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

海平面上升是对沿海生态系统和社区的重大威胁。应对措施需要清楚地了解海岸线的多种用途和价值，并制定最能支持这些价值或权衡取舍的适应战略。有两种主要的适应解决办法：(A)通过沿海硬化或高地就地适应；或(B)战略性或有管理地从沿海撤退，要么一次性全部撤退，要么随着时间的推移逐步撤退。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社区对因海平面上升而加剧的沿海危险的暴露。然而，尽管这一进程可能看起来有序，但现有的基础设施、与地方的社会、经济和文化联系以及土地使用做法的结合，使这些政策的实施变得困难。司法管辖区努力在满足全球变化问题的规模上找到适合地方的解决方案。确定沿海管理公共投资的优先顺序需要了解和传达高度本地化的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。这项研究考虑了不同的沿海地点，以更好地了解它们的多值如何随着预期的海平面上升而变化。调查人员预计，他们的研究将产生一个框架，以支持地方决策，以便为面临快速变化的海岸线制定积极的政策和规划。学生参与了这项研究的方方面面。评估适应办法在不同情况下的成本和效益，需要了解沿海地区的各种用途和价值，以及这些用途和价值可能如何随着预期的海平面上升而改变。这项研究利用新兴的综合估值领域来评估与海滩和海岸线相关的价值之间的一系列好处和权衡。夏威夷是一个极好的模式系统，因为在一个很小的地理区域内，不同的海岸线具有很高的社会文化、经济和生态价值。研究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。这项研究有三个目标：(1)通过历史和档案分析，评估海平面上升和适应战略已经影响沿海生态系统和社区的方式；(2)使用定性和定量相结合的分析，制定代表海滩和海岸线的多种价值的指标，并评估这些指标在海平面上升、适应到位和有管理的撤退情况下可能发生的变化；以及(3)制定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NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.