Caribbean Coastal Scenarios (CCS): an integrated analysis of inland-coastal linkages to guide sustainable use and protection of coastal ecosystems (CRN2061)

The Caribbean Coastal Scenarios (CCS) project models the flow of water, sediments, and contaminants from inland watersheds to coastal ecosystems in several Caribbean island nations. Initial findings highlight the degradation of water quality due to dams, sewage, and deforestation, specifically noting wastewater treatment gaps in Puerto Rico and agricultural runoff in the Dominican Republic.

• The project has mapped land-cover and soils for 84 watersheds draining to coastal waters across the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico, and has developed operational hydrological models to simulate runoff.
• Human interventions such as dam construction, channeling, and sewage discharge have degraded river water quality, leading to higher sedimentation, nutrient export, and algal biomass.
• Specific regional pressures include a 50% wastewater treatment rate in Puerto Rico leading to nitrate and phosphate contamination, and deforestation and slash-and-burn agriculture in the Haina River watershed of the Dominican Republic causing flooding and infrastructure destruction.
• Expanding water-intensive rice cultivation in Cuba and the Dominican Republic, combined with population growth, is creating conflicts over future water allocations.

APA

Melesse, A., Webber, D., Vicioso, F., Nunez, F., Ortiz, J., McClain, M. E., & Fu, Z. J. (2010). Caribbean Coastal Scenarios (CCS): an integrated analysis of inland-coastal linkages to guide sustainable use and protection of coastal ecosystems (CRN2061). Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/CRN2061.pdf

Chicago

Melesse, Assefa, Dale Webber, Felipe Vicioso, Francisco Nunez, Jorge Ortiz, Michael E. McClain, and Zhaohui Jennifer Fu. Caribbean Coastal Scenarios (CCS): an integrated analysis of inland-coastal linkages to guide sustainable use and protection of coastal ecosystems (CRN2061). Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, 2010. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/CRN2061.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Melesse |first1=Assefa |last2=Webber |first2=Dale |last3=Vicioso |first3=Felipe |last4=Nunez |first4=Francisco |last5=Ortiz |first5=Jorge |last6=McClain |first6=Michael E. |last7=Fu |first7=Zhaohui Jennifer |title=Caribbean Coastal Scenarios (CCS): an integrated analysis of inland-coastal linkages to guide sustainable use and protection of coastal ecosystems (CRN2061) |publisher=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |date=February 2010 |url=https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/CRN2061.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{melesse2010caribbean, author = {Melesse, Assefa and Webber, Dale and Vicioso, Felipe and Nunez, Francisco and Ortiz, Jorge and McClain, Michael E. and Fu, Zhaohui Jennifer}, title = {{Caribbean Coastal Scenarios (CCS): an integrated analysis of inland-coastal linkages to guide sustainable use and protection of coastal ecosystems (CRN2061)}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2010}, month = feb, url = {https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/CRN2061.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }