The Future of Oceans: Sea-Level Rise’s Impact on Humans and Habitat in the Salish Sea

Eric E. Grossman, PhD
USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program

Sunday, January 14
3 pm
Eric E. Grossman, PhD
The Fort Worden Chapel

Admission: $5

(students, teachers FREE)

Urban growth, rising seas and changes in Pacific Northwest stream runoff are placing unprecedented pressure on coastal ecosystems and communities across Puget Sound. Estuaries, beaches and floodplains support many important uses, including fish and wildlife habitat, nationally-important farmland, and natural flood protection to prime real estate, industry and transportation corridors. Intensifying competition for coastal lands raises both the urgency and the challenge of adaptively managing ecosystems and the services they provide for long-term human well-being while accommodating near-term farming, growth and other land-uses. This presentation will synthesize climate change impact pathways leading to coastal squeeze of the Salish Sea and new research aimed to help resource managers and communities plan for adaptation.

Eric E. Grossman, PhD, is a marine geologist/geophysicist with the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program. Eric leads two USGS projects: (1) Coastal Habitats in Puget Sound (CHIPS) and (2) Puget Sound Coastal Storm Modeling System (PS-CoSMoS). He also serves as the Tribal Liaison for the USGS Natural Hazards Mission Area and is an active member of the Skagit Climate Science Consortium. Eric and his team conduct research to inform risk management related to natural hazards, ecosystem restoration and performance, and climate change adaptation planning. Currently, his team is focusing on advancing PS-CoSMoS in an operational (real-time) forecasting mode, which continuously predicts storm surge and wave impacts 48 hours in advance and in a future scenario-based mode to inform decision makers of impending coastal climate change out to the year 2100.

This is the fourth installment of The Future of Oceans lecture series (click for more details)

This event is offered with generous support by the Darrow Family.

Assisted Listening Devices available