Classification of green infrastructure networks in the Salish Sea to build regional resilience to coastal flooding
Presentation Abstract
The last few decades have witnessed an escalating number of extreme climate events such as changes in air and water temperatures; precipitation patterns; storm intensity, duration, frequency and distribution; oceanic and atmospheric circulation; and altered timing of seasons. The acceleration of climate change impacts is expected to amplify the existing coastal flooding risks and vulnerabilities associated with storm surges and sea level rise.
Situated at the interface between land and ocean, green infrastructure – natural areas of individual or combination of soft structures, coastal vegetation, and reef systems – provides important coastal protection services. Increased amount of primary research provides evidence that green infrastructure is an effective low-impact and low-cost method of reducing coastal flooding risks and building resilience. Yet their practical implementations have been significantly limited due to the incomplete understanding of their potential flood protection benefits in local/regional scales, because coastal protection decisions require a place-specific understanding of green infrastructure’s potential flood protection benefits. It is also equally important to understand green infrastructure’s vulnerability to changing environmental conditions, such as climate change stressors and human action at coast, because its ability to respond to these stressors directly influences its potential to provide flood protection benefits. This research develops a green infrastructure specific classification system for the 80 most populated coastal communities (50 in British Columbia and 30 in Washington State) in the Salish Sea region. This descriptive and informative tool (1) maps the regional distribution of green infrastructure, (2) displays regional green infrastructure categories based on criteria, and (3) identifies patterns of green infrastructure vulnerability and its potential benefits in reducing coastal flooding risks in the Salish Sea.
This talk will present the results of the green infrastructure classification model, and will discuss patterns of green infrastructure vulnerability and protection benefits in the Salish Sea region.
Session Title
Climate change and ocean acidification
Conference Track
Salish Sea Snapshots
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Snapshot
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Shore protection--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Shorelines--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Coastal zone management--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Floodplains--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Sea level--Climatic factors--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Classification of green infrastructure networks in the Salish Sea to build regional resilience to coastal flooding
2016SSEC
The last few decades have witnessed an escalating number of extreme climate events such as changes in air and water temperatures; precipitation patterns; storm intensity, duration, frequency and distribution; oceanic and atmospheric circulation; and altered timing of seasons. The acceleration of climate change impacts is expected to amplify the existing coastal flooding risks and vulnerabilities associated with storm surges and sea level rise.
Situated at the interface between land and ocean, green infrastructure – natural areas of individual or combination of soft structures, coastal vegetation, and reef systems – provides important coastal protection services. Increased amount of primary research provides evidence that green infrastructure is an effective low-impact and low-cost method of reducing coastal flooding risks and building resilience. Yet their practical implementations have been significantly limited due to the incomplete understanding of their potential flood protection benefits in local/regional scales, because coastal protection decisions require a place-specific understanding of green infrastructure’s potential flood protection benefits. It is also equally important to understand green infrastructure’s vulnerability to changing environmental conditions, such as climate change stressors and human action at coast, because its ability to respond to these stressors directly influences its potential to provide flood protection benefits. This research develops a green infrastructure specific classification system for the 80 most populated coastal communities (50 in British Columbia and 30 in Washington State) in the Salish Sea region. This descriptive and informative tool (1) maps the regional distribution of green infrastructure, (2) displays regional green infrastructure categories based on criteria, and (3) identifies patterns of green infrastructure vulnerability and its potential benefits in reducing coastal flooding risks in the Salish Sea.
This talk will present the results of the green infrastructure classification model, and will discuss patterns of green infrastructure vulnerability and protection benefits in the Salish Sea region.
