North Carolina rivers are experiencing ongoing symptoms of eutrophication including potentially harmful algae blooms. This problem is particularly concerning with respect to the Cape Fear River system, which more than 1.5 million North Carolinians rely on for drinking water. Algae blooms often include the toxin-producing species Microcystis, which can pose a human and animal health risk. Management of algae blooms requires an understanding of factors that trigger bloom formation. A North Carolina Sea Grant-funded research team developed a new model of Microcystis growth to synthesize impacts of various drivers on bloom dynamics in the river. Partners including local and state officials are using this information to devise strategies to mitigate and manage Microsystis blooms.

North Carolina Sea Grant identified opportunities for the town of Nags Head, North Carolina to incorporate coastal hazards planning into policy. The team led workshops entailing a Vulnerability, Consequences, and Adaptation Planning Scenario, or VCAPS, exercise to help community members better understand the scope of coastal hazard consequences and develop adaptation strategies. The team also secured funding through a Southeast Sea Grant Regional Resilience grant to conduct a law and policy analysis of issues affecting the adaptation options identified, as well as to conduct GIS-based assessments.

The VCAPS workshops led to formation of a Climate Adaptation and Sea Level Rise Committee that prioritized adaptation options and compiled them into a report. In September 2017, the Nags Head Board of Commissioners accepted the report, which provides guidance as the town considers shoreline, stormwater and wastewater management plan proposals. The town has also included a Sea Grant-written sea level rise science synthesis in its comprehensive plan, which was adopted in August 2017, making Nags Head the state’s first northeastern municipality to include sea level rise in its comprehensive plan.

A climate-literate citizenry is essential for building sustainable, resilient communities in North Carolina. One of the best ways to enhance the climate literacy of future generations is to work with K-12 programs, where additional training and resources can be created to help teachers talk about climate change in their classrooms.

Researchers at North Carolina State University developed a climate-literacy curriculum for middle-school students with support from North Carolina Sea Grant. Additional Sea Grant support augmented the curriculum to include a reflection activity in which students engage their parents around climate change and coastal hazards, as well as a robust field-based service-learning project that leverages ongoing partnerships with coastal organizations including the N.C. Coastal Federation, N.C. State’s Center for Marine Sciences and Technology and The Nature Conservancy. Researchers have trained 18 North Carolina teachers in using the climate-literacy curriculum, reaching approximately 1,100 middle-school students.