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Contributed Talk

Session: : Broadening Participation and Impact 3

COS 208-6 - Barriers to a holistic understanding of saltwater intrusion and sea level rise

Wednesday, August 9, 2023
4:45 PM – 5:00 PM PDT
Location: B112
Abstract: Globally the coastal plain is subject to rising sea levels, land subsidence, more severe coastal storms, and more intense droughts. These changes lead to inputs of marine salts into freshwater-dependent coastal systems, creating saltwater intrusion. The penetration of salinity into the coastal interior is exacerbated by groundwater extraction and the high density of agricultural canals and ditches throughout much of the rural landscape. Together saltwater intrusion and sea level rise (SWISLR) creates significant changes to the social-ecological systems situated along the coastal plain. We know there is variation across regions in the exposure to SWISLR and the vulnerability people and ecosystems have. These variations are exacerbated through the unequal adaptation and management strategies used. In order to successfully build resilient landscapes, a holistic understanding of the hazard is needed. Through interviews, working groups, and literature reviews we find two main barriers to holistically understanding the rapid changes SWISLR causes - geographic barriers and discipline barriers. We highlight the current state of SWISLR research and identify the disciplines and geographies where this research is taking place. The majority of published SWISLR research (95%) is within the natural science discipline, and only 3% are identified as multidisciplinary. This small percentage of work is an example of breaking the discipline boundary by including disciplines other than natural science within the project (i.e. humanities or economics). Many interviewed scholars and working group discussions focused on the need for better data sharing and more cross-disciplinary interaction. Both spatial and discipline barriers to SWISLR research are alleviated through collaboration and transdisciplinary science. Due to the complexity of SWISLR, and SWISLR-related issues, future research will need to be barrier-breaking and collaborative.