Blended

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

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 how these stakeholders might weigh the costs and benefits of these policy options.
• Identify and use techniques for determining where and when to apply policy options.
• Develop a report on sea level rise policy options for a specific place and set of stakeholders.

Files

Download the Worksheet (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 2.5MB Sep7 16)

Download the Rubric (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 105kB Sep7 16)

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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.

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Figure 12.27: Locator map for Norfolk, Virginia.
Credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk,_Virginia

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Figure 12.28: Photo collage for Norfolk, Virginia.
Credit: MontageNorfolkVAUSA.jpg by PghPhxNfk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk,_Virginia#/media/File:MontageNorfolkVAUSA.jpg CC BY-SA 3.0

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

The template provided in your worksheet will guide you through creation of the report. The material has been provided here for your convenience.

• Identifying stakeholders
• Selecting strategies
• Assessing costs and benefits
• Considering views of vulnerable stakeholders
• Prioritizing places for protection