Along the Washington and Oregon coasts, rising sea levels and changes in ocean chemistry are combining with increasing river floods and other land-based impacts of climate change. These changes hold serious consequences for coastal communities, aquatic ecosystems, fisheries and infrastructure. 

Overview of the impacts of climate change on coasts and oceans in the Northwest

News, multimedia and research spotlights

KING 5: Tacoma redesigning popular beach using climate change projections

The sea level is rising and research shows a lot could change in the next 80 years. The Climate Impacts Group’s sea level rise resources are mentioned.

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Interactive Sea Level Rise Data Visualizations

Two interactive Tableau data visualizations help users query, visualize and compare the latest projections for sea level rise out to the year 2150 from Miller et al. 2018. These tools are designed for direct application to risk management and planning in Washington state.

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Selected data, tools & completed projects

The Washington Coastal Resilience Project

The Coastal Resilience Project was a three-year effort to rapidly increase the state’s capacity to prepare for coastal hazards, such as flooding and erosion, that are related to sea level rise. The overall aim of this collaborative project was to improve risk projections, provide better guidance for land use planners and strengthen capital investment programs for coastal restoration and infrastructure.

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Sea Level Rise Considerations for Nearshore Restoration Projects in Puget Sound

This report provides information to evaluate the extent to which nearshore restoration projects are likely to be resilient to the impacts of sea level rise. The intended purpose is to assist restoration practitioners with identifying sea level rise impacts relevant for specific restoration actions.

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How to Choose: A Primer For Selecting Sea Level Rise Projections for Washington State

This guide will help coastal planners, engineers, climate adaptation specialists and other decision makers understand the various sea level rise data subsets and how to use them to make sound decisions for their particular project and community.

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An Assessment of Vertical Land Movement to Support Coastal Hazards Planning in Washington State

We present a model of absolute vertical land movement that is combined with sea level rise estimates to inform local relative sea level projections on a community-scale.

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All coasts and oceans-related projects and publications

PROJECTS  COASTAL & MARINE ECOSYSTEM PUBLICATIONS  SEA LEVEL RISE PUBLICATIONS