CoPe EAGER - Identifying Multiple Values for Beaches and Coastlines Under Sea Level Rise

海平面上升对沿海生态系统和社区构成了重大威胁。应对需要清楚地了解海岸线的多种用途和价值，并设计最能支持这些价值或考虑权衡的适应战略。有两种主要的适应解决方案：(a)通过海岸硬化或海拔升高就地适应；或者(b)战略性或有管理地从海岸撤退，要么立即撤退，要么逐步撤退。支持者认为，有管理的撤退是一种选择，可以最大限度地减少因海平面上升而加剧的沿海灾害对社区的影响。然而，虽然这一过程似乎是有序的，但现有的基础设施、社会、经济和文化与地方的联系以及土地使用惯例的结合，使这些政策的执行变得困难。各司法管辖区努力寻找适合当地的解决方案，以满足全球变化的问题。为沿海管理确定公共投资的优先次序需要在高度本地化的水平上理解和传达不同用户群体所持有的多种生态、社会文化和经济价值，这些价值可用于政策和规划。这项研究考虑了各种沿海地点，以更好地了解它们的多重值如何随着预期海平面上升而变化。研究人员希望他们的研究能够形成一个框架，以支持当地对面临快速变化的海岸线进行前瞻性政策和规划的决策。学生们参与了这项研究的各个方面。评估适应方法在不同情况下的成本和收益需要了解沿海地区的不同用途和价值，以及它们如何随着预期的海平面上升而变化。本研究借鉴了新兴的综合评估领域，以评估与海滩和海岸线相关的价值之间的利益和权衡。夏威夷是一个优秀的范例系统，因为在一个小的地理区域内，不同的海岸线具有很高的社会文化、经济和生态价值。调查人员使用几个地点来确定和说明多种生态、文化和经济价值。本研究有三个目标：(1)通过历史和档案分析，评估海平面上升和适应策略对沿海生态系统和社区的影响方式；(2)利用混合定性和定量分析，制定代表海滩和海岸线多重价值的指标，并评估在海平面上升的情况下，这些指标在适应和有管理的撤退下可能发生的变化；(3)建立一个创新的权衡框架，帮助当地决策者积极应对沿海社区的这些挑战。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Sea level rise represents a major threat to coastal ecosystems and communities. Responding requires a clear understanding of the multiple uses and values of coastlines and design of adaptation strategies that best supports these values or accounts for tradeoffs. There are two main adaptation solutions: (a) adapt in place through coastal hardening or elevation; or (b) strategic or managed retreat from the coast, either all at once or gradually over time. Proponents argue that managed retreat is an option that minimizes community exposure to coastal hazards exacerbated by sea level rise. However, while the process may appear orderly, the combination of existing infrastructure, social, economic and cultural ties to place, and land-use practices, make the implementation of such policies difficult. Jurisdictions struggle to find place-appropriate solutions at a scale that meets the problem of global change. Prioritizing public investments for coastal management requires understanding and communicating multiple ecological, socio-cultural, and economic values held by diverse user groups at a highly localized level in terms that can be utilized for policy and planning. This study considers a variety of coastal sites to better understand how their multiple values change with expected sea level rise. The investigators expect their study to result in a framework to support local decision-making for proactive policy and planning for coastlines facing rapid change. Students are involved with all aspects of this study. Assessing the costs and benefits of adaptation approaches in different contexts requires understanding the diverse uses and values of coastal areas, and how these may change with anticipated sea level rise. This study draws upon the emerging field of integrative valuation to assess the suite of benefits and tradeoffs between values associated with beaches and coastlines. Hawai'i serves as an excellent model system given the high socio-cultural, economic, and ecological values of diverse coastlines in a small geographical area. The investigators use several sites to identify and illustrate multiple ecological, cultural, and economic values. The study has three objectives: (1) Evaluate the ways that sea level rise and adaptation strategies have already influenced coastal ecosystems and communities through historical and archival analysis; (2) Develop indicators representing multiple values of beaches and coastlines using mixed qualitative and quantitative analysis, and assess how these are likely to change under sea level rise both with adaptation in place and managed retreat; and (3) Develop an innovative tradeoff framework that assists local decision-makers to proactively address these challenges in their coastal communities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.