National Science Foundation Awards Grant for Study of Storm and Sea Level Rise Impacts

The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) has been awarded a $500,000 grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to lead a coalition of scientists from around the country to study the impact of storms, sea-level rise, and climate change on estuaries and bays.

This national Research Coordination Network (RCN), part of NSF’s new initiative on People and Coasts (CoPe), will synthesize insights from existing coastal resiliency projects around the country and propose new strategies that integrate ecosystem enhancement and recovery to protect coastal communities and infrastructure.

Led by UMCES oceanographer Ming Li, the coalition-based initiative called Estuarine CoPe RCN will study the impact of storms, sea-level rise, and climate change on estuaries and bays. Scientists will focus their attention on coastline management strategies such as engineered structures and natural/nature-based systems. They will also explore the human dimensions of coastal resilience. Funding will provide interdisciplinary training to young scientists through workshops and focus-group interactions.