Coastal Impacts of Climate Change in the Northwest: A Summary of the Findings of the upcoming National Climate Assessment

• Main Authors: Reeder, Spencer, Snover, Amy K.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Western CEDAR 2014
• Subjects: Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology; Strauss; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://cedar.wwu.edu/ssec/2014ssec/Day2/274; https://cedar.wwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1400&context=ssec

The many thousands of miles of Northwest marine coastline are extremely diverse and contain important human-built and natural assets upon which our communities and ecosystems depend. Due to the variety of coastal landform types (e.g., sandy beaches, rocky shorelines, bluffs of varying slopes and composition, river deltas, and estuaries), the region’s marine coastal areas stand to experience a wide range of climate impacts, in both type and severity. These impacts include increases in ocean temperature and acidity, erosion, and more severe and frequent inundation from the combined effects of rising sea levels and storms, among others.Increases in coastal inundation and erosion are key concerns. A recent assessment determined that the coastal areas of Washington and Oregon contain over 56,656 hectares(140,000 acres) of land within 1.0-meter (3.3-feet) elevation of high tide (Strauss et al. 2012).Rising sea levels coupled with the possibility of intensifying coastal storms will increase the likelihood of more severe coastal flooding and erosion in these areas.The Northwest is also facing the challenge of increasing ocean acidification, and is experiencing these changes earlier, and more acutely, than most other regions around the globe(NOAA OAR 2012).The Third National Climate Assessment is scheduled for release in the spring of 2014.The authors will provide an overview of the key Northwest coastal findings in this report as well as a summary of its primary companion report published by Island Press in December 2013,Climate Change in the Northwest: Implications for Our Landscapes, Waters, and Communities(Dalton et al 2013).