Decision tools for sea level rise adaption in San Juan County: Connecting the dots between shoreform response and vulnerability to identify appropriate adaptation approach.
Presentation Abstract
Gaining public awareness and technical resources are critical first steps towards climate change adaptation. San Juan County is comprised of over 420 miles of shoreline and over 4,600 privately owned waterfront parcels. Many of these shores comprise valuable habitats that provide the ecosystem processes, structure and functions upon which the marine food web depends. The lack of major population centers in San Juan County and the relatively rural character of the islands provide a unique opportunity for adaptation to sea level rise within a context with far fewer constraints than more urban shores.
Coastal Geologic Services (CGS) has been working with Friends of the San Juan’s over the past several years to develop sea level rise planning tools for the County including a Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment of San Juan County. Most recently CGS has introduced a series of decision tools (with supporting graphics) that help shoreline property owners understand how different shoretypes will naturally respond to sea level rise, the sources of vulnerability most likely to affect their shores, and the range of adaptation options for various shoretypes and levels of vulnerability. Making these connections is critical as there is a broad spectrum of shoretypes and a wide range of vulnerability across the county. Therefore there is no uniform approach or recommendation that can be applied county-wide. These tools enable property owners to identify a suite of appropriate adaptation options that fit the needs of their property. Various adaptation options are described in the project report including the costs and benefits associated with each option. These guidance materials were developed with the premise that informed decisions are better decisions and shoreline property owners are increasingly ready to move ahead with adaptation strategies.
Session Title
Integrating Science with Landowner Outreach to Increase Coastal Resiliency
Conference Track
Shorelines
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
Oral
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--Washington (State)--San Juan County; Shorelines--Washington (State)--San Juan County; Coastal zone management--Washington (State)--San Juan County; Flood damage prevention--Washington (State)--San Juan County; Climatic changes
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); San Juan County (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
Decision tools for sea level rise adaption in San Juan County: Connecting the dots between shoreform response and vulnerability to identify appropriate adaptation approach.
2016SSEC
Gaining public awareness and technical resources are critical first steps towards climate change adaptation. San Juan County is comprised of over 420 miles of shoreline and over 4,600 privately owned waterfront parcels. Many of these shores comprise valuable habitats that provide the ecosystem processes, structure and functions upon which the marine food web depends. The lack of major population centers in San Juan County and the relatively rural character of the islands provide a unique opportunity for adaptation to sea level rise within a context with far fewer constraints than more urban shores.
Coastal Geologic Services (CGS) has been working with Friends of the San Juan’s over the past several years to develop sea level rise planning tools for the County including a Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment of San Juan County. Most recently CGS has introduced a series of decision tools (with supporting graphics) that help shoreline property owners understand how different shoretypes will naturally respond to sea level rise, the sources of vulnerability most likely to affect their shores, and the range of adaptation options for various shoretypes and levels of vulnerability. Making these connections is critical as there is a broad spectrum of shoretypes and a wide range of vulnerability across the county. Therefore there is no uniform approach or recommendation that can be applied county-wide. These tools enable property owners to identify a suite of appropriate adaptation options that fit the needs of their property. Various adaptation options are described in the project report including the costs and benefits associated with each option. These guidance materials were developed with the premise that informed decisions are better decisions and shoreline property owners are increasingly ready to move ahead with adaptation strategies.
