Due to its landform and unique habitat, North Carolina has been defined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as one of three states with significant vulnerability to sea level rise. In recognition of this, the Sea Level Rise Risk Management Study (SLRRMS) was commissioned by the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management Office of Geospatial and Technology Management, under a $5 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The study is examining the potential climate change impacts of sea level rise and increased storm activity in coastal North Carolina to 2100, including social, environmental and economic risks. And it will appraise state and federal level policy and administrative adaptation strategies to manage these risks. Other core components include the definition of uncertainties and assumptions associated with the hazard, risk and adaptation strategy analysis, while simultaneously identifying the next steps for policy makers to progress sea level rise risk management.
This is the first study of its type in the United States and is consequently seeking to build off international best practice, while also developing new approaches to address the highly complex interactions of the North Carolina coastal landforms with sea level rise, storms and, ultimately, the human and natural resources located in low lying eastern North Carolina.
Halcrow is supporting Dewberry in the management and execution of the study, bringing experience and lessons learned from international climate adaptation projects, and in this capacity providing overall study methodology advice together with specialist inputs on a number of technical areas, such as climate change scenario definition, ecosystem analysis and economic modelling.