CLIMATE CHANGE IMPLICATIONS FOR NORTH CAROLINA: THE ROLE OF COASTAL OBSERVING SYSTEMS

North Carolina’s coastal environments are highly vulnerable to climate change. In North Carolina (NC), sea level rise will result in increased coastal flooding, loss of freshwater swamps, saltwater intrusion into surface and subsurface water supplies, and coastal erosion. Anticipated changes in climate, including temperature and precipitation changes, and storm frequency and/or intensity, have the potential to significantly impact the state’s coastal ecosystems and the resources they support. Determining the impacts of climate change is difficult due to the lack of models able to create accurate predictions for specific locations. One strategy to develop reliable predictions for eastern NC is the development of a coastal monitoring network that can provide the baseline information required to adequately describe current conditions. This information will support current and future research and modeling efforts and provide the data and scientific background required to better manage our coastal systems. While a number of university-based efforts to monitor and describe climate change exist in NC, the goals of these discrete research projects have been tied to specific funding opportunities and are not well coordinated. To ensure the most cost-effective delivery of data, products, and climate change information to NC citizens, a systematic and integrated coastal and estuarine observing system is required. The ideal observing system should address sea-level rise and its effects on coastal environments and human populations, mitigation strategies related to climate-related hazards, and monitoring/identifying climate-related indicators and changes in marine ecosystems.