COASTAL STRUCTURES & SEA LEVEL RISE: AN OPTIMIZED ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT APPROACH

There is a desire in the scientific community and various U.S. federal agencies (e.g., U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, etc) to plan federal projects in a way that accommodates sea level rise. While efforts are underway, strict guidance is not yet available. Some U.S. coastal states (e.g., California Coastal Conservancy, 2009 and Cyan et al, 2006) have drafted approaches to include the effects of climate change. In the absence of specific guidance, however, coastal management agencies are often at the center of the debate surrounding the need to plan for sea level rise (SLR) and are forced to act in an ad hoc manner. In some cases, permits for new developments and existing projects cannot proceed without an agreement to address SLR. This paper presents an adaptive management approach that starts with an initial structure which is then strengthened over time to meet SLR.