UH gets $845,000 grant to battle coastal erosion

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COURTESY DOLAN EVERSOLE / 2013

The University of Hawaii’s Sea Grant College Program has been awarded a federal grant to study coastal erosion and the impact of climate change on Hawaii communities. Above, waves carve away sand under the lawn of professional surfer Fred Patacchia’s house near Kammies surf break between Sunset Beach and Rocky Point on the North Shore.

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DOLAN EVERSOLE PHOTO

Bradley Romine, Hawaii Sea Grant’s coastal management specialist, said in a statement last week that “the frequency and severity of coastal erosion … is only going to increase in the coming decades with climate change and sea-level rise.” Some of that erosion is evident in this photo of a stretch of beach on the North Shore.

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has awarded the University of Hawaii’s Sea Grant College Program an $845,000 grant to address coastal hazards and the impacts of climate change on Hawaii communities.

The grant, provided through the Regional Coastal Resilience Grants Program, will fund a project that aims to increase the state’s resilience to flooding, coastal erosion, sea-level rise, coastal disasters and other threats to development and infrastructure near Hawaii coasts.

“The past year has been a stark reminder of Hawaii’s vulnerability to coastal hazards after a record-setting hurricane season, and massive El Nino-fueled winter surf caused damage to our coastal communities,” said Bradley Romine, Hawaii Sea Grant’s coastal management specialist and project leader, in a statement last week. “The frequency and severity of coastal erosion and flooding events is only going to increase in the coming decades with climate change and sea-level rise. Improving coastal community resilience makes sense for now and the future.”

The new project will work with existing efforts, including the development of a statewide Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report, provided for under the Hawaii Climate Adaptation Initiative.

The grant is part of a larger effort to address coastal hazards nationwide.

“The challenges confronting our nation’s coastal communities are incredibly complicated,” said Jeffery Payne, director of NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management. “Effective solutions are going to require strong science, ingenuity and collaboration if they are going to safeguard and ensure the future vitality of our economy and valuable natural resources.

“The projects that have been approved for funding represent opportunities to do just that,” Payne said. “We are excited about what these partnership projects will accomplish at the local level and the positive impact this program will have on our nation.”

The project will include participation from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, state Office of Planning, Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System, UH-Manoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, and UH National Disaster Preparedness Training Center.