Washington Sea Grant

Pacific Northwest coastal communities experience highly variable climate and oceanographic events, rising seas, and other hazards whose cumulative, varied risks to health and wellbeing are largely unknown. As a result, these communities face critical challenges: strengthening resilience, minimizing vulnerability, maintaining food security and protecting and restoring local marine ecosystems. Washington Sea Grant is synthesizing information on the resilience and vulnerability of communities to coastal hazards such as ocean acidification and leading the design of a participatory, community-based rapid appraisal in several Washington and Oregon communities facing such hazards. This appraisal will assess culturally significant ecosystem variables, such as important food species and communities’ sense of place, and identify anticipated and cumulative threats posed to them.

This tool is currently under development.