1. Habitat Climate Adaptation Tool (in development)
Jess Silver, Joe Faries, Katie Arkema, Greg Guannel

2. Tool Objectives
Identify key climate-related stressors that may affect marine or coastal habitats in a user’s region.
Produce (or aid the user in producing) future habitat footprints based on climate-related changes in distribution.

3. Three tiered approach Data Heavy Data Light Future habitat footprint
Relative vulnerability index
What will be the future distribution of habitat given changes in climate-related variables?
Where is habitat in my region most vulnerable to climate stressors?
What are the major potential climate stressors to habitats in my region?
Is my region highly vulnerable to these stressors, relative to the rest of world?
Global vulnerability

4. Global vulnerability: marshes and SLR
1. Marshes are the key habitat in the system.
2. The key climate stressor is sea-level rise.
3. Tidal range and RSLR are major factors influencing vulnerability.
Global vulnerability
High RSLR (>3.5 mm/yr)
Microtidal range
Based on those parameters, the marshes at my site have increased vulnerability to SLR, relative to the rest of the world.

5. Future habitat footprint
Data Heavy
Data Light
Future habitat footprint
Relative vulnerability index
Global vulnerability
Where is habitat in my region most vulnerable to climate stressors?
What are the major potential climate stressors to habitats in my region?
Is my region highly vulnerable to these stressors, relative to the rest of world?
What will be the future distribution of habitat given changes in climate-related variables?

6. Climate adaptation tool
INPUTS: map of marsh migration potential, DEM, accretion rates, tidal datum, sea-level rise scenario

7. Climate adaptation tool
OUTPUTS: future saltmarsh distribution

8. Climate adaptation tool: outputs

9. Questions?

10. Relative vulnerability index
Data Heavy
Data Light
Future habitat footprint
Relative vulnerability index
What will be the future distribution of my marine and coastal habitats given changes in climate-related variables?
Where are the marine and coastal habitats in my region most vulnerable to climate-related stressors?
What are the major potential climate-related stressors to marine and coastal habitats in my region?
Is my region highly vulnerable to these stressors, relative to the rest of world?
Global vulnerability

11. RELATIVE VULNERABILITY 1. EXPOSURE (spatially explicit)
Forcing (SLR, waves)
Habitat
Tidal Range
Wave Exposure
SLR
2. SENSITIVITY (ranked criteria)
- Anticipated consequence of the
climate stressor on the habitat.
- Resilience of the habitat based on
species’ life history characteristics.
RELATIVE
VULNERABILITY
An index of the
relative vulnerability of
habitats to anticipated climate change stressors.
3. POTENTIAL FOR ADAPTATION (spatially explicit)
Potential for inland migration:
Land use barriers to migration
Slope
Potential for vertical accretion:
2. Sediment supply and/or accretion rates
Land Use
Patch Size
Slope
Accretion

12. 5. Compute relative vulnerability index
Sum of all rasters
Relative vulnerability index
# of variables

13. Relative Vulnerability Index
Exclude interior mangroves?