NOAA's Sea Grant, Key Program For Coastal Communities Facing Acidifiction, SLR, On Chopping Block

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“Sea grants are and would be critical even if there was no climate change,” said Derek Brockbank, executive director of the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association, which advocates in Washington for coastal cities and communities. “They only become more critical with climate change.”

Pollution from fossil fuels, deforestation and farming has increased global temperatures nearly 2°F, causing seas to swell. The East Coast has endured some of the fastest impacts of sea level rise worldwide. Carbon dioxide pollution is contributing to the acidification of coastal waters. Fish are shifting ranges as water temperatures rise, eluding fishermen. Warming is leading to heavier downfalls and stronger hurricanes.

Brockbank’s association is working with other groups to prepare a letter opposing the proposed elimination of Sea Grant. Sea Grant research has helped West Coast shellfish farmers cope with water acidification, provided advice to Maryland residents about coping with worsening floods, and promoted the use of grooved nails in roofs to secure panels during storms in the Northeast.

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Sea Grant typically helps small and rural waterfront communities that would struggle to respond to dwindling fish stocks, worsening erosion and other coastal hazards alone. Its projects are jointly funded by local or state agencies. NOAA received $73 million to operate Sea Grant this year, which included $9 million set aside for aquaculture work. That’s a small portion of the $54 billion in annual spending the Trump Administration aims to cut from non-military agencies to help fund increased defense spending. “Sea Grant personnel often are embedded in coastal communities and represent a tried-and-true model of cooperation between universities, local governments, state governments and the federal government,” Evans said. “Its effectiveness is really something to emulate, not eliminate, for the sake of austerity.”

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http://www.climatecentral.org/news/sea-grant-cut-could-slow-climate-adaptation-21229