Tampa Bay: A Climate-Ready Estuary
Living with Climate Change
Preparing for the future impacts of climate change is an emerging concern for the Tampa Bay Estuary Program. The Tampa Bay region's vulnerability
relating to urban flooding, storm surge and sea level rise must be addressed now in order to be prepared for the future.
In recognition of our commitment to assisting our local government partners in preparing for the effects of climate change, TBEP has been
designated a "Climate-Ready Estuary" by
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Among the climate-change projects we are working on:
- A Guidebook for Gulf Coast communities considering climate change in habitat protection strategies. The Guidebook will incorporate
information produced from upcoming TBEP research projects, as well as other case studies from communities across the Gulf of Mexico region
that showcase effective ways to accommodate climate change in habitat restoration efforts. This project is being funded by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.
- The "King Tide" photo-documentary project recruited citizens to take photos of structures and shorelines affected by very high, or
"king" tides in late October, as a way to illustrate the possible impacts of rising seas on our region. View the photos at
www.flickr.com/groups/1692657@N23/pool/page2.
- Ongoing participation in an information and technology exchange with scientists and water managers in The Netherlands through the
"Resilient Tampa Bay" program sponsored by the University of South Florida. Annual workshops bring together Dutch experts with experience
in managing water levels with scientists, planners and students in Tampa Bay to discuss issues and solutions to sea level rise.
- Participation in the Nature's Notebook project of the National Phenology Network. Nature's Notebook trains citizens to monitor how
keystone plant and animal species in their own backyards or nearby wild areas are responding to climate change. Learn more at
http://www.usanpn.org/how-observe.
