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- Permanent Link:
- http://dpanther.fiu.edu/dpService/dpPurlService/purl/FI15062050/00001
Notes
- Abstract:
- Acceleration of sea-level rise (SLR) in response to global climate
change is well underway. Current global SLR averages ~3.0 mm/yr,
although the actual rate varies globally. In comparison, sea-level
curves indicate that SLR was only a fraction of a millimeter per
year over the past few thousand years. The increased rate of global
SLR is exacerbated on a regional scale by decadal-scale oscillations
that are due to climatic and oceanographic controls, varying wave
climate (wave height, period, and direction), increased subsidence
due to subsurface fluid extraction, and anthropogenic alterations
in sediment supply to coasts—in particular, the alteration of sediment
delivery and distribution within deltas. Coastal response to
these changes is occurring at alarming rates, resulting in billions
of dollars in damage to infrastructure, massive taxpayer funding
for recovery, degradation of ecosystems, and, in the worst case,
loss of life, as experienced in major storms. Scientific understanding
of the causes and magnitudes of coastal change is far from the
level needed to confidently predict future change.
On 14–19 April 2013, 84 coastal scientists and social scientists
from twelve countries gathered in Galveston, Texas, USA, for the
first joint GSA Penrose/AGU Chapman Conference. The
conference venue was the historic Strand Area of Galveston, where
approximately 6,000 people perished during the “Great Storm” of
1900 and where SLR, diminished sediment supply, and human
influence threaten the sustainability of the island.
The first four days of the conference were devoted primarily to
talks and poster sessions aimed at synthesizing the state of
knowledge on (1) the causes, impacts, and record of sea-level rise,
coastal subsidence, severe storms, changes in wave climate,
sediment delivery and dispersal in coastal systems, and biological
influences on coastal sedimentology and morphology; (2) the
status of numerical models needed to predict coastal change; and
(3) societal impacts of coastal change. A half-day field trip focused
on the upper Texas coastal barriers and bays and on sustainable
strategies for Galveston Island. The final day was devoted to
discussion of how science can and should inform the public and
policy makers about the realities of SLR and coastal change and
how scientists can be more effective in initiating appropriate
policy responses.
At the beginning of the conference, it was determined that the
results should be conveyed in a way that captured the essence of
the presentations and discussions with minimal rhetoric. Scribes
were assigned to highlight key findings, and their results were
compiled into bullet statements that were discussed and agreed on
by the group on the last day of the conference. ( English )
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Florida International University
- Rights Management:
- Please contact the owning institution for licensing and permissions. It is the user's responsibility to ensure use does not violate any third party rights.
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