For the Instructor

These student materials complement the Coastal Processes, Hazards and Society Instructor Materials. If you would like your students to have access to the student materials, we suggest you either point them at the Student Version which omits the framing pages with information designed for faculty (and this box). Or you can download these pages in several formats that you can include in your course website or local Learning Managment System. Learn more about using, modifying, and sharing InTeGrate teaching materials.

Initial Publication Date: December 8, 2016

Online Only

Activity: Report on Sea Level Rise Policy Options for Norfolk, Virginia

In this activity, you will be playing the role of a local government official preparing to lead a participatory planning activity for sea level rise in the Norfolk, Virginia metro area. In preparation for the first planning meeting, you have been asked to prepare a report that:

Identifies stakeholders
Builds a short list of strategies to protect against sea level rise and related hazards
Assesses which of these strategies will be most cost effective
Considers views of vulnerable stakeholders
Uses maps to prioritize protection for the most vulnerable areas

Objectives:

Identify important coastal stakeholders.
Review and compare policy options for preparing for and responding to chronic coastal hazards such as sea level rise.
Assess the costs and benefits of these policy options.
Identify and use techniques for determining where and when to apply policy options.

Submitting Your Assignment

Submit your assignment using the Module 12 Lab Assessment

Introduction

Located at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, the Norfolk, Virginia metropolitan area is home to over 1.5 million people and the world's largest naval base. It is also one of the most physically vulnerable cities in the United States for both sea level rise and storm surge. Land in the Norfolk area is sinking due to both the retreat of North America's glaciers following the last major continental ice advance and the continued subsidence of areas surrounding the Chesapeake Bay impact crater. These factors are causing local sea levels to rise much faster than the global average.