Through a partnership with the North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (NALCC), and funding from USFWS, NROC is working to deliver science about resilient shorelines to key coastal partners in the Northeast.

The aim of this effort is to make decision support tools, maps and monitoring results from two Hurricane Sandy coastal resiliency projects, along with other coastal resiliency information and tools, easily available to decision makers at scales and formats needed; work with partners to translate and use information at the regional, state and local level; and enhance existing capacity to work with communities through the demonstration and delivery of this information.

As part of the agreement, NROC conducted the Resilient Shorelines Grant Program that funded the following projects.

Funded Projects

NACCS

Storm Surge and Wave Database and Web Services

RPS ASA developed a database and web services to facilitate use of the USACE North Atlantic Comprehensive Coastal Study (NACCS) data by NROC states. The data include state-of-the-art atmospheric, wave and storm surge modeling for the North Atlantic region, including coastal areas of all NROC member states.

MyCoast

MyCoast Living Shorelines Tool

Blue Urchin developed enhancements to the MyCoast suite of tools that allow for the monitoring of changing habitat and geological features along the coast. Information gathered through these tools is used to visualize the impact of coastal hazards and
to enhance awareness among decision-makers and stakeholders.

SLAMM

Modeling Sea Level Rise and Marsh Migration in Connecticut

Warren Pinnacle refined Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM) projections for Connecticut by accounting for road and infrastructure effects and by using spatial analysis to identify and characterize potential marsh migration pathways. The project produced land cover prediction maps and inundation maps for land and infrastructure.

Living Shorelines Stacker

Eastern Research Group (ERG) developed an innovative new product to help educate property owners along Northeast shorelines. The living shorelines “stacker” is a user-friendly, click-through tool that is a go-at-your-own-pace visual reading experience.

Rockingham Planning Commission

Tides to Storms 2: Climate Adaptation Implementation

In New Hampshire, the Rockingham Planning Commission provided direct technical planning assistance to seven municipalities to implement recommended actions identified in the Climate Change Adaptation sections of their Hazard Mitigation Plans. Through The Tides to Storms 2: Climate Adaptation Implementation project, RPC assisted municipalities in the following ways:

  • Portsmouth: Researched strategies to address coastal flooding in zoning and building codes
  • New Castle: Conducted community outreach about the role of coastal buffers in reducing flooding impacts
  • Rye: Prepared a Coastal Risks and Climate Adaptation Chapter for the Master Plan
  • North Hampton: Prepared flood protection provisions for existing buffer standards in the zoning ordinance
  • Hampton: Prepared amendments to the floodplain development standards in the zoning ordinance
  • Hampton Falls: Conducted community outreach about the role of coastal buffers in reducing flooding impacts and assisted Master Plan committee in incorporating Tides to Storms information in the master plan
  • Seabrook: Prepared a Coastal Risks and Adaptation Chapter for the Master Plan