Adaptation Types and Examples

Adaptation

Adaptation in coastal communities is the active management of resources or processes in response to a long-term stressor (e.g., population growth or sea level rise) or shock (e.g., major hurricane or nor'easter). Adaptation is doing business with the best information available, knowing that the information will change in the future. Making decisions in this uncertain environment has always happened. However, the challenge moving forward involves adapting to conditions that are changing at faster rates, entering communities into uncharted territory as far as how the systems that make up our society will be affected.

These changing conditions are presenting a 'new normal' requiring communities to continually reassess their approach to natural resource management, community investment and other decision-making processes.

Many communities are already engaging in adaptation when they upgrade infrastructure with design standards that take into account what future conditions (e.g., increased development, higher sea level, more intense rainfall events) might present in terms of stress. Or, when engaging in wetland or estuarine shoreline restoration, they are increasing the ability of that ecosystem to sustain itself which in turn provides enhanced water quality, food system, and flood reduction benefits to humans. Adaptation includes hazard mitigation actions and strategies that also consider climate change effects. To more easily connect the dots, it is important to inform these activities with the latest science and community stakeholder engagement as well as coordination across departments, disciplines and in many cases, jurisdictions.

Potential adaptation objectives:

• Reduce exposure (e.g., relocation of structure)
• Reduce sensitivity (e.g., elevation of structure or installation of a living shoreline)
• Increase adaptive capacity (e.g., training, education)

Resilience

Resilience is, in part, how well a community and the systems that make it up or it depends on (e.g., healthcare, transportation, electricity, water and sewer, food, etc.) can adapt to the changing environment.  The rest of what makes a community resilient depends on how the community defines its core values and measures long-term success. Building resilience requires being more proactive in mitigating shock and stressor impacts in order to minimize the need to be reactive during disaster recovery.

This process of defining resilience and developing plans and goals to increase it can happen in a number of ways. The approach a community chooses depends on a number of factors including staff capacity, the extent of existing planning efforts, and community desires. Regardless, it's important for a community to consider the overlap between adaptation, hazard mitigation, and emergency preparedness activities and how they connect and relate to building overall resilience.

There is no silver bullet solution to building coastal resilience. Instead, each community must find the right mix of natural or nature-based solutions and other engineering or policy changes to proactively address issues. Explore the resources and graphic below to get a sense for what the options are for mitigating and adapting to various hazards. 

• Naturally Resilient Solutions (several organizations such as APA, ASFM, TNC, and others): Easily visualize how a range of nature-based options can address various hazards that face coastal communities. 
• FEMA Mitigation Ideas (2013): View a list of potential hazard mitigation activities to consider for reducing the risk of natural hazards like flooding, sea level rise and wildfire.
• A Matrix of Adaptations to Flooding (AdavtVA): Access a one-page reference table related to flooding hazards.

Approaches to Coastal Risk Reduction

Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (NACCS, 2015)

Learn about how the following communities are leading the state in their proactive approach to coastal resilience and adaptation planning with help from a number of partners.

The oceanfront system is a highly dynamic and complex environment with changes occurring at every scale from seconds, to months, to decades, to millennia. Affected by both natural processes and human intervention, oceanfront shorelines are both an asset and threat to local economies, infrastructure, and environment. Finding the right balance of protective or restorative measures to deal with issues like long-term erosion and sea level rise requires thoughtful planning, policy, and program design.

Coastal communities and engineers alike have learned that while no single project will address a particular shoreline issue, you can design a program to better manage it.

• Options for Protecting Oceanfront Property (NC DCM, 2019): learn about the basic options including sandbags, beach bulldozing, relocation of structures, and beach nourishment.
  • What You Should Know About Erosion and Oceanfront Development (NC DCM, 2019): learn how erosion rates and shoreline changes affect coastal development. 
• Dune Infiltration Systems (NC State Extension, 2013): reduces stormwater runoff from nearby impervious surfaces (e.g., roads, parking lots, buildings, etc.) onto the beach by diverting water into open-bottomed chambers located beneath the sand dunes. This also helps dilute bacteria in the stormwater as it is filtered between particles of sand. 
  • Example: Kure Beach, Caswell Beach (coming soon)

Case Study:

• Bogue Banks Beach Master Nourishment Plan (Carteret County, 2018): the Carteret County Shoreline Protection Office has developed a 50-year plan for beach nourishment covering a region of several municipalities along the roughly 25-mile barrier island. Learn more about the county's other shoreline preservation plans and activities.
  • Funded in part by the county's occupancy tax, and municipal special property tax, along with FEMA reimbursement post-storm, their approach is considered a highly innovative and successful because it accomplishes many objectives:
    • Plan regionally for multiple jurisdictions
    • Facilitate the permitting, authorization, and scheduling of shoreline nourishment/maintenance
    • Balance the protection of the tourism industry, state and local infrastructure and oceanfront or adjacent structures
    • Maintain natural resources and associated recreational uses while avoiding and minimizing adverse environmental impacts
    • Consolidate individual town and county resources in a more cost and logistically effective way

Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (NACCS, 2015)

Source: Systems Approach to Geomorphic Engineering, NOAA, and USACE, 2015

For decades, installing hardened structures like bulkheads have been used to protect private property from estuarine shoreline erosion. More recently, the use of softer natural or nature-based solutions, such as living shorelines, has proven to be another potentially effective and more resilient option for combating erosion where feasible (see graphic above). Explore the examples and resources below to learn how and where different estuarine shoreline management approaches are being used. 

• Estuarine Shoreline Stabilizations Options (NC DCM, 2018): learn the basic options, including land planning, vegetation control, marsh toe protection revetments, sheet pile and marsh sills or living shorelines, groins, breakwaters, riprap revetments and bulkheads.
  • Resources for Homeowners and Professionals (NC DCM, 2018): learn about how to weigh your options for protecting against shoreline erosion, enroll in the Living Shorelines Academy and discover how different approaches stand up to hurricanes.

Existing Projects:

• North Carolina Coastal Federation Living Shorelines Map (2018): Explore the map of sites along the coast where living shorelines have been built. View descriptions, photos, funding agencies and more. 
• NOAA Living Shorelines Map (22 NC examples): Explore where living shorelines have been installed across the state and country.
• Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership Interactive Map (2018): View past and present projects funded by APNEP to conduct research and implement habitat restoration.

Living Shoreline Monitoring:

• Living Storm Protections Part 2: Monitoring the Performance and Resilience of Marsh Sill Living Shorelines (N.C. Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve, 2019)

Reports

• NCSG/UNC Report: Management Strategies for NC’s Estuarine Shoreline (2014): View synthesis results summarizing issues and recommendations for managing estuarine shorelines.
• DCM Marsh Sill Final Report (2011): View results of the assessment of 27 marsh sills which included field visits and a property owner survey.

Climate Change Impacts to Estuaries:

• EPA Climate Ready Estuaries (CRE) Program
  • CRE Synthesis of Adaptation Options in Coastal Areas (EPA, 2009): Compiles a list of over 50 actions and describes the climate stressor addressed, other goals it meets, benefits, constraints, and examples.