URI_Research_Magazine_Momentum_Fall_2021_Melissa-McCarthy

As the climate changes, so too, will Rhode Island’s coastline due to erosion and flooding. A University of Rhode Island (URI) center aims to make sure the Ocean State, its infrastructure, and its residents are well prepared. The Coastal Resources Center (CRC) Coastal Resilience team, led by Pam Rubinoff and Teresa Crean, both associate coastal resources managers, has been working to help the state’s communities better understand the implications of the changing climate, risks, and exposures. Their projects include both short term emergency planning as well as long-term coastal adaptation.

“We bring the best available science to municipalities, state agencies, and local communities,” Rubinoff says. “Our ultimate goal is to build the capacity of the communities and people of Rhode Island to be more resilient to increasing storms and rising seas, and how their communities can thrive in light of these issues.”

During the last decade, CRC has been working on the Shoreline Change Special Area Management Plan (Beach SAMP) along with Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) and

community stakeholders. Beach SAMP studied all 420 miles of Rhode Island coastline and the impacts from sea level rise, storm surge, and coastal erosion. The statewide effort collected new data about the shoreline and helped

coastal communities use it to make confident policy decisions to protect people and property.

The statewide effort collected new data about the shoreline and helped coastal communities use it to make confident policy decisions to protect people and property.

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