Background Documents Supporting Climate Change Science Program Synthesis And Assessment Product 4 1 Coastal Elevations And Sensitivity To Sea Level Rise

One of 21 climate change synthesis and assessment products commissioned by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP), this report examines the effects of sea level rise, impacts on society, and opportunities to prepare for those consequences, focusing on the eight coastal states from New York to North Carolina. Using scientific literature and policy documents, the report describes potential changes to barrier.

Climate change is increasingly being considered a critical topic in research and policy-making. Evidences related to climate change deal with spatial and non-spatial data, which can be utilized for policy formulation. Geoinformatics, which includes remote sensing, GIS, GPS, and ICT, provides the most relevant technology to monitor climate change-related variables at different dimensions and scales. Geoinformatics for Climate Change Studies discusses the art of using this technology for investigating, monitoring, documenting, and understanding the impacts of climate change. This book provides information on the concepts and uses of geoinformatics, and focuses on filling the gap in the available literature on the subject by bringing together concepts, theories, and experiences of experts in this field.

Current climatic and environmental trends mean that a large number of important coastal destinations across the globe are under threat of change or gradual disappearance. Many of these locations are also significant tourist destinations, such as the Great Barrier Reef, the Everglades National Park or large swathes of the Mediterranean basin. Tourism activity both exacerbates the problem and highlights the importance of protecting these often fragile environments. This book discusses threats to, and consequences of, tourism growth and the impacts of climate change on such coastal zones. It examines policy initiatives, local and national options for managing the potential crisis and recommends steps and management options towards ameliorating projected impacts on coastal tourism infrastructure. This is an important book for researchers and students of leisure and tourism, land-use planning, environmental and coastal management and all those interested in and working with the environment, conservation and sustainability.

Assembling papers originally presented at the Resilient Cities 2011 Congress in Bonn, Germany (June 2011), the second global forum on cities and adaptation to climate change, this volume is the second in a series resulting from this annual event. These cutting-edge papers represent the latest research on the topic and reflect the intensification of the debate on the meaning of and interaction between climate adaptation, risk reduction and broader resilience. Thus, contributors offer more material related to resilience, such as water, energy and food security; green infrastructure; the role of renewables and ecosystem services; vulnerable communities and urban poor; and responsive financing for adaptation and multi-level governance. Overall, the book brings a number of different perspectives to bear on the most pressing issues and controversies surrounding climate change adaptation in cities. These papers will prove invaluable to anyone interested in deepening their understanding of urban resilience and contributing to tackling climate change at the local level.

As the global climate shifts, communities are faced with a myriad of mitigation and adaptation challenges. These highlight the political, cultural, economic, social, and physical vulnerability of social groups, communities, families, and individuals. They also foster resilience and creative responses. Research in hazard management, humanitarian response, food security programming, and other areas seeks to identify and understand factors that create vulnerability and strategies that enhance resilience at all levels of social organization. This book uses case studies from around the globe to demonstrate ways that communities have fostered resilience to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

The U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) was launched in February 2002 as a collaborative federal interagency program, under a new cabinet-level organization designed to improve the government-wide management and dissemination of climate change science and related technology development. The mission of the CCSP is to “facilitate the creation and application of knowledge of the Earth's global environment through research, observations, decision support, and communication”. This Product is one of 21 synthesis and assessment products (SAPs) identified in the 2003 Strategic Plan for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program, written to help achieve this mission. The SAPs are intended to support informed discussion and decisions by policymakers, resource managers, stakeholders, the media, and the general public. The products help meet the requirements of the Global Change Research Act of 1990, which directs agencies to “produce information readily usable by policymakers attempting to formulate effective strategies for preventing, mitigating, and adapting to the effects of global change” and to undertake periodic scientific assessments. One of the major goals within the mission is to understand the sensitivity and adaptability of different natural and managed ecosystems and human systems to climate and related global changes. This SAP (4.1), “Coastal Sensitivity to Sea-Level Rise: A Focus on the Mid-Atlantic Region”, addresses this goal by providing a detailed assessment of the effects of sea-level rise on coastal environments and presenting some of the challenges that need to be addressed in order to adapt to sea-level rise while protecting environmental resources and sustaining economic growth. It is intended to provide the most current knowledge regarding the implications of rising sea level and possible adaptive responses, particularly in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. This Synthesis and Assessment Product (SAP), developed as part of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program, examines potential effects of sea-level rise from climate change during the twenty-first century, with a focus on the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. Using scientific literature and policy-related documents, the SAP describes the physical environments; potential changes to coastal environments, wetlands, and vulnerable species; societal impacts and implications of sea-level rise; decisions that may be sensitive to sea-level rise; opportunities for adaptation; and institutional barriers to adaptation. The SAP also outlines the policy context in the mid-Atlantic region and describes the implications of sea-level rise impacts for other regions of the United States. Finally, this SAP discusses ways natural and social science research can improve understanding and prediction of potential impacts to aid planning and decision making.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the leading international body for assessing the science related to climate change. It provides policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of human-induced climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation. This IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate is the most comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the observed and projected changes to the ocean and cryosphere and their associated impacts and risks, with a focus on resilience, risk management response options, and adaptation measures, considering both their potential and limitations. It brings together knowledge on physical and biogeochemical changes, the interplay with ecosystem changes, and the implications for human communities. It serves policymakers, decision makers, stakeholders, and all interested parties with unbiased, up-to-date, policy-relevant information. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.