places. These  productive ecosystems enhance biological diversity, fisheries, tourism, and cultural  heritage, and protect shorelines from storm damage.

NCCOS  and NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries  Science Center (SEFSC) co-lead major components of  NOAA’s National  Coral Reef Monitoring Plan (NCRMP) – a framework for  conducting sustained observations of biological, climate, and socioeconomic  indicators at 10 priority coral reefs across the U.S. and its territories. In FY14,  NCCOS and SEFSC conducted the first NCRMP fish and invertebrate monitoring  missions, in the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Flower Garden Banks National Marine  Sanctuary. Officials will use data from the missions to  update management plans and ensure continued protection of coral resources at  these locations. Also in FY 14, NCCOS conducted a biological assessment of the  Florida coral reef tract and paired it with human-use information to develop  management recommendations for the Florida  Keys National Marine Sanctuary.              NCCOS is also studying the social and economic conditions of communities that  depend on coral reefs in seven U.S. states and territories. In FY14, NCCOS  scientists surveyed a random representative sample of the adult populations in  American Samoa and South Florida. The survey data are being shared with local  resource managers and other interested partners who will be able to use the  information to improve a range of coral conservation efforts, including  education and outreach initiatives and program evaluation.

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## ‘Topo-bathy’ LIDAR Collected in Sandy Impact Areas

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal resilience 

In FY 14, in response to post-tropical cyclone Sandy, NOAA’s National  Geodetic Survey collected more than 2,600 square miles of near-shore light  detection and ranging (LIDAR) data to improve coastal mapping. The data were acquired  through a combination of contract and in-house resources using state-of-the-art  topographic bathymetric (topo-bathy) LIDAR sensors. The sensors are able to  penetrate the surface to a depth of 10 meters. In addition to being used to  update the shoreline on nautical charts in Sandy-impacted  areas, the data will also be used by federal and state agencies, universities,  and others for coastal zone planning, emergency response, and coastal resilience efforts. Contracts and  the new sensor were procured through the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act  of 2013 in support of navigation services for coastal states affected by Sandy.

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## Airborne Gravity Data Collected in Response to Sandy

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal resilience 

In FY 14, in response to post-tropical cyclone Sandy,  the National Geodetic Survey's Gravity for the  Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) Project collected airborne gravity data covering the East Coast  from Maine to North Carolina. The geographically continuous data set collected  in the surveys will allow NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey to produce more accurate  models of heights above sea level, which is of significant benefit to the East  Coast. When complete, the improved elevations from GRAV-D products will provide  an estimated $4.8 billion in cost savings to the nation. Much of this work was funded  through the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act  of 2013.

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## Geoid Validation Slope Survey of 2014

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal resilience 

NOAA’s Geoid Slope Validation Survey of 2014 commenced in **June 2013** with a National  Geodetic Survey field crew setting approximately 200 official survey benchmarks  in Iowa along U.S. Route 30. The survey line extended approximately 200 miles,  from Denison to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Field observations, including leveling, GPS,  gravity, and astrometric surveys, began in **May  2014**and concluded in September 2014. 

Data collected from the  survey will be used to evaluate the accuracy of a new gravity-based geoid model. The model, which is used to determine mean sea level and  the direction of water flow, is an important component in creating the next-generation  vertical datum. The survey is the  second in a series of three large test projects to validate the new  gravity-based geoid model and the new vertical datum, which are scheduled for  release in 2022.

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## NOAA Planet Stewards Education Project

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal resilience, place-based conservation 

In FY 14, 100 new educators joined the NOAA Planet Stewards Education Project, which provides professional development opportunities and a collaborative online learning community to engage educators in active stewardship projects. Participants represent 43 states, Washington, DC, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Panama, and include formal and informal educators from K-12 schools, community colleges, universities, and informal learning institutions including zoos, aquaria, and nature centers.

Project educators completed 2,060 contact hours of professional development through monthly webinars and book discussions, teleconferences, workshops, and online resources. The Project partnered with the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Ice Core Drilling Program, American Meteorological Society, and National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) to offer participants a variety of experiences.

In cooperation with some of these partners, the NOAA team organized and hosted a climate workshop at the NSTA annual meeting that attracted more than 170 educators.

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## NOAA Supports Climate Training in Vietnam

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal resilience, place-based conservation 

In response to a request for federal science specialists to work with the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, the education team leader of NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS) developed training materials about climate science and adaptation for leaders in Vietnam provinces. Vietnam's long coastline, geographic location, diverse topography, and microclimates contribute to its being one of the most hazard-prone countries in the Asia-Pacific region, with storms and flooding causing both economic and human losses.

Tasks included selecting and editing appropriate climate materials, selecting university professors as in-country trainers, and providing training for the trainers. A pilot training for 70 top government officials from Thanh Hoa province incorporated websites, resources, and new simulation strategies from NOAA and NOS, along with relevant local information and climate predictions for Vietnam. Topics included the causes and impacts of regional climate change, adaptation and mitigation strategies, climate vulnerability, disaster risk reduction, coastal resilience, and Green Growth opportunities for economic development. 

Evaluation of the training outcomes showed a significant growth in understanding about climate change and a desire for additional training. The trainers will assist with climate training in other provinces and support Vietnam's growth in climate literacy.

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## Sea-level Rise Mapping Tool Wins Presidential GreenGov Award 

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal intelligence, coastal resilience 

In FY 14, in response to post-tropical cyclone Sandy, a team of federal  policy and science experts led by NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management created an interactive  sea-level rise mapping and calculator tool to help people identify and prepare  for flooding related to rising sea levels. Recognizing the need to inform  Sandy-related rebuilding decisions, the tool was ready in a remarkably short  time. The team’s efforts were recognized with the 2013 Presidential GreenGov  Awards’  “Climate Champion” designation. 

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## ‘Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper’ Covers Sandy Impact Areas

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal intelligence, coastal resilience 

In FY 14, in response to post-tropical cyclone Sandy, NOAA’s Office  for Coastal Management developed a new online tool called the Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper that gives coastal New  York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania easy access to community-level  flood information. The tool displays county-level data about shallow coastal  flooding, flood zones, storm surge, sea level rise, and a composite view of flood  hazards. An added bonus is the ability to include important data such as population  centers, infrastructure, and evacuation routes. Maps can be downloaded or  shared online. In addition to the Mapper helping make communities safer, it  also helps them take actions to raise their scores in the National  Flood Insurance Program’s community rating program. Plans are under way to expand the reach  of the tool to include the rest of the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico.

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## Professional Training Supports Green Infrastructure and Coastal Resilience

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal resilience 

Building the capacity of  coastal officials is the key to effective coastal management decisions. In FY 14,  NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management updated several of its professional courses to respond to the changing  needs of this community. An introduction to green infrastructure provides  instruction regarding the use of natural areas to make communities less  flood-prone. A project design and evaluation course is popular among coastal  restoration practitioners, and a helpful video series focuses on implementing  economic concepts for coastal ecosystem services.

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## Social Coast Forum 2014: Exploring the Values that Shape Coastal Policy 

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal intelligence, coastal resilience 

The Social Coast Forum, developed by NOAA’s Office  for Coastal Management, fills a unique niche by bringing together coastal practitioners  and social scientists to advance coastal management goals. Participants shared  information and lessons learned based on their social science and coastal  management experiences. The forum focused on the ways that values and beliefs  shape coastal policy and decision-making. Session topics included community  benefits of green infrastructure, communication  strategies and frameworks for adaptation, public perception of climate change,  informing fisheries management with social science, and understanding  stakeholder motives. More than 100 presentations, 32 roundtable demonstrations  and discussions, and 14 entries in the visual gallery made the 2014 forum even  more popular than the first one, held in 2012.

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## NOAA Helps Coastal States Prepare for Climate Change

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal resilience 

While climate change is  a worldwide event, preparation for it is site-specific. NOAA’s Office  for Coastal Management supports coastal management programs seeking adaptation measures  that make the most sense for their particular situations. Examples include: **Delaware**, which signed an  executive order requiring the incorporation of sea-level rise data when constructing state-funded projects, and the protection of green infrastructure that helps contain flood waters; **Rhode Island**, which created a guide to help homeowners understand climate change, erosion, and other natural and regulatory processes that may impact their property; **Maryland**, which issued a report with coastal construction and design guidelines to address the vulnerability of approximately 1,000 state-owned facilities in coastal areas; and **Climate adaptation workshops** held in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Maine, which helped local leaders prepare for climate change challenges. 

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## Carbon Credits for Wetlands Restoration Projects

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal resilience 

Restore  America’s Estuaries, a NOAA Office for Coastal Management partner, submitted the first  detailed methodology for quantifying real  greenhouse-gas emissions for tidal wetlands and seagrass restoration. This  groundbreaking work opens the door for tidal wetland and seagrass restoration  projects that meet certain eligibility conditions to calculate net greenhouse  gas benefits and generate carbon credits. Governments, industries,  and private individuals can use carbon credits to offset damaging carbon  emissions that they are generating. The work was made possible with  funds from the National Estuarine Research Reserve Science Collaborative and NOAA’s Habitat Conservation and Restoration  Center. 

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## Mid-Atlantic Reserves Promote Regional Collaboration on Sustainable Shorelines 

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal resilience 

In the wake of events like  post-tropical cyclone Sandy in October 2012, some coastal communities are  showing a greater interest in engineered shorelines. NOAA’s National  Estuarine Research Reserves in the Mid-Atlantic encouraged regional dialogue on the issue and  began to identify ways to leverage existing resources for this purpose.  Reserves in New York, New Jersey, and Delaware led workshops on the topic,  where participants explored ways to implement ecologically enhanced shoreline  projects and collaborated on the development of regional tools, resources, and  guidance. 

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## Texas City ‘Y’ Oil Spill Response

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal resilience 

NOAA’s Office of  Response and Restoration (OR&R) responded to the March  2014 collision of the bulk carrier M/V *Summer Wind* with the oil-tank barge *Kirby 27706* in Galveston Bay at a  dangerous intersection called the Texas City “Y,” where three lanes of vessel  traffic converge: from the Port of Texas City, the Houston Ship Channel, and  the Gulf Intracoastal  Waterway. The collision closed the Houston  Ship Channel for several days and resulted in the largest U.S. oil spill  response since the 2010 Deepwater  Horizon incident.

A  substantial portion of the approximately 168,000 gallons of spilled fuel oil  drifted 200 miles south and stranded on the beaches of Aransas National  Wildlife Refuge, home to the endangered whooping crane.  In addition to providing scientific support, such as modeling oil  trajectories and identifying resources at risk,  OR&R conducted aerial and shoreline surveys of the beaches to determine the  degree of oiling, affected habitats, and cleanup recommendations. OR&R also  worked extensively with NOAA’s National  Weather Service, which provided spot weather forecasts,  and NOAA’s National Marine  Fisheries Service, which provided wildlife surveys and  rehabilitation for marine mammals and sea turtles.

NOAA  and other natural resource trustees are now in the process of conducting a Natural Resource  Damage Assessment to identify injuries to natural resources,  impacts to people’s use of resources, and restoration needs resulting from the  spill.

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## Marine Debris Program Publishes Economic Research

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal resilience 

Southern  California residents lose millions of dollars every year avoiding littered  local beaches in favor of cleaner beaches that are farther away and may cost  more to reach, according to an economics study released in FY 14 and funded by  the NOAA Marine Debris  Program. The study, led by Industrial Economics, Inc., is  the first of its kind to consider how marine debris influences people’s  decisions to visit the beach, and what it may cost. The study found that  reducing marine debris on beaches can prevent financial loss and provide  economic benefits to residents. For beaches in and around Orange County, for  example, reducing marine debris by even 25 percent could benefit residents by roughly  $32 million during the summer months.

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## A Training Hub for Gulf of Mexico Emergency Preparedness

            -  **Supports NOS priority**: coastal resilience 

NOAA’s Gulf  of Mexico Disaster Response Center sponsored or hosted 21  meetings, workshops, and training events in FY 14. These included a federal Regional  Response Team meeting, a Homeland Security Exercise  and Evaluation Program class, a tropical storm preparedness exercise  co-sponsored by the National  Weather Service, and NOAA’s Science of Oil Spills  class. The center also hosted a class called Managing Floodplain Development (by  the National Flood  Insurance Program) for the Alabama Emergency Management  Agency. In addition, the center provided meeting space for the Mobile County (AL)  Emergency Management Agency for its annual Mass Care meeting. The center’s  growing reputation as a central hub for all-hazards coordination fosters  partnerships with NOAA and improves emergency preparedness throughout the Gulf  region. 

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###### NOS Priority: **Coastal Resilience**

            - ** Report: Increase in Nuisance Flooding Caused by Sea-level Rise (CO-OPS)
            - **Maps and Predictions Inform Ocean Energy Development (NCCOS)
            - ** NOAA Forecasts and Responds to Harmful Algal Blooms (NCCOS)
            - ** Research Supports Climate Change Planning in the Gulf of Mexico (NCCOS)
            - ** Research and Monitoring to Support U.S. Coral Reef Conservation (NCCOS)
            - ** ‘Topo-bathy’ LIDAR Collected in Sandy Impact Areas (NGS)
            - ** Aerial Gravity Data Collected in Response to Sandy (NGS)
            - ** Geoid Validation Slope Survey of 2014 (NGS)
            - ** NOAA Planet Stewards Education Project (NOS Education)
            - ** NOAA Supports Climate Training in Vietnam (NOS Education)
            - **Sea Level Rise Mapping Tool Wins Presidential GreenGov Award (OCM)
            - ** ‘Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper’ Covers Sandy Impact Areas (OCM)
            - ** Professional Training Supports Green Infrastructure and Coastal Resilience (OCM)
            - ** Social Coast Forum 2014: Exploring the Values that Shape Coastal Policy (OCM)
            - ** NOAA Helps Coastal States Prepare for Climate Change (OCM)
            - ** Carbon Credits for Wetlands Restoration Projects (OCM)
            - ** Mid-Atlantic Reserves Promote Regional Collaboration on Sustainable Shorelines (OCM)
            - ** Texas City ‘Y’ Oil Spill Response (OR&R)
            - ** Marine Debris Program Publishes Economic Research (OR&R)
            - ** A Training Hub for Gulf of Mexico Emergency Preparedness (OR&R)

###### **NOS Accomplishments**

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