Using the outcomes from the New Jersey based science and technical advisory panel on coastal storm and sea level rise and research undertaken in coastal communities in Virginia, EAC investigators are working to identify the criteria and characteristics of communities with concentrations of ‘ocean economy’ related businesses. Afterward, they will be conducting interviews with economic development officials in the identified communities to understand how economic development officials in those areas perceive the risk of coastal hazards, and how economic developers are evaluating the benefits and risks of future strategies for water-dependent uses in lieu of changing coastal hazards.

Image credit:  Dave Frey, 2007