Coastal Issues | Hazards | Activities
What Is OCRM Doing to Address Coastal Hazards?
Through its coastal management efforts, the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) is helping address coastal hazards in a number of ways.
- Coastal Zone Management Program
- Protecting the Public Interest through the National Coastal Zone Management Program: How Coastal States and Territories Use No-Build Areas along Ocean and Great Lake Shorefronts
- Shoreline Management Technical Assistance Toolbox
- Adapting to Climate Change: A Planning Guide for State Coastal Managers
- National Estuarine Research Reserve System
- Measuring Success
Coastal Zone Management Program
One of the main objectives of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) is to "minimize the loss of life and property caused by improper development in flood-prone, storm surge, geological hazard, and erosion-prone areas and in areas likely to be affected by or vulnerable to sea level rise, land subsidence, and saltwater intrusion, and by the destruction of natural protective features such as beaches, dunes, wetlands, and barrier islands." To meet this objective, OCRM's Coastal Zone Management Program, in partnership with state coastal management programs, provides technical assistance and funding to support projects that address coastal hazard concerns at the state and local level. Projects include developing hazard management plans, revising construction setback regulations, conducting shoreline change studies, and mapping shorelines to identify high-risk erosion areas. Some of these projects, along with other useful information about hazards-related activities are highlighted in the Climate Change and Coastal Hazards E-News Update.
The Coastal Zone Enhancement Program provides an incentive for states and territories to enhance their coastal management programs in a wide array of coastal issues of national significance, including coastal hazards. The Coastal Zone Enhancement Program provides programs with an opportunity to establish new regulations, policies, and management programs related to coastal hazards.
Protecting the Public Interest through the National Coastal Zone Management Program: How Coastal States and Territories Use No-Build Areas along Ocean and Great Lake Shorefronts
In the face of continued population growth and increasing economic activity along our nation’s coasts, more devastating storms, and sea level rise, states must balance coastal resource uses (e.g., shorefront development) with preservation of the natural resources that attract such uses and protection of lives and property. OCRM’s "Protecting the Public Interest through the National Coastal Zone Management Program: How Coastal States and Territories Use No-Build Areas along Ocean and Great Lake Shorefronts" looks specifically at where states and territories employ no-build areas (e.g., through setbacks, rolling easements, or zoning) along ocean and Great Lake shorefronts, typically on dry, privately owned land, to protect the public interest.
Shoreline Management Technical Assistance Toolbox
OCRM, in partnership with NOAA's Restoration Center, has developed a Shoreline Management Technical Assistance Toolbox to provide coastal managers, local decision makers, and other interested parties with information about and easy access to management tools, case studies, and other resources available for addressing shoreline management issues. The site focuses on management approaches that avoid shoreline hardening, including policy tools (e.g., setbacks, planning, shoreline zoning, etc.) and alternative "soft" shoreline stabilization methods (e.g., marsh restoration with breakwater sills).
Adapting to Climate Change: A Planning Guide for State Coastal Managers
OCRM's "Adapting to Climate Change: A Planning Guide for State Coastal Managers" is designed to help U.S. state and territorial (states) coastal managers develop and implement adaptation plans to reduce the risks associated with climate change impacts affecting their coasts. The guide was written in response to a request from state coastal managers for guidance from NOAA on adaptation planning in the coastal zone and is intended as an aid, not as a prescriptive directive, and a state may choose to use individual steps or chapters or the entire guide, depending on where they are in their planning process.
The ultimate goal is coastal states and communities that are organized to take action, have the tools to take action, and are taking action to plan for and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
National Estuarine Research Reserve System
The National Estuarine Research Reserve System helps to address coastal hazards through the Coastal Training Program and other research and planning efforts. The Coastal Training Program provides current scientific information and skill-building opportunities to coastal decision makers, such as state and local government officials, land use planners, regulators, and engineers, to address critical resource management issues in local communities. Recently, several Coastal Training Programs have focused on shoreline erosion. Many of the reserves' training programs also include preparation for impacts of climate change, including sea level rise.
In addition, the System-Wide Monitoring Program provides long-term and near real-time data on water quality and weather conditions at all times, including during coastal storms. These data are invaluable for assessing current conditions and long-term changes that result from storms.
Measuring Success
Because addressing coastal hazards is an important goal of the CZMA and state coastal management programs, OCRM has worked with state coastal program partners to develop coastal hazard performance measures as part of the CZMA Performance Management System. The measures will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the national coastal management program at dealing with coastal hazards.