EVENT

As a low-lying island nation, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is at the forefront of exposure to climate change impacts, especially sea-level rise and associated coastal hazards (inundation, storm surge, saltwater intrusion, erosion). Although RMI recognizes the need to conduct vulnerability assessments and undertake disaster risk reduction efforts to build the nation’s ability to adapt, there is a lack of local expertise to conduct these efforts. To address this knowledge gap, this project focuses on building stakeholder technical capacity to conduct quantitative assessments of exposure to coastal inundation hazards. Land elevation is the primary geophysical variable that determines exposure to inundation in coastal settings. Accordingly, coastal elevation data are a critical input for assessments of inundation exposure and vulnerability. High-quality data for atoll ‘ridge to reef’ (land and ocean) areas are needed to provide remote communities with the tools and strategies to make adaptation efforts. Project partners are collaborating with the Marshall Islands Conservation Society (MICS) to develop coastal inundation exposure models for four outer islands/atolls in RMI (Mejit Island, Ebon, Likiep, Aur Atolls). As part of the generation of inundation assessments, an instruction manual has been developed that will be used to train stakeholders on inundation modeling, thereby building local technical capacity. Scientific products (maps and data) will be provided for stakeholder use and findings will be integrated into adaptation plans.