At the Agencies
As part of its efforts to provide communities and businesses with products, tools, services, and funding to better address weather- and climate-related threats, on December 1st, NOAA announced $4 million in recommended funding for
six habitat restoration projects across the United States. The projects recommended for funding, under NOAA's 2015 Coastal Ecosystem Resiliency Grants Program, focus on dam removal in New England, creation of living shorelines in North Carolina, and re connection of rivers to floodplains and flood protection in Washington, Florida, Massachusetts and California.
Learn more
EPA is seeking public comment on the effectiveness of existing programs to address water quality impacts associated with forest road stormwater discharges. After considering these comments, EPA will publish an additional notice on or before May 26, 2016, with its determination as to whether stormwater discharges from forest roads are required to be regulated under Clean Water Act section 402(p)(6).
Learn more
EPA recently released a new tool to assist small residential lot builders in developing their required stormwater pollution prevention plan, or SWPPP document, for EPA's Construction General Permit (CGP). The Small Residential Lot SWPPP Template is an optional, easy-to-complete document that streamlines SWPPP development and is fully compliant with SWPPP requirements in EPA's CGP. States can modify the template if they wish to use it for their CGPs. The template is accompanied by an educational brochure that provides basic sediment and erosion control and stormwater pollution prevention guidance common to all small residential lot projects.
Learn more
|
In the News
Coastal wetland restoration can now earn carbon credits globally
A new methodology to encourage coastal restoration across the globe has been approved by the
Verified Carbon Standard
(VCS). The Methodology for Tidal Wetland and Seagrass Restoration (VM0033)is the first globally applicable greenhouse gas accounting methodology for coastal wetland restoration, and will allow salt marsh, seagrass, mangrove, and other tidal wetland restoration projects to earn carbon credits.
Drone footage shows the harsh reality of rising sea levels
In the next 40 years, millions of people may lose their homes because of rising water levels brought on by global warming.
To illustrate this problem, The New York Times on Wednesday [Dec 3] published startling footage of the Marshall Islands. Residents of the Pacific country deal with floods of saltwater and sewage as a result of rising seas. Staff photographer Josh Haner used a drone to capture shots of homes at the water's edge, where the shoreline is disappearing.
Sediment record in deep coral reefs studied
Coral reefs support more than 25 percent of ocean organisms, making them one of the most bio-diverse ecosystems on the planet. Studying how biodiversity evolved on deeper, mesophotic reefs can help scientists interpret the origins of their economically important shallow-reef counterparts.
|
In the States and Regions
East Coast
The Martin County (Florida) plans to spend more than $8 million for beach renourishment projects - nearly $2 million of which is unfunded. Beaches north of the St. Lucie Inlet, such as Sailfish Point and Bathtub Beach, and south of the inlet in Jupiter Island need periodic renourishment because the inlet disrupts the natural flow of sand to the beaches. Martin County is responsible for dredging the inlet about every three years and for contributing toward the renourishment of these beaches, said Don Donaldson, county engineering director.
The federal government has authorized a sea wall that will span both
Sea Bright
and
Monmouth Beach
in an effort to protect the two municipalities that were hit hard by superstorm Sandy.
Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long
said the repairs and extension of the sea wall would protect the borough from future storms. The
Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) authorized the $34 million project last month, with more than $28 million coming from a federal grant and the remaining 10 percent being funded by the two municipalities. The project will be completely overseen by the
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's (
DEP)
Coastal Engineering Bureau.
Learn more
As a part of the Long Island Sound Futures Fund and the EPA's series of 22 grants totaling $1.3 million, the Town of Mamaroneck has been awarded $149,876 toward improving water quality in the Long Island Sound, making them the only municipality in Westchester County to receive funding.
Learn more
Gulf Coast
A brainstorming session involving the Alabama Marine Resources Division, Alabama Wildlife Federation (AWF) and the Alabama Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) resulted in significant implications for those who love to fish in Alabama's saltwater environment.The three entities concluded that their combined efforts could best be used to develop a long-term plan for Alabama's world-renowned artificial reef program.
Learn more
West Coast and Pacific Islands
The Navy has issued a draft environmental assessment for a proposed pier on Ediz Hook to moor vessels that escort submarines from Hood Canal to the Pacific Ocean.
Thanksgiving on Puget Sound came with some of the most dramatic tidal changes of the year. These changes - called king tides - happen when the orbits and alignment of the Earth, moon, and sun combine. In 100 years the water levels seen once or twice a year during these events could come several times a month. An increase in frequency could impact more than the ocean.
Learn more
Great Lakes
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has announced the start of construction work on the small boat harbor breakwall and southern revetment, which is the next phase of the multimillion-dollar transformation of Buffalo Harbor State Park. The $3.76 million breakwall and revetment redesign is phase two of the $15 million in improvements provided through the governor's "Buffalo Billion" and NY Parks 2020 initiatives to completely reinvigorate the Buffalo Harbor waterfront.
Learn more
The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy got some good news yesterday. The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF) approved both of its grant applications for recreational and preservation projects in the region. The first award is $2.5 million for an addition to the Petobego State Game Area, which is adjacent to the Maple Bay Natural Area on U.S. 31 between Traverse City and Elk Rapids. The addition will form a contiguous piece of protected land that provides habitat for a variety of plant and animal species and offers an array of recreational opportunities.
Learn more
|
Announcements & More
Upcoming Opportunities on Mid-Atlantic Regional Ocean Planning
Mid-Atlantic RPB Public Webinar
December 8, 2015
11:30 am to 2:00 pm
Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO) Forum on Ocean Assessment and Data Syntheses Products
January 29, 2016
9:30 am- 3:30 pm
Hyatt Place- Dewey Beach
1301 Coastal Highway
Dewey Beach, Delaware, USA, 19971
An agenda and registration will be available in early January. This event is hosted by
MARCO.
Government Accounting Office released full report on "Preparing for Climate-related Risks: Lessons from the Private Sector" forum.
According to the National Climate Assessment, climate-related impacts can present wide-ranging and sometimes cascading risks across the economy and at all levels of government. This assessment and a study by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions-a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization-reported that climate-related risks can affect businesses in a variety of ways. In addition, GAO has previously found that the federal government faces fiscal exposure from climate-related risks and that building in resilience to protect against future damage is one strategy to help manage these risks.
On July 21, 2015, GAO convened a group of leaders to discuss: (1) businesses' climate-related risks, actions to identify and manage them, and justification of resilience efforts; (2) interdependencies of business and government entities and implications for building resilience; and (3) challenges and opportunities for businesses and governments in addressing climate-related risks and building resilience.The participants, selected with assistance from the National Academies, included representatives from businesses, federal agencies, local governments, academia, and nongovernmental organizations. This report summarizes the discussion by forum participants. Comments expressed in the report do not necessarily represent the views of all participants, their organizations, or GAO. Participants reviewed a draft of this report, and GAO incorporated their comments, as appropriate. To learn more about the forum, please visit:
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-16-126SP and to see the full report, please
click here.
NOAA's Digital Coast Training
Great lakes Section
Let NOAA's Digital Coast help your community plan and build smarter with the
Contact the training team for more information.
OneNOAA Science Seminars, 2015 and 2016
Title: Oyster Reef Ecosystem Services
Date & Time:
Wed, December 9, 12pm - 1pm
Title: A New Era of Cooperation Between Cuba and the U.S. Established through Marine Protected Areas
Date & Time: Thu, January 14, 2016, 1pm - 2pm
Title: Maps and Datasets for Blue Carbon Habitats
Date & Time: Thursday, February 11, 1pm - 2pm
Seminars are open to the public. For remote access, location, abstracts and more, visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Calendar at:
http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/seminars/
Seminars are posted in Eastern Time and subject to changes without notice; please check the web page for the latest seminar updates.
Events
December 10, 2015
December 16, 2015
April 2 - 5, 2016
June 19 - 24, 2016
December 10 -15, 2016
|
|
