Preparing for Climate Impacts: Lessons from the Front Lines

In a synthesis report to The Kresge Foundation, the Georgetown Climate Center shares lessons learned from its adaptation work in recent years. The report includes short case studies highlighting successful efforts as well as barriers to change

Engineering works and the tidal Chesapeake

The tidal tributaries of the ocean and coastal areas of the mid-Atlantic region and the ecological significance of engineering projects are discussed. The effects of engineering works on maritime environments and resources, with the Chesapeake Bay as the area of prime interest are examined. Significant engineering projects, both actual and proposed, are described. The conflict of navigational demands and maintenance of an estuarine environment for commercial and sport fishing and recreation is described. Specific applications of remote sensors for analyzing ecological conditions of the bay are included

Investigation of the geology, mineral resources and water resources of the state of Maryland

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

ERTS imagery as data source for updating aeronautical charts

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

Relative impacts of morphological alteration to shorelines and eutrophication on littoral macroinvertebrates in Mediterranean lakes

Development of effective methods for assessing the ecological status of lakes based on littoral benthic fauna has been hampered by the lack of quantitative data on the relative impacts of key pressures on the benthic community. We used variance partitioning at 126 sites belonging to 14 natural Mediterranean lakes to analyze the pure and shared effects of eutrophication, morphological alterations, microhabitat type, lake morphometry and geographic position on the littoral macroinvertebrate community. The spatial arrangement of the sampling sites was responsible for 9.1% of the total variance in littoral benthic community composition, lake morphometry accounted for 4.3% of variation, and microhabitat type accounted for 3.9%. Communities appeared to be affected primarily by morphological alterations to lake shorelines, and their impact was 2.5 times as important as that of eutrophication. The structure of littoral benthic communities was governed by processes acting at several spatial scales from region to lake scale. Thus, several pressures and the various spatial scales at which these act should be taken into account when implementing methods of assessing lake ecological condition based on littoral benthic invertebrates. Region-specific methods for subalpine and volcanic lakes might enhance the validity of assessment of results of morphological alterations and improve management of those water resources

Modeling Shoreline Change and Resulting Wetland Response Due to Erosion and Sea-Level Rise: A Case Study in Dorchester County, Maryland

The present study was focused on developing a shoreline change forecast and wetland response model for Dorchester County, MD, to evaluate the vulnerability of wetlands to shoreline erosion and inundation due to relative sea level rise. The model considers the following forces involved in wetland stability and sustainability: inundation (as a function of topography and sea-level rise), shoreline erosion, vertical accretion and horizontal migration. To predict the long-term risk to nearshore wetlands and the potential habitat zone for wetlands in the next 50 years, shoreline change due to inundation and erosion/accretion was assessed within the frameworks of two-dimensional and three-dimensional analyses. To that end, three different scenarios were taken into account in the shoreline change forecast. The first (conservative) scenario estimated the future shoreline positions based on historic sea-level rates of change and historic erosion/accretion rates. The other two scenarios employed accelerated rates of sea-level rise and accelerated rates of shoreline erosion/accretion in the shoreline forecast. Two different approaches were employed to spatially analyze and combine the outputs of the projections based on inundation and erosion. A Maximum Change approach and a Characterization of the Inundation Forecast were carried out in each scenario. The future location of the shoreline was defined as the wetland-water boundary. The wetland-upland boundary was defined based on current topography (elevations at 2 times the tidal range above mean low water), and the potential wetland habitat was restricted to areas that are not presently developed and/or not behind a shoreline defense structure. The outputs of this model allow identification of potential future wetland habitats where wetland protection and restoration strategies can be directed. This model approach can serve as a prototype for expanded investigations in other coastal habitats

Synthesis of Shoreline, Sea Level Rise, and Marsh Migration Data for Wetland Restoration Targeting Final Report

Coastal marsh loss is a significant issue globally, due in part to rising sea levels and high levels of coastal human activity. Marshes have natural mechanisms to allow them to adapt to rising sea levels, however, migration across the landscape is one of those mechanisms and is frequently in conflict with human use of the shoreline. Ensuring the persistence of marshes into the future requires an understanding of where marshes are likely to migrate under sea level rise and targeting those areas for conservation and preservation activities. The goal of this project was to 1) compile existing datasets and information related to marsh migration under sea level rise-driven inundation due to forecasted climate change, topography of bay shorelines, shoreline condition (e.g., erosion rates, hardening, existing natural resources), existing wetland area and potential migration corridors, and other relevant data from around the Chesapeake Bay and 2) develop a methodology that synthesizes the information in a format that can be used to assist with marsh conservation and restoration decisions under multiple sea level rise scenarios (see associated report). This dataset is the resulting data from the methodology development

VIMS Marsh Migration final report + metadata sheets

Coastal marsh loss is a significant issue globally, due in part to rising sea levels and high levels of coastal human activity. Marshes have natural mechanisms to allow them to adapt to rising sea levels, however, migration across the landscape is one of those mechanisms and is frequently in conflict with human use of the shoreline. Ensuring the persistence of marshes into the future requires an understanding of where marshes are likely to migrate under sea level rise and targeting those areas for conservation and preservation activities. The goal of this project was to 1) compile existing datasets and information related to marsh migration under sea level rise-driven inundation due to forecasted climate change, topography of bay shorelines, shoreline condition (e.g., erosion rates, hardening, existing natural resources), existing wetland area and potential migration corridors, and other relevant data from around the Chesapeake Bay and 2) develop a methodology that synthesizes the information in a format that can be used to assist with marsh conservation and restoration decisions under multiple sea level rise scenarios (see associated report). This dataset is the resulting data from the methodology development

Island Land Loss in the Chesapeake Bay: A Quantitative and Process Analysis

The rates and processes of land loss were studied for seven islands in the Chesapeake Bay: Barren, Bloodsworth, Hooper, James, Poplar, Smith and South Marsh Islands. Rates and patterns of land loss were quantified for the years 1848 to 1987 with the Metric Mapping technique which utilizes digitized data from historical maps and vertical aerial photographs. Processes of land loss were determined through field surveys and correlated with environmental factors. Two distinct island types were identified which exhibited different, long-term patterns of land loss. Small, upland islands, termed the Northern Group, showed rapid land loss along the main stem of the Bay primarily due to wave action driven by the predominant westerly winds. Land loss appeared to accelerate during periods of high storm frequency. The long-term averaged land loss rate for Northern Group islands is 1.9 ha/yr. The averaged erosion rate on the western side of the islands is 4.9 m/yr, compared to 0.68 m/yr on the eastern side of the islands. In contrast, the large, marshy islands of the Southern Group experienced uniform marsh edge erosion and interior marsh degradation. The Southern Group islands lost land at an averaged rate of 5. 6 ha/yr, with an averaged rate of marsh edge erosion of 1.2 m/yr. Land loss appeared to be weakly correlated to storm frequency. Interior marsh loss was not quantified for this study, however, so this study provides an underestimation of total land loss of coastal wetlands