Nicole Elko, Diane Foster, Gregory Kleinheinz, Britt Raubenheimer, Susanne Brander, Julie Kinzelman, Jacob P. Kritzer, Daphne Munroe, Curt Storlazzi, Martha Sutula, Annie Mercer, Scott Coffin, Carolyn Fraioli, Luke Ginger, Elise Morrison, Gabrielle Parent-Doliner, Cigdem Akan, Alberto Canestrelli, Michelle DiBenedetto, Jackelyn Lang, and Jonathan Simm, 2022. “Human and ecosystem health in coastal systems”, Shore & Beach, 90(1), 64-91.
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http://doi.org/10.34237/1009018
Human and ecosystem health in coastal systems
Nicole Elko(1), Diane Foster(2), Gregory Kleinheinz(3), Britt Raubenheimer(4), Susanne Brander(5), Julie Kinzelman(6) Jacob P. Kritzer(7), Daphne Munroe(8), Curt Storlazzi(9), Martha Sutula(10), Annie Mercer(11), Scott Coffin(12), Carolyn Fraioli(13), Luke Ginger(14), Elise Morrison(15), Gabrielle Parent-Doliner(16), Cigdem Akan(17), Alberto Canestrelli(18), Michelle DiBenedetto(19), Jackelyn Lang(20), and Jonathan Simm(21)
1) nicole.elko@asbpa.org, American Shore and Beach Preservation Association, P.O. Box 1451, Folly Beach, SC 29439
2) University of New Hampshire, School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering, 24 Colovos Drive, Durham NH 03824
3) University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 800 Algoma Boulevard, Oshkosh, WI 54901
4) Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, MS11 266 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, MA 02543
5) Oregon State University, 2030 SE Marine Science Drive, Newport, OR 97365
6) University of Wisconsin-Parkside, 900 Wood Road, P.O. Box 2000, Kenosha, WI 53141
7) Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems,
195 New Hampshire Avenue #240, Portsmouth, NH 03801
8) Rutgers University, Haskin Shellfish Research Lab, 6959 Miller Ave, Port Norris, NJ 08349
9) U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, 2885 Mission Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
10) Southern California Coastal Water Research Project Authority, 3535 Harbor Blvd., Suite 110, Costa Mesa CA 92626
11) American Shore and Beach Preservation Association, 1509 George II Hwy SE, Bolivia, NC 28422
12) California State Water Resources Control Board, 1001 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
13) New York State Dept. of State, 99 Washington Avenue, Suite 1010, Albany, NY 12231
14) Heal the Bay, 1444 9th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401
15) University of Florida, Dept. of Environmental Engineering Sciences, 1949 Stadium Road,
P.O. Box 116580, Gainesville, FL 32611-6580
16) Water Rangers, 123 Slater Street, 6th Floor, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5H2, Canada
17) University of Northern Florida, 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32224
18) University of Florida, Weil Hall 575J, 1949 Stadium Road, P.O. Box 116580, Gainesville, FL 32611-6580
19) University of Washington, 3900 East Stevens Way NE, Seattle, WA 98195
20) University of California Davis, 1275 Med Science Drive, Tupper Hall 2108, Davis, CA 95616
21) H.R. Wallingford, Howbery Park, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 8BA, United Kingdom
U.S. coastal economies and communities are facing an unprec¬edented and growing number of impacts to coastal ecosystems including beach and fishery closures, harmful algal blooms, loss of critical habitat, as well as shoreline damage. This paper synthesizes our present understanding of the dynamics of human and ecosystem health in coastal systems with a focus on the need to better understand nearshore physical process interactions with coastal pollutants and ecosystems (e.g. fate and transport, circulation, depositional environment, climate change). It is organized around two major topical areas and six subtopic areas: 1) Identifying and mitigating coastal pollutants, including fecal pollution, nutrients and harmful algal blooms, and microplastics; and 2) Resilient coastal ecosystems, which focuses on coastal fisheries, shellfish and natural and nature-based features (NNBF). Societal needs and the tools and tech¬nologies needed to address them are discussed for each subtopic. Recommendations for scientific research, observations, com¬munity engagement, and policies aim to help prioritize future research and investments. A better understanding of coastal physical processes and interactions with coastal pollutants and resilient ecosystems (e.g. fate and transport, circulation, depositional environment, climate change) is a critical need. Other research recommendations include the need to quantify potential threats to human and ecosystem health through ac¬curate risk assessments and to quantify the resulting hazard risk reduction of natural and nature-based features; improve pollut¬ant and ecosystem impacts forecasting by integrating frequent and new data points into existing and novel models; collect environmental data to calibrate and validate models to predict future impacts on coastal ecosystems and their evolution due to anthropogenic stressors (land-based pollution, overfishing, coastal development), climate change, and sea level rise; and develop lower cost and rapid response tools to help coastal managers better respond to pollutant and ecosystem threats.