Chesapeake Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge: Public Awareness and Response (CSSPAR)

The Conservation Fund (TCF) proposes to bring together an interdisciplinary team, the
Chesapeake Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge Public Awareness and Response (CSSPAR)
partnership, to model, analyze, and disseminate information to the public about the projected
impacts of sea level rise and greater and more frequent storm surges on coastal areas of the
Chesapeake Bay. The CSSPAR team will include interdisciplinary experts from The
Conservation Fund (TCF), National Geographic Society (NGS), Chesapeake Bay Observing
System (CBOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Maryland
Department of Natural Resources (MD DNR), Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program and
Burke Environmental Associates (BEA). The participation of CBOS in this initial project will
primarily be through the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), Noblis, and NOAA via
the Chesapeake Inundation Prediction System (CIPS).

The CSSPAR team will leverage current projects of these organizations to develop new and
enhanced capabilities. The resulting information would increase public awareness and provide
tools for vulnerability assessment that would contribute to enhanced community resilience to sea
level rise, storm surge and inundation, and other biological and physical challenges of climate
change in the region. To accomplish these goals, the CSSPAR partnership through this project
will produce prototype tools including a webenabled geospatial map viewer and interpretive
cartographic maps and graphics that are based on an emerging, sophisticated hydrodynamic
modeling capability. Additionally, public education will occur through development of regionwide, multi-level classroom curricula; professional training modules; and collaboration with
local community representatives (government, business, and public) to develop project
capabilities and products.