Coastal damage and flooding in Mantoloking two days after superstorm Sandy struck the coast in October 2012 (Source: AP Photo/Doug Mills)
We should develop regional and national strategies to reduce coastal risks now – before the next big storm, according to a new study.
And those strategies should focus more on natural and innovative infrastructure, along with traditional infrastructure such as seawalls where needed, the federal-led study says.
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Healthy ecosystems such as wetlands, and natural and built infrastructure combos, can increase coastal resilience by protecting against storms and coastal flooding, while providing other benefits, according to the study.
Interest in using natural infrastructure to help coastal communities become more resilient is rising in the U.S. and around the world, the study says.
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You can check coastal flood risks by using the Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper, created by the Office of Coastal Management in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Here are some other points in the NOAA-led study (Future of our coasts: The potential for natural and hybrid infrastructure to enhance the resilience of our coastal communities, economies and ecosystems):
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– To date, built infrastructure, including seawalls, levees, culverts, bulkheads and other hardened structures, have dominated thinking about coastal protection. But increasing evidence shows that natural habitats, including wetlands, dunes, barrier islands, sea grasses, coral and oyster reefs and mangroves, reduce the risk of coastal flooding and erosion and provide other social and economic benefits.
– There are exciting opportunities for designing shorelines that include a combination of natural and built infrastructure, also known as ‘‘hybrid’’ infrastructure. These natural and hybrid approaches may be more cost-effective in the long-run compared with built infrastructure. They can also strengthen the social, economic and ecological resilience of coasts, maintain coastal ecosystem services and prevent the loss of life and property.
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– In the hybrid approach, infrastructure such as removable seawalls or flood gates that can be opened are installed as natural infrastructure is restored or created, such as salt marshes and oyster reefs. Other options include moving houses away from the water and putting them on stilts. The natural infrastructure provides key storm protection benefits during small to medium storms and the built infrastructure provides extra protection when a big storm is expected.
Flooding and damage along Edgemont Drive and Deal Lake in Loch Arbour after superstorm Sandy (Staff photo by Alex Biese)
– The time is ripe to enhance coastal resilience by incorporating natural and hybrid infrastructure into coastal policy and planning. In the U.S., there has never been
such high-level attention in the federal sector on using natural and restored features along the coasts to reduce vulnerability to natural hazards and disasters. Hurricane
Sandy was a catalyst for boosting federal interest in the use of natural infrastructure for coastal protection.
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– Coastal wetlands in the U.S. provide an estimated $23.2 billion per year in storm protection services, based on a model of 34 major hurricanes to hit the U.S. since 1980, according to a 2008 study.
– The weaknesses of seawalls, levees, bulkheads and other built infrastructure include the following: they do not adapt to changing conditions, such as sea-level rise; they weaken with time; they can cause coastal habitat loss and have negative impacts on nearby coastal ecosystems; they can lull communities into thinking they’re safe from all disasters, leading to increased loss of life or property; they may sustain more damage during small storms than natural approaches; and they provide storm protection benefits only when a
storm is approaching.
– A very effective hybrid approach is ‘‘living shorelines,’’ which typically uses a
combination of habitat creation or restoration and built infrastructure to provide protection from erosion and storms while also providing some of the benefits of natural habitats. This approach has a great deal of support in several states including Maryland, which passed the Living Shorelines Protection Act in 2008, Virginia, North Carolina,
New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Mississippi.
– Coastal communities and other decision-makers need better information to incorporate ecosystem protection and restoration into coastal resilience planning efforts.
