Collaborative Research: NSF R2I2: Resilience Implementation for Salt-INtruded Geographies (RISING) Mid-Atlantic

About This Grant

Saltwater intrusion is an often-invisible process that is challenging to identify until it has already caused substantial harm to coastal lands. Salty waters seep inland – above and below ground – salinizing soils and waters, devastating crop harvests, and burning forests from the inside out. In the low-lying Mid-Atlantic region, large areas of coastal farmland and forest have converted to marsh, causing substantial economic losses and damage to ecosystems. To address these pressing challenges, an assembled coalition of farmers, landowners, researchers, government, non-profits, and the private sector will work together to develop, evaluate, and implement science-based solutions, focused on two important coastal economic sectors: farming and forestry. By developing and implementing a portfolio of practical solutions, such as novel agricultural easements, web applications to map saltwater intrusion, market development for salt-tolerant crops, and alternative timber harvest strategies, the project will improve the resilience and well-being of rural coastal communities impacted by saltwater intrusion, now and in the future. Thus, the project will translate research into practical solutions to promote regional resilience through community-engaged team science. The project goal is to improve regional resilience across rural coastal lands affected by saltwater intrusion by extending the life of farms and forest tracts, reducing storm surge damage and revenue losses, and supporting regional terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity. We will achieve this by developing and implementing coordinated, community-engaged solutions, focusing on agricultural and forest lands in Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. To co-develop solutions, the project will bring together leaders from academia, government (local to federal), non-profits, and the private sector—who often have worked to face these challenges in isolation. Building on recent advances in earth system science at the land-sea interface, knowledge of the region’s complex hydrological, ecological, geomorphological, biogeochemical, and human systems will be synthesized to develop and evaluate a portfolio of social, technological, and nature-based resilience strategies. Selection of solutions will be informed by both research and community input and assessed for feasibility, risk, cost, and benefit through approaches such as techno-economic analysis. A Guide to Coastal Resilience will be developed that details the coalition’s shared vision of resilience and coordinated implementation solutions and will be disseminated broadly to guide policy, investment, and advocacy. This coordinated effort will bridge the gap between basic science and practical, community-aligned resilience strategies to meet the region’s evolving challenges. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.