NSF grant renewed to protect Georgia coastlines – UGA Today

Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Research Program: Advancing Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction and Project Funding

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has renewed its commitment to coastal sustainability by awarding a $7.5 million grant to the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems (GCE) research program. This long-term ecological research project, managed by the University of Georgia Marine Institute, represents the fourth six-year funding cycle for the initiative. The GCE program is a collaborative effort involving 103 participants from 10 academic institutions, dedicated to understanding and preserving vital coastal habitats in alignment with global sustainability targets.

Core Research and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 14: Life Below Water and SDG 15: Life on Land

The GCE program’s research directly supports the conservation and sustainable use of marine and terrestrial ecosystems. The project’s primary focus is on the health and resilience of coastal salt marshes and estuaries, which are critical for global sustainability.

• Ecosystem Protection: The research aims to understand how coastal ecosystems respond to changing conditions, contributing to the sustainable management and protection of marine and coastal environments (SDG Target 14.2).
• Biodiversity and Services: Salt marshes are vital habitats that support fisheries, filter water, and protect shorelines, directly contributing to the conservation of coastal and marine areas (SDG Target 14.5).
• Carbon Sequestration: By studying the health of these marshes, the project provides crucial data on their capacity to store carbon, a key nature-based solution for climate mitigation and a component of conserving terrestrial ecosystems (SDG Target 15.1).

SDG 13: Climate Action and SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

A significant component of the research involves assessing the impact of climate-related disturbances, providing data to strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity for coastal communities.

1. Climate Resilience: The program investigates how extreme events like hurricanes, freezes, and sea-level fluctuations affect marsh resilience. This work is essential for strengthening resilience to climate-related hazards (SDG Target 13.1). As noted by project director Merryl Alber, “Extremes matter, and we’re learning how those extremes shape the resilience of our marshes.”
2. Informing Policy: Research findings on drivers such as sea level, salinity, and flooding are intended to guide policymakers and coastal communities in making informed decisions for the protection and management of coastal resources, fostering sustainable and resilient communities (SDG Target 11.b).
3. Community Engagement: A citizen-science initiative, “Flood Patrol,” will be launched to engage coastal residents in tracking high-tide flooding events, directly involving communities in climate adaptation and monitoring efforts.

SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The GCE program integrates research with education and multi-stakeholder collaboration to build capacity for sustainable development.

• Educational Outreach: The program hosts an annual summer workshop for K-12 teachers, providing hands-on research experience that promotes education for sustainable development (SDG Target 4.7).
• Multi-Institutional Collaboration: As the largest research project on the Georgia coast, the GCE involves a partnership of 10 academic institutions, exemplifying the multi-stakeholder partnerships necessary to achieve the SDGs (SDG Target 17.17).

Conclusion

The renewal of the NSF grant enables the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems research program to continue its critical work at the intersection of climate science, ecosystem management, and community resilience. By focusing on the vulnerability and resilience of coastal marshes, the project will generate actionable data that directly contributes to achieving multiple Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring the long-term health of coastal environments and the communities that depend on them. Chris King, interim vice president for research at UGA, affirmed the project’s importance, stating, “The work of our coastal researchers has never been more important.”

SDGs Addressed in the Article

1. SDG 14: Life Below Water

   • The article’s central theme is the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems research program, which focuses on understanding and protecting coastal salt marshes and estuaries. These ecosystems are vital for marine life, as they support fisheries, filter water, and protect shorelines. The research directly contributes to the conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal ecosystems.

2. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • The research program explicitly investigates the impact of climate-related hazards such as hurricanes, freezes, and sea-level rise on coastal marshes. By studying how these “extremes shape the resilience of our marshes,” the project directly addresses the need to strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate change, a core component of SDG 13.

3. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • The article highlights the program’s commitment to education and outreach. It mentions an “annual summer workshop for K-12 teachers” and a “citizen-science initiative called Flood Patrol.” These activities promote education for sustainable development by providing hands-on research experiences and engaging the public in environmental monitoring.

4. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • The research aims to provide data that “policymakers and coastal communities can use to make decisions on how to protect and manage coastal resources.” Since salt marshes protect shorelines from flooding and storms, this work contributes to making coastal communities more resilient to natural disasters. The “Flood Patrol” initiative directly involves residents in monitoring flood risks.

5. SDG 15: Life on Land

   • Salt marshes are a type of wetland ecosystem, which are critical transitional zones between land and sea. The project’s focus on the health, resilience, and protection of these marshes aligns with the goal of conserving and restoring terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services.

6. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • The project is a large-scale collaboration funded by the National Science Foundation and involves the University of Georgia and 10 other academic institutions. This multi-stakeholder partnership, which mobilizes financial resources ($7.5 million grant) and scientific expertise, exemplifies the collaborative approach needed to achieve sustainable development. The citizen-science component also represents a partnership with civil society.

Specific Targets Identified

1. SDG 14: Life Below Water

   • Target 14.2: “sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience.” The article’s core mission is to study the resilience of salt marshes and estuaries to disturbances, providing the scientific basis for their protection and management.

2. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.1: “Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters.” The research directly examines how extreme weather events like hurricanes affect marsh resilience, which is fundamental to building adaptive capacity in coastal zones.

3. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Target 4.7: “ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development.” The workshops for K-12 teachers and the citizen-science initiative are direct actions to equip educators and the public with knowledge about coastal ecology and sustainability.

4. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.b: “adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards… adaptation to climate change, disaster risk reduction.” The article states that the research results will be used by policymakers for decisions on protecting coastal resources, which is a key part of integrated planning for climate adaptation.

5. SDG 15: Life on Land

   • Target 15.1: “ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of… wetlands.” The project’s focus on understanding and protecting salt marshes, a critical wetland ecosystem, directly supports this target.

6. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • Target 17.17: “Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships.” The collaboration between academic institutions and the NSF, along with the “Flood Patrol” citizen-science initiative involving coastal residents, are prime examples of such partnerships.

Indicators Mentioned or Implied

1. Indicators for Marsh Health and Resilience (SDGs 13, 14, 15)

   • Directly Mentioned: The article states the project will measure drivers like “sea level, salinity, flooding and temperature” and analyze their effects. These are quantitative indicators used to assess ecosystem health.
   • Implied: The concept of “marsh health and resilience” itself is an indicator. The study of “changes in variability” is mentioned as a way to determine if a system is “becoming more vulnerable,” serving as an early-warning indicator.

2. Indicators for Education and Outreach (SDG 4)

   • Implied: The number of K-12 teachers participating in the “annual summer workshop” is a measurable indicator of the program’s educational reach. The number of coastal residents participating in the “Flood Patrol” initiative and the number of gauges installed are indicators of public engagement and citizen-science activity.

3. Indicators for Community Resilience (SDG 11)

   • Directly Mentioned: The “Flood Patrol” initiative is designed to “track high-tide flooding events.” The data collected on the frequency and severity of these events serves as a direct indicator of local flood risk, which is crucial for disaster risk reduction planning.

4. Indicators for Partnerships (SDG 17)

   • Directly Mentioned: The article specifies the grant amount (“$7.5 million”) and the number of collaborating institutions (“10 academic institutions”), which are quantitative indicators of the partnership’s scale and financial mobilization.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Table

Source: news.uga.edu