Climate Change Vulnerabilities in the Coastal Mid-Atlantic Region
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO) has identified increased understanding of the possible effects of climate change on the socio-economic assets and systems of the region as a priority need. This is based both on recent experience studying climate change and concern for the economic values that have been placed at risk. Changes in ocean temperatures and chemistry are already affecting fisheries, while the critical marine transportation facilities of the region must now address concerns about sea level rise in addition to shifting global transportation markets. New research is showing that coastal and ocean ecosystems are already changing along with the services they provide to people, and millions of people in hundreds of thousands of homes are threatened by increases in the areas subject to flooding from oceans and estuaries as well as the depth and frequency of flooding.