Coasts

This updated addition to the Post-Disaster Redevelopment Planning: A Guide for Florida Communities guidebook, referred to in this document as the Addendum, represents the fifth phase of the Statewide Post-Disaster Redevelopment Planning Initiative. The initial four phases provided vulnerable communities a planning process to guide post-disaster redevelopment activities that enhance community sustainability and ensure resilient redevelopment after any disaster.

Ecosystem-based management of coastal marine resources is based, in part, on scientific understanding of the broad (i.e. ecosystem-wide) consequences of human uses of the coastal environment, including resource extraction and degradation of habitats. To wisely manage these resources, a clear understanding of the potential impacts of human activities on the resource and the ecosystem is essential.

Upwelling in the California Current System (CCS) sustains a productive ecosystem and is mediated by alongshore, equatorward wind stress. A decades‐old hypothesis proposes that global warming will accelerate these upwelling favorable winds. Recent analyses provide empirical support for upwelling intensification in the poleward portion of the CCS. However, these studies rely on proxies for upwelling and are limited in their ability to distinguish anthropogenic forcing from internal climate variability.

This research has shown that kelp forest restoration is possible in barrens when purple urchins are selectively removed. These results provide support for the large-scale habitat restoration that is now being performed along the Palos Verdes Peninsula in cooperation with other local non-profits and commercial fishermen.

Sea level rise and erosion are major threats to California’s coast, requiring solutions to preserve the many benefits a healthy coastline provides: flood protection, recreation, habitat for wildlife, water quality and more. Seawalls and other engineered structures, are commonly installed in order to hold the shoreline in place and hold back the ocean; however, they ultimately make the situation worse in most cases by increasing erosion and thus causing already vulnerable shorelines to shrink more.

This manual was written to make the strategies developed for ABAG and BCDC’s Housing and Community Multiple Hazard Risk Assessment Project accessible and usable for local jurisdictions throughout the Bay Area. It is a resource to support action at multiple levels to address seismic and flooding vulnerabilities in the Bay Area. While we continue to learn about risks in the Bay Area, we know actions that can happen now to help the region become more resilient in the face of earthquakes and flooding.

Who should use this manual

This 2018 Coastal Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Project (Report) provides the City of Carpinteria (City), public service providers, interested members of the public, and community organizations with a comprehensive, science-based assessment of the vulnerabilities of City resources, structures, and infrastructure, as well as the potential for future damages to the City associated with various coastal hazards, including sea level rise.

The San Diego region is a center of economic activity, diversity, and culture in Southern California.

Sea level rise and climate change threaten coastal communities and resources, presenting new management challenges to cities. Through this assessment the City of Imperial Beach is working to understand their vulnerabilities, as they prepare for a changing climate. The purpose of the 2016 City of Imperial Beach Sea Level Rise Assessment (“Report”) is to enhance community understanding of future climate change impacts and potential adaptation strategies. There are three project goals:

The City of Santa Cruz has long been a leader in environmental sustainability and disaster recovery. Santa Cruz has extensive experience in preparing for and responding to disasters such as earthquakes, floods and drought. The community has come back from each experience stronger and better prepared for what lies ahead. We have not only recovered from these hazards but have strengthened our city by taking steps to avoid the impacts of these hazards should they occur again. As an example, our downtown corridor along Pacific Avenue was nearly destroyed by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.