Today, the Department of Commerce and NOAA announced $22.78 million in funding to NOAA labs, programs, cooperative institutes and other research partners to advance research on a wide range of water-driven climate impacts. Research topics include coastal and inland flood and inundation mapping and forecasting, and next-generation water modeling activities, including modernized precipitation frequency studies.
“Thanks to President Biden’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this investment will help boost NOAA’s efforts to address the rising threat of climate change — putting us on the path to becoming more climate resilient and giving future generations the information and resources needed to tackle the climate crisis,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.
In recent years, the increasing frequency and severity of coastal and inland flooding, extreme precipitation and other weather events have highlighted the urgent need for better prediction and resilience strategies. Rising sea levels, driven by climate change, are exacerbating these challenges and putting coastal communities at greater risk.
These funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help communities prepare for a range of climate impacts and will directly benefit policymakers, emergency responders, researchers and the general public. Today’s announcement is part of more than $6 billion being invested by NOAA in habitat restoration, weather forecasting, and community resilience to weather and climate events through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.
“By integrating cutting-edge science and technology into prediction tools, we are working to equip communities to prepare for and respond to water-driven climate impacts on our path to becoming a climate-ready nation,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “These efforts enhance our nation’s resilience and underscore NOAA’s commitment to supporting sustainable and informed decision-making in the face of climate variability and change.”
Investigating the complex interactions between the ocean, atmosphere and land systems is key to creating more accurate forecasts. Funded projects range from refining long-term water level predictions to better understanding natural climate patterns like the El Nino–Southern Oscillation to developing real-time flood risk prediction systems. Others focus on updating climate risk information to inform resilience strategies for communities as well as our nation’s infrastructure, including major bridges, power plants and ports.
Through this initiative, NOAA’s National Sea Grant and Weather Program Office, awarded $1.5 million to the Maryland and Puerto Rico Sea Grant programs to hire community flooding social science liaisons who will use social, economic and behavioral research with the community-based capabilities of the Sea Grant network to facilitate the implementation of flood inundation mapping services for Maryland and Puerto Rico emergency responders, water managers and the public.
Catalyzing Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion-Centered Solutions for the Culturally Appropriate Use of Flood Inundation Mapping Service
Project Leads: Manuel Valdés Pizzini & Ariam L. Torres-Cordero
Grant Amount: $749,307
Communities in Puerto Rico, especially underserved areas, face increasing flood risks due to extreme weather, sea level rise, and social inequality. The Interdisciplinary Center for Coastal Studies at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, the School of Planning at UPR-Río Piedras, and Puerto Rico Sea Grant are collaborating to create a framework that will help communities better understand and adapt to flooding. The initiative focuses on developing equitable solutions for flood mapping and improving community resilience through education and culturally appropriate strategies. By leveraging existing partnerships and expanding networks, this project aims to increase adaptive capacity across the island.
Currently, this project is supported by Dr. Ariam Torres-Cordero and Dr. Carlos Carrero Morales, along with two graduate students. This team has a diverse background in planning, economy, sociology, history and business administration, and are working to finalize the team and work plan in the coming months.
Operationalizing Flood Inundation Mapping in Maryland Through a Social Science Approach
Project Leads: Fredrika Moser & William G. Hubbard
Grant Amount: $749,211
This project aims to integrate flood inundation mapping tools into local community planning in Maryland by enhancing communication networks and applying social, economic and behavioral sciences. An extension faculty member position was proposed to liaise closely with communities, ensuring effective use of flood inundation mapping tools through education and research. This project will also develop an evaluation framework for flood inundation mapping tools, incorporating feedback loops with Sea Grant and the National Weather Service to improve community resilience to flooding.
Erin Crowley-Champoux is an anthropologist working on the Flood Inundation Mapping project. Her prior research has examined human-environmental interactions, especially as they pertain to agricultural strategies and food. Most recently, she has completed a project that brought together archaeologists, food scientists, and farmers to understand past food insecurity and developed strategies for modern sustainable food storage methods, using our understanding of the past to benefit current farming communities. Erin is excited to bring her experience with community engagement and community service as well as her training in the social sciences and scholarship in human-environmental relationships to University of Maryland Sea Grant Extension.
Learn about the other NOAA initiatives supported by this Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding and visit NOAA’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law website to learn about funding opportunities and additional resources.
Amara Davis
Outreach Coordinator
National Sea Grant Office