1. SENTINEL SITES: A NATIONAL NETWORK TO MONITOR SEA-LEVEL IMPACTS Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation Conference November 7th, 2013, San Diego, CA

2. Outline  The Sentinel Site framework  Sentinel Site Cooperatives  Development and Applications of “Sentinel Sites” concept

3. Sentinel Site Framework  Regional network of places where we can ask and answer questions of local, regional, and national importance  Operational capacity for intensive study  Defined user communities  Sustained observations  Detect and understand changes in the ecosystems they represent.  Informed, enabled stakeholder communities

4. Sentinel Site Framework  Partnering with others to leverage existing resources and expertise  Coordination with partners to focus resources  Places are representative of larger landscape: canary in the coal mine or guard on the watchtower

5. Sentinel Sites : Local Responses to Global Change A suite of services for understanding and responding to sea level change impacts on coastal ecosystems and surrounding communities. Science Service Stewardship Observe & Monitor Applied Research Models & Predictions Spatial Analysis & Visualization Information Transfer Education & Outreach Management & Decision Making

6. Sea Level Change Impacts  Sea level change impacts are far- reaching  Significant impacts on people and economies of coastal communities  Coastal decision-makers need local information to prepare & adapt to anticipated changes

7. Sentinel Site Cooperatives

8. Diversity of Sentinel Site Cooperatives Urbanized Bay Large Estuary Barrier Islands ArchipelagoRocky Coastline MarshesCoral Reef Chesapeake Bay North Carolina Northern Gulf of Mexico San Francisco Hawaiian Islands

9. NOAA Sentinel Site Program Partners San Francisco BayNorthern Gulf of Mexico Hawaiian Islands North CarolinaChesapeake Bay

10. Sentinel Site Cooperative Assets Sentinel Site 1 Sentinel Site 2 Sentinel Site 3 Community 1 Community 2 Community 3

11. National Estuarine Research Reserve System

12. NERRS Sentinel Site Program  Initial focus on sea level change impacts to wetland vegetation  Local geodetic control networks  Coupled physical and biological monitoring

13. Sea Level Upland Initial Wetland Surface Bench Mark with Geodetic Control (NAVD88, etc.) Surface Elevation Table (SET) Tide Gauge Depth of SET measurement integration Deep Subsidence Subsided Wetland Surface Rise Shallow Subsidence Marker Horizon Surface Accretion Elevation Change Sea level rise is expressed with respect to upland vertical control monuments (unstable, dynamic wetland surfaces follow a different vertical trajectory compared to uplands) Making level connections between water levels, SETs and uplands allows you to measure the sea level rise that the wetlands are experiencing; connection to uplands checks for mark stability Geodetic connection assures known gauge stability

14. NERRS Sentinel Site Program  Initial focus on sea level change impacts to wetland vegetation  Local geodetic control networks  Coupled physical and biological monitoring  Nation-wide adoption of similar protocols

15. Geospatial infrastructure guidelines 2013

16. NERRS Sentinel Site Program  Initial focus on sea level change impacts to wetland vegetation  Local geodetic control networks  Coupled physical and biological monitoring  Nation-wide adoption of similar protocols  Data  Analyses  Outreach products Marie Bundy: NERRS Sentinel Site Program 1:30 pm San Diego Scott Lerberg: NERRS SSP implementation 1:45 pm San Diego

17.  Interagency collaboration/leveraging  Nearshore bathymetry & coastal elevations  Refined local sea level trends in western AK  Improvements to tidal & geodetic datum conversion tools  Rapid assessments of storm impacts on Alaska’s coastline Nicole Kinsman: RSLR/Inundation in AK, 2:00 pm San Diego

18. National Park Service  NPS Sentinel Sites  Bench marks and accurate heights to monitor vulnerability to sea level rise and coastal inundation  “Sentinel Sites:” locations where park managers determine there are critical infrastructure, habitats, cultural sites, and populations of species of concern Neil Winn: Assateague Island National Seashore 2: 45 pm San Diego

19. The Smithsonian Institution  Tennenbaum Marine Observatories Network  Worldwide network of coastal ecological field sites  Standardized measurements of biological change  Understanding how marine biodiversity is affected by local human activities and global change  Ocean warming, acidification and rising sea levels Session Presentation: Marguerite Toscano, 2:15 pm San Diego

20.  Sentinel Site monitoring of climate change in an urban estuary  Focus on climate change impacts to LIS ecosystems  Establish sentinels for early detection  Develop management strategies for adaptation and resilience LONG ISLAND SOUND STUDY A PARTNERSHIP TO RESPORE AND PROTECT THE SOUND Jason Krumholz: Sentinel Monitoring in an Urban Estuary, 9:45 am

21. Poplar Island Restoration Project  Restoration in the face of sea level rise  Full suite of physical & biological monitoring  Partnering with academic research to understand processes of functional wetland restoration

22. SENTINEL SITES: A NATIONAL NETWORK TO MONITOR SEA-LEVEL IMPACTS