Shoring Up Maryland’s Coastline Against Sea-level Rise

This work will give us a window into the future, to see what kind of protection we can expect and that’s going to offer the state information so that they can proactively prioritize adaptation strategies.

According to scientists, the Chesapeake Bay region has one of the highest rates of water level rise in the U.S., due to sea-level rise and sinking land. In the next 30 years, scientists predict that Maryland may see as much as an additional two feet of sea-level rise. Maryland’s coastline, however, has an abundance of habitats that can help mitigate the effects of sea-level rise.

Associate Professor Celso Ferreira has teamed up with Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources and the Nature Conservancy to predict the effects of sea-level rise and consider strategies to address the situation as part of a three-year $738,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The project will measure the water levels and the wave energy during extreme events in various locations along Maryland’s extensive shoreline. The team uses sensors, placing the instruments in the water so they can measure the storms of today and collect information about the protection the natural areas provide. After the researchers download the data, they use computer modeling to extend that data into a future time. As they do this, they run a variety of climate change scenarios.

Ferreira says the biggest limitation is that they can’t physically and financially put sensors across the entire state. That’s where the other stakeholders come in. “We rely on stakeholders to help us decide the most representative and strategic locations that we should be monitoring,” he says, “So, there are six and there is a lot of generalization that we do. That’s where the computer modeling comes in.” The team will be measuring living shorelines, different types of vegetation, freshwater marsh, saltwater marsh, and the coastal bays. To do this they rotate the sensors around to collect data that provides the information they need. Due to underwater conditions during extreme events, and because they do not have telemetry equipment, the team must travel to the marshes to place the sensors, retrieve them, download their data, and then replace them.

The results from the project will help Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources assess the various scenarios and develop strategies to effectively cope with the situation. g

Associate professor Celso Ferreira measures storm surge and sea-level rise on Maryland’s coastline.

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Graduate student, Meghana Kuppa in the Water Systems Chemistry Lab at Mason’s Potomac Science Center.

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