The Effects of Sea Level Rise Program (ESLR)

Science to Guide Coastal Ecosystems, Community, and Infrastructure Protection

Rising sea level has worldwide consequences because of its potential to alter ecosystems and vulnerability of coastal regions by increasing the prevalence of recurrent tidal flooding events and life-threatening storm surge events. Damages and economic losses due to sea level rise could be reduced if decision-makers better understand the impacts of sea level rise and coastal inundation (storm surge, nuisance flooding, and wave run-up) and have access to science that provides insight on potential solutions. NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS) provides data and tools that enable business and coastal communities to plan for an array of coastal managers of local coastal vulnerability and solutions to mitigate flood risk. The program was formerly known as Ecological Effects of Sea Level Rise Program.

The Effects of Sea Level Rise Program provides a suite of science products and tools useful to coastal managers that are capable of evaluating coastal vulnerability under multiple sea level rise, inundation, and coastal management scenarios. These tools allow coastal managers to prepare for or mitigate regional impacts of sea level rise in their specific region. ESLR projects principally, explore the vulnerability of natural ecosystems, evaluate the potential for natural structures (e.g., barrier islands, wetlands, etc.) to reduce coastal inundation, and develop best practices for the inclusion of ecosystems in coastal protection strategies. In many cases, fostering natural coastal features provides a cost effective alternative to rigid hardened structures that may not be as effective in reducing flood risk or maximizing the value of the coast to the local community.

Modest funding is now available through the ESLR Event Response Program. This program augments current or prior research to help offset costs of immediate mobilization of response and/or assessment efforts associated with events that are difficult to plan as part of a scientific study. Learn more details.

To learn more about the ESLR program, download this Printable Fact Sheet.

Current Projects

Atlantic and Gulf Coasts

• Promoting Innovative Transformational Coastal Adaptation in Collaboration with Underserved Communities (MD)
• Quantification and Optimization of Nature-based Solutions for Mitigating Coastal Vulnerability and Risk (RI)
• Informing Coastal Adaptation and Management through the Coastal Dynamics of Sea Level Rise (iCAM-CDSLR) (MS, AL, FL)
• Salt Marsh Evolution along the South Atlantic Bight (FL, GA, SC)
• Transportation Systems and Flood Resilience under Dynamic Sea Level Rise: Integrated Modeling to Assess Natural and Nature-Based Solutions for Roadway Flooding in Hampton Roads, Virginia (VA)
• Evaluating Risk of Tidal Marsh Inundation and Monetizing Services to Prioritize Management Actions (GA, SC, NJ, DE, PA)
• Coastal Communities’ Pavement Resilience to Sea Level Rise Using Natural and Nature-Based Features (NH, MA, ME, AL)
• Modeling, Visualizing and Communicating Nor’easter and Hurricane Threats Under Sea-Level Rise to Support Coastal Management within New England (RI, MA, ME)
• Living with Sea Level Rise in the Texas Coastal Bend (TX)
• Surface Transportation, Sea Level Rise, and Coastal Storms: A Sustainable Path to Increased Resilience (AL)
• Keeping it in the System: Beneficial Use of Dredged Sediment to Increase Resiliency of Coastal Marshes in the Southeast (FL, NC)
• Integrated Modeling of the Effects of Sea Level Rise across Estuaries, Marshes and Barrier Islands in Mississippi Sound (AL, MS)
• Is an Old Dune a More Resilient Dune? Assessing How Dune Formation Affects Coastal Protection from Storms and Sea Level Rise in North Carolina (NC)

Pacific Coast

• Multi-objective Assessment of Flood Adaptation Options in Los Angeles County (CA)
• Coastal Resilience Through Actionable Science: Evaluation of Adaptation strategies to Mitigate Surface-subsurface Flooding in Coastal Communities (CA)
• A Cost-benefit Analysis of Green-gray Infrastructure for Sea Level Rise Adaptation in the Pacific Northwest, Incorporating Externalities and Ecosystem Co-Benefits (OR, WA)
• Using ESLR-funded Data Sets and Tools to Evaluate Alternative Backshore Management Options Along U.S. Pacific Northwest Coastlines (OR, WA)
• Advancing Natural Solutions to Sea Level Rise Impacts for Improved Management on the North-central California Coast (CA)
• Exploring Ecosystem and Community Vulnerability to Surface and Subsurface Flooding with Sea Level Rise and Adaptation Strategies in California (CA)
• How to Increase the Ecosystem Services of Coastal Beaches and Dunes in the Pacific Northwest through Adaptation Planning (OR, WA)

Caribbean

• Understanding the Impact of Sea Level Rise on Coral Reef and Mangrove Interactions and the Resulting Coastal Flooding Hazards to Inform Nature-based Features (U.S. Virgin Islands)

Prior Projects

Atlantic and Gulf Coasts

• How Natural and Nature-based Features Could Enhance Coastal Resilience of Urban and Natural Ecosystems in Southwest Florida (FL)
• The Coastal Recovery from Storms Tool (CReST): A Model for Assessing the Impact of Sea Level Rise on Natural and Managed Beaches and Dunes (NC)
• Predicting Impacts of Sea Level Rise in the Northern Gulf (AL, FL, MS)
• Understanding and Predicting Changes in Coastal Marsh Ecosystem Services: Realizing the Combined Effects of Sea Level Rise, Tides, and Storm Surge on Marshes and their Capacity to Protect Shorelines (NC)
• Ecological Effects of Sea level Rise in North Carolina: Maps, Marshes and Management Applications (NC)
• Dynamic Sea Level Rise Assessments of the Ability of Natural and Nature-based Features to Mitigate Surge and Nuisance Flooding in the Northern Gulf (AL, FL, LA, MS)
• Quantifying the Benefits of Natural and Nature-Based Features in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Under Different Sea Level Rise Scenarios to Inform Conservation and Management Decisions (MD)

Pacific Coast

• Ecological Impacts of Sea Level Rise on Flood Protection and Blue Carbon Capture in Pacific Northwest Wetlands (OR, WA)
• Sea-level Rise Modeling as a Catalyst for Effective Ecological Management in West Hawai’i (HI)
• Refining Ecosystem Model Inputs for Sea Level Rise Vulnerability in the San Francisco Bay Estuary (CA)
• Marshes on the Margins: Developing Tidal Wetlands Adaptation Strategies in Southern California (CA)
• Codevelopment of Modeling Tools to Manage Sediment for Sustainable and Resilient Coastal Lowland Habitat in Southern California (CA)