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Enhancing Coastal Resiliency: Applying GIScience towards Place-based Solutions�

Richard Lathrop

Resilient Landscapes: Designing with Nature in Mind

19^th Annual GIS Day at CUNY College of Staten Island

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Talk Outline: Enhancing Coastal Resiliency: Applying GIScience towards Place-based Solutions

Moving from Map visualization to Place-based Decision Making to Place-based Solutions

General paradigm: better information makes for better decisions

Historical Context: Vulnerability to Sea Level Rise

What did we know and when did we know it?

Federal-State Partnership: Nation-wide consistency - local innovation

NJ Floodmapper Web-based map visualization & decision support tools

Developing Place-based Solutions: NJ Restoration Tools Organization Suite

State-wide Community of Practice

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National Assessment of Coastal Vulnerability to Sea-Level Rise

Graphic from USGS 2001 http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/cvi/

Regional factors will influence relative sea level rise for specific coastlines.

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Tidal Marsh Retreat

Graphic from http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/effects/downloads/section3_20.pdf

Marsh builds up vertically through accretion

Marsh migrates horizontally

The "Coastal Squeeze"

Chief Editor: James Titus

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Vulnerability of New Jersey's Coastal Habitats to Sea Level Rise�

https://crssa.rutgers.edu/projects/sealevel/

In 2006, the RU Center for Remote Sensing & Spatial Analysis (CRSSA) and the American Littoral Society used GIS-based spatial analysis to identify where coastal development is constricting the natural dynamics of coastal salt marsh retreat.

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Workshop Survey Results:

The audience of coastal decision makers highlighted their perceived need for place-based information and decision support tools to inform land use planning, floodplain management and emergency management in the face of accelerating sea level rise.

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June 2011

Based on our focus group testing of available WebGIS tools, we adopted the NOAA CSC SLR Viewer as our starting point.

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SuperStorm Sandy �October 29-30, 2012

Sandy wallops New Jersey, Staten Island and New York Harbor.

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Launched February 2013

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Applying an Instructional Systems Design Model

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Summative Evaluation

How useful are these tools?

How can they be improved?

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Year # Active Users

2021 34k

2022 35k

20234 47k

2024 59k

2025 50k

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Understand the Issues

Assess Risk and Vulnerability

Plan for the Future

Implement and Adapt

Coastal Community Resiliency Progression

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Predicted Marsh Conversion by 2050 under different SLR

Rating:

High: Likelihood of conversion at 1’ SLR by 2050

Medium: Likelihood of conversion at 2’ - 3’ SLR by 2050

Low: Not predicted to convert by 2050

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Application example: Wildlife Habitat Mitigation Evaluation

A CAFRA regulated project in the lower portion of the Cape May peninsula was developing some open field/mowed grassland habitat which is considered state listed migratory raptor habitat. As part of the permit requirements, the applicant had to preserve “X” acres of early succession/grassland field habitat.
As part of the process review, personnel at the NJDEP Bureau of Watershed Management checked to see how threatened these sites might be from rising sea levels that could flood, erode, or permanently change the habitat types and acreage proposed for preservation.
Many of these sites were projected to be impacted by future sea level rise to the extent that areas currently low or high marsh would be inundated and upland habitat would be lost to landward migration of the high tide areas. Such an outcome would reduce the amount of acreage required for preservation to offset the habitat lost through development and the sites so affected were rejected as suitable habitat preservation locations.

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The Challenge: how to sustain, if not restore, coastal ecological structure and function.

Our general approach:

Nature-based solutions for maintaining coastal ecosystems either "in place" or in proximity with the goal of promoting coastal resiliency and the continued provision of vital ecosystem services.

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NJResTOrS:

Project partners

njrestors.rutgers.edu

Environmental Analysis & Communications Group

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Explore different coastal marsh future scenarios

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njrestors.rutgers.edu/nj-cerap/

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Photo Credit: Jennifer Walker

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Application example: �Assessment of change in the radiative balance of New Jersey tidal wetlands following implementation of Natural Climate Solutions projects

The NJDEP Division of Science and Research (DSR) in partnership with Rowan University is embarking on a new effort to quantify the fate and flux of carbon and greenhouse gases in tidal wetlands following restoration. The DSR is using projects from the CERAP Explorer to identify potential restoration sites, with paired controls, for inclusion in this effort.

DSR selected sites that were funded at the time of CERAP development where the Thin Layer application of sediment tactic was employed. This curated list provided further information for alignment with secondary goals and for levels of associated Issues of Concern, land ownership, and associated project partners that closely match in terms of vulnerabilities and aims.

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Jump between tools while holding location constant

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Closing Thoughts:

Continued sea level rise and extreme weather events are a threat to our coastal human and natural communities alike.
WebGIS tools, such as NJFloodMapper, provide access to critical place-based information to assess coastal flood exposure and potential vulnerability.
Leveraging national-scale effort with locally-refined geospatial data and functionality served as an effective model.
The user-centered design process was central to that elusive goal of promoting “virtual accessibility.”

Fostered connection to target audience(s).
Promoted greater acceptance once tool was released.

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Closing Thoughts:

Solution support tools, such as NJResTOrS, have been designed to help coastal decision-makers translate place-based information into concrete action plans.

We are still in early stages of employing these tools and learning as we do so.

Our experience suggests that for WebGIS tools to be truly effective, they must be integrated into a broader decision-support system that includes substantive professional outreach and person-to-person interaction.
The ultimate success of coastal adaptation plans will depend on a concerted effort by both government and the non-governmental organizations supported by substantial funding to implement the mix of gray and green infrastructure needed to enhance coastal resiliency.

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References

Lathrop, R.G., L. Auermuller, J. Trimble, and J. Bognar. 2014. The Application of WebGIS Tools for Visualizing Coastal Flooding Vulnerability and Planning for Resiliency: The New Jersey Experience. ISPRS Int J of Geo-Information 3:408-429.

Lathrop, R.G., L. Auermuller, J. Herb, and M. Kaplan. 2017. Integrated Assessment of Risk and Vulnerability. The Use of Online Decision-Support Tools to Communicate Coastal Vulnerability and Promote Adaptation Planning. GI_Forum 2017, Issue 1:352-359. DOI: 10.1553/giscience2017_01_s352 http://hw.oeaw.ac.at/0xc1aa500e%200x00369db5.pdf

Marxen, L., Kaplan, M., Herb, J., Auermuller, L., Lathrop, R. 2025. Building bridges to advance science-informed and equitable climate solutions: A university-based model of climate services. Climatic Change (In Press).

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Funding for NJResTOrS was provided by the NJDEP/NOAA CZM, The Nature Conservancy and National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (subcontract through PDE 414-01).

Check it out @ njrestors.rutgers.edu