North Carolina Sea-Level Rise Assessment Report
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Material Information

Title:
North Carolina Sea-Level Rise Assessment Report
Creator:
North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission's Science Panel on Coastal Hazards
Publication Date:
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Climate change ( lcsh )
North carolina ( lcsh )
Sea level rise ( lcsh )
Coastal management ( lcsh )

Notes

Summary:
The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission’s (CRC) Science Panel on Coastal Hazards was invited by Division of Coastal Management (DCM) staff to provide input into DCM’s sea-level rise (SLR) initiatives. The Science Panel offered to prepare a report, based on a review of the published literature, of the known state of SLR for North Carolina. The CRC and DCM asked the Science Panel to provide the best available information on the following questions: 1. An explanation of how SLR is measured: globally, and at the state and regional scales 2. Relative SLR ranges for different sections of the North Carolina coast, as appropriate to account for regional differences 3. Relative SLR ranges for North Carolina expressed in time slices for the years 2025, 2050, 2075, and 2100 4. Relative SLR rate curves for North Carolina through 2100 5. A discussion of the confidence level or margin of error for the reported ranges and rate curves 6. Recommendations as to what needs to be done for improved SLR monitoring in the State of North Carolina 7. Recommendations as to how frequently the State of North Carolina should update its projected SLR ranges and rates The Science Panel has prepared this report in response to the CRC’s request, and has included a recommendation regarding how much SLR the CRC should be planning for by 2100. This report was researched and prepared by the Science Panel and six additional individuals who were selected because of their relevant expertise. This report synthesizes the best available science on SLR as it relates specifically to North Carolina. The study of sea level change is inherently more accurate in revealing historic changes than in making predictions of the future. There is abundant research on historic sea level changes for North Carolina, but to date this data has not been synthesized into a form that can be used to inform policy and planning. The intent of this report is to provide North Carolina’s planners and policy makers with a scientific assessment of the amount of SLR likely to occur in this century. The report does not attempt to predict a specific future rate or amount of rise because that level of accuracy is not considered to be attainable at this time. Rather, the report constrains the likely range of rise and recommends an amount of rise that should be adopted for policy development and planning purposes. ( English )

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
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Aggregations:
Sea Level Rise