Climate Adaptation Data Week Overview

This briefing features an interview with Dr. Rob Young of Western Carolina University regarding a project to map and evaluate the vulnerability of National Park Service (NPS) coastal assets to sea level rise and flooding to inform adaptation decisions.

• Dr. Rob Young led a project to map the vulnerability of thousands of National Park Service (NPS) buildings and infrastructure assets facing risks from sea level rise and coastal flooding. The goal is to assist park managers in determining whether assets should be protected, moved inland, or abandoned.
• Vulnerability assessments have been applied in specific locations: at Cumberland Island National Seashore, they are used to integrate local perspectives on historical villages, and in Florida, they have led planners to raise utilities out of flood zones to reduce building sensitivity.
• The vulnerability assessments utilize sea level rise models projected to 2050, though the document notes that for most coastal parks, the majority of the exposure score is derived from hurricanes occurring at current sea levels.
• The assessment protocol focuses exclusively on physical coastal hazards and the physical characteristics of structures; it does not currently include other climate factors such as changing temperatures, vegetation viability, erosion, or saltwater intrusion.
• The assessments inform decisions on retreat and decommissioning: assets that are both highly vulnerable and low priority to the park's mission are candidates for decommissioning, while mission-critical but vulnerable assets should be considered for relocation.

APA

Young, R. (2020). Climate Adaptation Data Week Overview. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/041420data

Chicago

Young, Rob. Climate Adaptation Data Week Overview. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2020. https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/041420data.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Young |first1=Rob |title=Climate Adaptation Data Week Overview |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=14 April 2020 |url=https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/041420data |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{young2020climate, author = {Young, Rob}, title = {{Climate Adaptation Data Week Overview}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2020}, month = apr, url = {https://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/041420data}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }