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Coquille Estuary Climate Change Vulnerability Project
Overview
The project is a science-based assessment of the Coquille Estuary’s vulnerabilities to the effects of climate variability and climate change. Many climate-related changes have been observed and projected for coastal communities and habitats, and some estuaries have been the subject of localized research. This project seeks to identify potential impacts and projections specific to the Coquille Estuary, and what can be done to help sustain Estuary resources – protecting public investments in conservation. Click here for more information on the Coquille Estuary.
Other important public and private resources may be affected by climate issues and while we hope that products from this project are useful to broader interests, this project’s capacity and funding is limited to detailed analyses of habitats and key fish and wildlife species.
Vulnerability Assessment Steps
  1. Lower Coquille River Watershed Stakeholder Workshop (April, 2012)
  2. Analysis of Climate Change Threats for the Coquille River Watershed (Dec, 2012, see documents below)
  3. Expert panel assessment of climate threats to habitats and selected, key species (March, 2013)
  4. Final Vulnerability Assessment report (Jan, 2014, see documents below)
Reports and Products
    Coquille Estuary Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment
    Final vulnerability assessment report. Accompanying appendices are HERE.
    • Climate Change and the Lower Coquille Watershed The Oregon Climate Change Research Institute produced a report for the Project summarizing 20th Century trends and 21st Century projections. Key issues include rising air temperatures, drier summers, ocean acidification, sea level rise, wave and storm increases, changes to salinity levels and rising sea surface temperatures.
    • Coquille River Basin Stream Temperature Assessment The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service produced a report for the project on the geology, climate, hydrology, and stream temperature information in the Coquille River watershed. It includes an analysis of summer thermal sensitivities of streams used to assess stream temperature increases that can be expected given future increases in air temperatures.
    • Summary Table of the Climate Change and the Lower Coquille Watershed and Coquille River Basin Stream Temperature Assessment Coquille Key climate-related threats to the Lower Coquille Watershed include rising air temperatures, drier summers, ocean acidification, sea level rise, wave and storm increases, changes to salinity levels and rising sea surface temperatures.
    • Coquille River Basin Mapping Resources Accessing maps, creating maps, and adding your data in ArcGIS.com: One of the products requested by stakeholders at the April workshop was a web-based application for publically available map-based information and data. This site is still under construction.
    Other Support Materials
    Contacts
    The project is co-led by EcoAdapt, The Nature Conservancy, the Oregon Coastal Management Program of the Oregon Dept. of Land Conservation and Development, and the Coastal Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Many other organizations and entities have participated through workshops and other means.