Document Type
Report
Department/Program
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
VIMS Department/Program
Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM)
Publication Date
12-2019
Abstract
This project focused on developing strategies to improve our understanding and strengthen the adaptive capacity of Virginia’s coastal wetlands to lessen their vulnerability to climate change. Coastal wetlands experience varying vulnerability to climate change that is dependent on wetland type, geomorphic setting, sediment dynamics, etc. This project addressed the need to construct and test a vulnerability assessment framework for coastal Virginia wetlands that integrates multiple and varied factors dictating vulnerability, as well as denote opportunities to strengthen adaptive capacity. Project activities specifically addressed four priority elements in Virginia’s approved state wetlands plan. The existing monitoring and assessment strategy was strengthened through incorporation of new monitoring data on shifts in wetland plant communities in two different geomorphic settings (Eastern Shore and York River). Marsh change analyses and supplemental field assessment of marsh performance supported the refinement of an advanced tidal marsh evolution model. Community resource management plans, a current priority in the state wetlands plan, was expanded to include applications for assessing risk of wetlands to conversion from climate change with implications for restoration. Web‐based tools for planners and managers (e.g., WetCAT) were extended to incorporate information useful in planning wetland protection and managed retreat. Outreach materials were developed to better inform the public and decision‐makers on ways to improve the adaptive capacity of Virginia’s coastal wetlands. This proposed project complemented and expanded previous efforts focused on Virginia’s headwater resources susceptible to climate change (CD96329601‐1), building a more comprehensive picture of coastal wetland resilience.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.25773/576D-5650
Keywords
Resilience, vulnerability, sea level rise, tidal marsh, marsh plant communities, marsh migration
Funding
This project was funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, Grant #CD-963470-01-0
Recommended Citation
Bilkovic, DM, M. Mitchell, K. Nunez, C. Hershner, K. Havens, K. Angstadt, D. Stanhope, T. Rudnicky, J. Herman, and J. Zhang. 2019. Enhancing the adaptive capacity of Virginia coastal wetlands to lessen vulnerability to climate change. Final Report. Center for Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary. https://doi.org/10.25773/576D-5650
