Coastal Adaptation Toolkit
You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA’s About PDF page to learn more.Selected resources about coastal areas and watersheds for practitioners and environmental professionals. Those with a less technical interest in climate change adaptation might want to start with the resources listed in the "General interest" section.
On this page:
- General interest
- National Climate Assessment
- How much change?
- What will the impacts be?
- What adaptation options are there?
- Planning frameworks
- Adaptation clearinghouses
Some of the following links exit the site Exit
General interest
- Climate Change
- Climate Change Impacts and Adapting to Change
- Climate Impacts on Coastal Areas
- National Climate Assessment highlights
National Climate Assessment
The U.S. Global Change Research Program develops the National Climate Assessment, which assesses the science of climate change and its impacts across the United States, now and throughout this century. If you are looking for one resource that describes climate change effects in sectors and regions, and discusses response strategies, then this document is recommended. Parts of the NCA are referenced in other sections of this webpage.
How much change?
Change so far
- Climate Change Indicators in the United States
- Regional Climate Trends and Scenarios (2013) for the U.S. National Climate Assessment
- Sea Level Trends from NOAA
Future projections
- Regional Climate Trends and Scenarios (2013) for the U.S. National Climate Assessment
- EPA’s National Stormwater Calculator is a desktop application that estimates the annual amount of rainwater and frequency of runoff from a specific site anywhere in the United States and includes options for historical weather and climate change scenarios.
- The USGS National Climate Change Viewer allows users to visualize projected climate change for any county in the continental United States.
- The USGS Derived Downscaled Climate Projection Portal allows visualization and downloading of future climate projections from a group of statistically downscaled global climate models.
- The USACE resource for Comprehensive Evaluation of Projects with Respect to Sea-Level Change features the USACE Sea Level Change Curve Calculator and related Engineering Regulations.
Sea level rise inundation viewers
- Surging Seas Exitfrom Climate Central
- NOAA's Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts
What will the impacts be for watersheds and coastal areas?
Climate Ready Estuaries resources
- Risk identification checklists, from Step 3 of the Being Prepared for Climate Change workbook
- Climate Change and Coastal Watersheds: Adaptation to Attain Clean Water Goals and Sustainable Coasts
USGCRP Synthesis and Assessment Products
- Coastal Sensitivity to Sea Level Rise: A Focus on the Mid-Atlantic Region. SAP 4.1, especially Parts I and II
- The Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture, Land Resources, Water Resources, and Biodiversity in the United States. SAP 4.3
- Preliminary Review of Adaptation Options for Climate-Sensitive Ecosystems and Resources. SAP 4.4
EPA Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation, by sector
National Climate Assessment, sector chapters
National Climate Assessment, region chapters
What adaptation options are there?
Climate Ready Estuaries resources
- Synthesis of Adaptation Options for Coastal Areas
- Actions That Could Reduce Water Temperature, Appendix F from the Being Prepared for Climate Change workbook
- Rolling Easements primer
- Gulf Coast Community Handbook: Case Studies from Gulf of Mexico Communities for Incorporating Climate Change Resiliency into Habitat Planning and Protection A report to the US Environmental Protection Agency, Climate Ready Estuaries Program Exit
USGCRP Synthesis and Assessment Products
- Coastal Sensitivity to Sea Level Rise: A Focus on the Mid-Atlantic Region. SAP 4.1, especially Parts II and III
- Preliminary Review of Adaptation Options for Climate-Sensitive Ecosystems and Resources. SAP 4.4
Additional sources for adaptation actions
- Climate Ready Water Utilities Adaptation Strategies Guide for Water Utilities
- NOAA Adapting to Climate Change: A Planning Guide for State Coastal Managers, pp. 46–96
- California Emergency Management Agency and California Natural Resources Agency California Adaptation Planning Guide: Identifying Adaptation Strategies Exit
- Center for Climate Strategies Adaptation Guidebook: Comprehensive Climate Action Exit, Appendix 3
- American Rivers and Natural Resources Defense Council Getting Climate Smart: A Water Preparedness Guide for State Action Exit, pp. 65–99
- National Wildlife Federation Green Works for Climate Resilience: A Guide to Community Planning for Climate Change Exit
Planning frameworks
Risk-based planning at the watershed or community scale
Climate smart conservation
- Scanning the Conservation Horizon: A Guide to Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Exit
- Climate-Smart Conservation: Putting Adaptation Principles Into Practice Exit
Using expert judgment
- Vulnerability Assessments in Support of the Climate Ready Estuaries Program: A Novel Approach Using Expert Judgment, Volume I: Results for the San Francisco Estuary Partnership
- Vulnerability Assessments in Support of the Climate Ready Estuaries Program: A Novel Approach Using Expert Judgment, Volume II: Results for the Massachusetts Bays Program
Species, site or sector planning
Adaptation clearinghouses
- The Resilience and Adaptation in New England (RAINE) database
- EPA's Office of Research and Development: Climate Change Research
- U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit (climate.gov)
- National Sea Grant Resilience Toolkit (Sea Grant resources)
- Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE) Exit
- Georgetown Climate Center Exit