Coastal Services Center

Regional Projects

NOAA Regional Collaboration

NOAA initiated a regional collaboration effort to improve the delivery of NOAA products and services. The North Atlantic Regional Team (NART) is divided into two subregions, with the Mid-Atlantic region being led out of the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office. NART efforts are focused on regionally distinct priorities and the national priorities of hazard-resilient communities, integrated ecosystem assessments, integrated water resource services, and outreach and communication. The Center provides significant support to the NART, including providing the subregional lead for New England and the NART regional coordinator.

Regional Coastal Water Quality

Coastal water quality and nonpoint-source pollution are priority watershed issues for coastal communities. The Center’s regional staff plays an important role in many of these efforts. Staff members in the Mid-Atlantic support the Chesapeake Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) program, provide water quality education expertise, and provide technical assistance for strategic planning efforts.

Remote Sensing Coordination for the Mid-Atlantic

The goal of this project is to ensure that the remote sensing needs for the Chesapeake Bay and Mid-Atlantic region are identified, gathered, communicated, and met. The project reviews regional remote-sensing product validation requirements and identifies development opportunities that integrate remote-sensing data with other data sets and decision-support tools in the Chesapeake region.

Delaware

Coastal Elevation Mapping

The Center works with state and local officials and the private sector to collect and distribute high-resolution topographic and bathymetric data sets, including new light detection and ranging (lidar) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IfSAR) data. Data uses include the analysis of storm surge and storm inundation, and erosion and habitat mapping. In addition to data collection and distribution, the Center works with end users to expand the utility of these data.
www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/tcm/

Coastal Management Fellowship

The NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship matches postgraduate students with state coastal zone programs to work on two-year projects proposed by the state. The Delaware Coastal Management Program has hosted four fellows:

• 1998 to 2000: To design a statewide dredging policy framework.
• 2001 to 2003: To create a tracking and monitoring system for a coastal nonpoint source pollution control program.
• 2003 to 2005: To develop an inventory and Special Area Management Plan for brownfields in South Wilmington.
• 2008 to 2010: To develop a sea level rise adaptation plan for the State of Delaware.
www.csc.noaa.gov/cms/fellows.html

Coastal Services Magazine

This bimonthly trade publication focuses on efforts by local, state, and nonprofit organizations to address coastal issues. Recent articles featuring programs in Delaware include

• Accessing Delaware’s Geographic Data Gets Easier – May/June 2003
• Delaware’s Quest for Science-Based Management – May/June 2004
• Mosquito Control: Balancing Public Health and the Environment in Delaware – September/October 2005
• Restoring Urban Habitat in Delaware – July/August 2006
www.csc.noaa.gov/magazine/

Land Cover Mapping

Nothing provides a big picture view of land cover status better than these maps, which are developed using remote sensing technology. The Center has baseline land cover data for most of the coastal zone. The goal is to update the imagery every five years to provide a means of detecting change or trends. Land cover and land cover change data were produced for the U.S. Northeast region using 30-meter resolution imagery. Mapping is available for New York, Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland for 1996, 2001, and 2005, and for Northern Pennsylvania for 1996 and 2001.
www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/lca/ccap.html

Training

The Center provides training to the coastal resource managers of the nation in three focus areas: geospatial technology, coastal management, and building process skills. Training can take place at the Center’s training facility for some courses but most often is taken to coastal managers in the field. Recent courses delivered to programs in Delaware include

• Managing Visitor Use in Coastal and Marine Protected Areas
• Public Issues and Conflict Management
www.csc.noaa.gov/bins/resources/training.html

Maryland

Coastal Elevation Mapping

The Center works with state and local officials and the private sector to collect and distribute high-resolution topographic and bathymetric data sets, including new light detection and ranging (lidar) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IfSAR) data. Data uses include the analysis of storm surge and storm inundation, and erosion and habitat mapping. In addition to data collection and distribution, the Center works with end users to expand the utility of these data.
www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/tcm/

Coastal Management Fellowship

The NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship matches postgraduate students with state coastal zone programs to work on two-year projects proposed by the state. The Maryland Coastal Zone Management Division has hosted three fellows:

• 1998 to 2000: To develop a sea level rise mitigation response strategy.
• 2000 to 2002: To develop a comprehensive erosion control plan.
• 2005 to 2007: To develop and distribute a watershed planning toolbox for local governments, watershed organizations, and others to assist them with their watershed planning efforts.
www.csc.noaa.gov/cms/fellows.html

Coastal Services Magazine

This bimonthly trade publication focuses on efforts by local, state, and nonprofit organizations to address coastal issues. Recent articles featuring programs in Maryland include

• Rising Seas: Maryland Managers Pursue Higher Ground – March/April 2000
• Maryland Marinas Pledge to Be Clean – September/October 2000
• Car Games Get Coastal Treatment in Maryland – July/August 2001
• Documenting an Ecological Mystery in Maryland – March/April 2006
• Bringing Hazards Information Together in Maryland – July/August 2007
www.csc.noaa.gov/magazine/

Integrated Ocean Observing System Applications

The Center is working with data providers to ensure that ocean data are available and useful to the widest possible audience. For the Mid-Atlantic, the Center has developed the Chesapeake Bay Oyster Larvae Tracker (CBOLT) using ocean observing system data, which gives scientists the ability to predict larvae distribution for a user-specified period of time. This information helps users estimate and visualize location and mortality rate for a released larval stock.
www.csc.noaa.gov/cbolt/

Land Cover Mapping

Nothing provides a big picture view of land cover status better than these maps, which are developed using remote sensing technology. The Center has baseline land cover data for most of the coastal zone. The goal is to update the imagery every five years to provide a means of detecting change or trends. Land cover and land cover change data were produced for the U.S. Northeast region using 30-meter resolution satellite imagery. Mapping is available for New York, Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland for 1996, 2001, and 2005, and for Northern Pennsylvania for 1996 and 2001.
www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/lca/ccap.html

NOAA Fisheries’ Community-Based Restoration Program and Cooperative Habitat Protection Program

These two programs help practitioners and coastal managers implement ecosystem-based management practices to increase the number of habitat acres restored or conserved. The Center has particular expertise in the planning for habitat restoration and conservation. Current efforts for this project involve developing information resources and tools that improve and enhance shoreline restoration and protection in the Chesapeake Bay.

Topographic and Bathymetric Applications

The Center provides information about the availability of topographic and bathymetric data sets and assists coastal managers in working with these sets—particularly in relation to storm surge and inundation modeling. The current focus of this project is on developing a data inventory for Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia and guidance documents describing the coastal management applications of topography and bathymetry.
www.csc.noaa.gov/topobathy/

Training

The Center provides training to the coastal resource managers of the nation in three focus areas: geospatial technology, coastal management, and building process skills. Training can take place at the Center’s training facility for some courses but most often is taken to coastal managers in the field. Recent courses delivered to programs in Maryland include

• Coastal Applications of ArcGIS
• Introduction to ArcGIS
• Managing Visitor Use in Coastal and Marine Protected Areas
• Negotiating for Coastal Resources
• Project Design and Evaluation
• Public Issues and Conflict Management
• Remote Sensing for Spatial Analysts
www.csc.noaa.gov/bins/resources/training.html

New Jersey

Coastal Elevation Mapping

The Center works with state and local officials and the private sector to collect and distribute high-resolution topographic and bathymetric data sets, including new light detection and ranging (lidar) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IfSAR) data. Data uses include the analysis of storm surge and storm inundation, and erosion and habitat mapping. In addition to data collection and distribution, the Center works with end users to expand the utility of these data.
www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/tcm/

Coastal Management Fellowship

The NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship matches postgraduate students with state coastal zone programs to work on two-year projects proposed by the state. The New Jersey Coastal Management Program has hosted two fellows:

• 2001 to 2003: To create an in-depth review and assessment of the state’s coastal zone management program, including defining ocean governance as it applies specifically to New Jersey and developing an implementation strategy for the approved coastal zone management program.
• 2004 to 2006: To develop a tracking program for public access conditions in coastal permits, inspect public access sites, and develop a public access GIS database and map.
www.csc.noaa.gov/cms/fellows.html

Coastal Services Magazine

This bimonthly trade publication focuses on efforts by local, state, and nonprofit organizations to address coastal issues. Recent articles featuring programs in New Jersey include

• New Jersey Monitors to Ensure Safe Beaches – September/October 2000
• New Jersey Observing System Helps Print Ocean’s Picture – May/June 2002
• A Room with a View? Dunes vs. View in New Jersey – September/October 2003
• Linking Coastal Decision Makers with Information and Resources in New Jersey – May/June 2005
• StriperTracker: Using New Technology to Learn about Fish in New Jersey – November/December 2006
• Preparing for a Tsunami in New Jersey – March/April 2008
www.csc.noaa.gov/magazine/

Land Cover Mapping

Nothing provides a big picture view of land cover status better than these maps, which are developed using remote sensing technology. The Center has baseline land cover data for most of the coastal zone. The goal is to update the imagery every five years to provide a means of detecting change or trends. Land cover and land cover change data were produced for the U.S. Northeast region using 30-meter resolution satellite imagery. Mapping is available for New York, Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland for 1996, 2001, and 2005, and for Northern Pennsylvania for 1996 and 2001.
www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/lca/ccap.html

Training

The Center provides training to the coastal resource managers of the nation in three focus areas: geospatial technology, coastal management, and building process skills. Training can take place at the Center’s training facility for some courses but most often is taken to coastal managers in the field. The following course has been delivered to participants in New Jersey:

• Managing Visitor Use in Coastal and Marine Protected Areas
www.csc.noaa.gov/bins/resources/training.html

New York

Benthic Mapping

The Center’s benthic mapping effort provides tools, technical guidance, and data to the coastal management community. In New York, the Center provides technical assistance and support for a privately funded and directed benthic change detection project for Long Island’s South Shore.

Coastal Elevation Mapping

The Center works with state and local officials and the private sector to collect and distribute high-resolution topographic and bathymetric data sets, including new light detection and ranging (lidar) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IfSAR) data. Data uses include the analysis of storm surge and storm inundation, and erosion and habitat mapping. In addition to data collection and distribution, the Center works with end users to expand the utility of these data.
www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/tcm/

Coastal Management Fellowship

The NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship matches postgraduate students with state coastal zone programs to work on two-year projects proposed by the state. The New York Division of Coastal Resources has hosted three fellows:

• 1997 to 1999: To conduct a project aimed at developing regional standards and protocols for coastal habitat restoration and management.
• 2004 to 2006: To create a guidance document for stream restoration for New York State’s coastal nonpoint areas.
• 2008 to 2010: To develop New York State guidelines for post-storm redevelopment plans.
www.csc.noaa.gov/cms/fellows.html

Coastal Services Magazine

This bimonthly trade publication focuses on efforts by local, state, and nonprofit organizations to address coastal issues. Recent articles featuring programs in New York include

• Brownfields to Working Waterfront: New York Helps Revitalize Community’s Coast – July/August 2000
• Private Docks: Fighting for the Public’s Rights in New York – November/December 2001
• New York Coastal Managers Feel Impact of Attack – March/April 2002
• Terrorist Attacks Hit Coastal Managers’ Budgets – March/April 2002
• Beach Renourishment: The Lessons from One Long Island Community – July/August 2002
• Keeping Travelers on Schedule in New York – July/August 2004
• Finding Out How Big the Business of Recreational Boating Is in New York – January/February 2005
• Using a Blog to Expand Education Programming’s Reach in New York - November/December 2008
www.csc.noaa.gov/magazine/

Habitat Priority Planner

This GIS-based tool developed by the Center is used to test different alternatives for setting management priorities in a watershed, county, or small region by evaluating and comparing the effects of future land use, conservation scenarios, or proposed restoration projects on habitat quality. Currently, training and updated outreach materials are being developed to support and facilitate the use of the tool, and pilot application products are slated for Maine, New York, and South Carolina.
www.csc.noaa.gov/hpp/

Land Cover Mapping

Nothing provides a big picture view of land cover status better than these maps, which are developed using remote sensing technology. The Center has baseline land cover data for most of the coastal zone. The goal is to update the imagery every five years to provide a means of detecting change or trends. Land cover and land cover change data were produced for the U.S. Northeast region using 30-meter resolution satellite imagery. Mapping is available for New York, Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland for 1996, 2001, and 2005, and for Northern Pennsylvania for 1996 and 2001.
www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/lca/ccap.html

Scenario Planning Tool for Coastal Conservation and Hazard Mitigation

The Center is working with The Nature Conservancy to provide an interactive decision-support tool for local governments on Long Island, New York, that will enhance community resilience and meet management objectives for coastal hazard mitigation and biodiversity conservation. The tool will account for future sea level rise and storm scenarios to help communities visualize and understand their risks and vulnerabilities.

Training

The Center provides training to the coastal resource managers of the nation in three focus areas: geospatial technology, coastal management, and building process skills. Training can take place at the Center’s training facility for some courses but most often is taken to coastal managers in the field. Recent courses delivered to programs in New York include

• Managing Visitor Use in Coastal and Marine Protected Areas
• Project Design and Evaluation
• Public Issues and Conflict Management
www.csc.noaa.gov/bins/resources/training.html

Pennsylvania

Coastal Elevation Mapping

The Center works with state and local officials and the private sector to collect and distribute high-resolution topographic and bathymetric data sets, including new light detection and ranging (lidar) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IfSAR) data. Data uses include the analysis of storm surge and storm inundation, and erosion and habitat mapping. In addition to data collection and distribution, the Center works with end users to expand the utility of these data.
www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/tcm/

Coastal Management Fellowship

The NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship matches postgraduate students with state coastal zone programs to work on two-year projects proposed by the state. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Office for River Basin Cooperation, has hosted one fellow:

• 2001 to 2003: To develop a comprehensive exotic aquatic species program and fish consumption education initiative.
www.csc.noaa.gov/cms/fellows.html

Coastal Services Magazine

This bimonthly trade publication focuses on efforts by local, state, and nonprofit organizations to address coastal issues. Recent articles featuring programs in Pennsylvania include

• Federal Consistency Helps Pennsylvania Restore Sand to the Shoreline – November/December 2000
• Coastal Management Money Helps Protect Farms, Prevent Sprawl in Pennsylvania – January/February 2002
• Pennsylvania Puts Eyes in the Sky to Detect Violations – September/October 2003
• Technically Perfect Project in Pennsylvania Challenged by Public Reaction – September/October 2005
www.csc.noaa.gov/magazine/

Land Cover Mapping

Nothing provides a big picture view of land cover status better than these maps, which are developed using remote sensing technology. The Center has baseline land cover data for most of the coastal zone. The goal is to update the imagery every five years to also provide a means of detecting change or trends.
www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/lca/ccap.html

Training

The Center provides training to the coastal resource managers of the nation in three focus areas: geospatial technology, coastal management, and building process skills. Training can take place at the Center’s training facility for some courses but most often is taken to coastal managers in the field. Recent courses delivered to programs in Pennsylvania include

• Project Design and Evaluation
• Public Issues and Conflict Management
• Remote Sensing for Spatial Analysts
www.csc.noaa.gov/bins/resources/training.html

Virginia

Coastal Elevation Mapping

The Center works with state and local officials and the private sector to collect and distribute high-resolution topographic and bathymetric data sets, including new light detection and ranging (lidar) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IfSAR) data. Data uses include the analysis of storm surge and storm inundation, and erosion and habitat mapping. In addition to data collection and distribution, the Center works with end users to expand the utility of these data.
www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/tcm/

Coastal Management Fellowship

The NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship matches postgraduate students with state coastal zone programs to work on two-year projects proposed by the state. The Virginia Coastal Program has hosted one fellow:

• 2006 to 2008: To create a searchable on-line resource to improve public access to coastal zone information and encourage nature-based tourism.
www.csc.noaa.gov/cms/fellows.html

Coastal Services Magazine

This bimonthly trade publication focuses on efforts by local, state, and nonprofit organizations to address coastal issues. Recent articles featuring programs in Virginia include

• Using Science to Create Dune and Beach Protection Policy in Virginia - Jan/Feb 2009
• Keeping the Faith: Using the Bible as the Basis for Environmental Stewardship in Virginia – November/December 2000
• Virginia Revives Its Heritage through Oysters – November/December 2001
• Virginia Research Project Takes Managers to the Source – July/August 2004
• Social Marketing: Selling Behavior Change around the Chesapeake Bay – March/April 2007
www.csc.noaa.gov/magazine/

Integrated Ocean Observing System Applications

The Center is working with data providers to ensure that ocean data are available and useful to the widest possible audience. For the Mid-Atlantic, the Center has developed the Chesapeake Bay Oyster Larvae Tracker (CBOLT) using ocean observing system data, which gives scientists the ability to predict larvae distribution for a user-specified period of time. This information helps users estimate and visualize location and mortality rate for a released larval stock.
www.csc.noaa.gov/cbolt/

Land Cover Mapping

Nothing provides a big picture view of land cover status better than these maps, which are developed using remote sensing technology. The Center has baseline land cover data for most of the coastal zone. The goal is to update the imagery every five years to provide a means of detecting change or trends. Land cover and land cover change data were produced for the U.S. Northeast region using 30-meter resolution satellite imagery. Mapping is available for New York, Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland for 1996, 2001, and 2005, and for Northern Pennsylvania for 1996 for 2001.
www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/lca/ccap.html

NOAA Fisheries’ Community-Based Restoration Program and Cooperative Habitat Protection Program

The common goal of these two programs is to help practitioners and coastal managers implement ecosystem-based management practices to increase the number of habitat acres restored or conserved. The Center has particular expertise in the planning aspects. Current efforts for this project involve developing information resources and tools that improve and enhance shoreline restoration and protection in the Chesapeake Bay.

Topographic and Bathymetric Applications

The Center provides information about the availability of topographic and bathymetric data sets and assists coastal managers in working with these sets—particularly in relation to storm surge and inundation modeling. The current focus of this project is on developing a data inventory for Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia and guidance documents describing the coastal management applications of topography and bathymetry.
www.csc.noaa.gov/topobathy/

Training

The Center provides training to the coastal resource managers of the nation in three focus areas: geospatial technology, coastal management, and building process skills. Training can take place at the Center’s training facility for some courses but most often is taken to coastal managers in the field. Recent courses delivered to programs in Virginia include

• Introduction to ArcGIS
• Coastal Applications of ArcGIS
• Remote Sensing for Spatial Analysts
www.csc.noaa.gov/bins/resources/training.html