URI-led researchers get $1.5M grant to study ties between sea-level rise, extreme weather

RESEARCHERS LED by a URI professor were awarded a $1.5 million federal grant to study the impacts of sea level rise and extreme weather on coastal areas. / COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND
RESEARCHERS LED by a URI professor were awarded a $1.5 million federal grant to study the impacts of sea level rise and extreme weather on coastal areas. / COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – Researchers at the University of Rhode Island and Pennsylvania State University have received a four-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, URI announced Wednesday.

Researchers will use the funds to study the impact of sea-level rise and how it may exacerbate the impact of extreme weather. The study will be led by Isaac Ginis, professor of oceanography at URI.

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“There are a number of studies that have been done looking at just sea-level rise or just extreme weather, but what we’re really lacking in terms of clear understanding is the combined impact of these two phenomena,” Ginis said. “This is especially important to us on the East Coast and in New England, where we’ve seen significant coastal flooding produced by waves and storm surge during nor’easters and hurricanes. How these effects are amplified by sea-level rise has been largely unexplored. This information gap inhibits our ability to properly plan for the future and is likely to lead to under-informed and ineffective adaptation measures.”

The study will explore the impact of extreme sea-level rise and extreme weather at five New England national parks and two wildlife refuges, including the Roger Williams National Memorial in Providence, Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge In South Kingstown, Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge in Charlestown, and the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, as well as the Cape Cod National Seashore, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area; and Acadia National Park in Maine.

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In the study, researchers will use atmosphere, storm surge, and wave and erosion modeling to create high-resolution recreations of the impact of future storm and sea-level rise scenarios, URI said. The models will help them identify vulnerabilities in the ecosystems and infrastructure of the project sites and will aid in the creation of hazard, risk and adaptability assessments, and present mitigation scenarios.

“Each community has their own needs,” said Ginis, “but our modeling results will produce tailored and tangible information for local decision makers – state and local governments, emergency management officials, town and city planners and other stakeholders – to address their specific needs and enable them to plan and adapt as the sea level rises and climate continues to change.”

URI said the research project will draw upon expertise from multiple departments at the university, including the Graduate School of Oceanography, its College of the Environment and Life Sciences, the Department of Ocean Engineering within the URI College of Engineering, and the URI Coastal Resources Center.

“Rising seas and worsening storms driven by climate change are two major challenges Rhode Island will face in the decades to come,” said U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.  “It’s fitting that the University of Rhode Island has been selected by NOAA to research ways to protect coastal areas from these dual threats.”

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