Abstract
Climate change is increasingly threatening coastal communities around the world. This article reviews the literature on climate change impacts and adaptation in the Chesapeake Bay region (USA). We reviewed both climate impacts and adaptation literature (n = 283) published in the period 2007–2018 to answer the questions: (i) how are indicators of climate impacts measured and reported by different types of authors (e.g., scientists, government, and NGOs), document types (e.g., academic articles or reports), and geographic focus (e.g., State, region, county, or municipal level)? (ii) what are the current approaches for measuring the most pressing climate impacts in the Chesapeake Bay? We found that scientists produce the most amount of data but are increasingly shifting towards engaging with practitioners through reports and online resources. Most indicators focus on the Chesapeake Bay scale, but data is most needed at the local level where adaptive policies are implemented. Our analysis shows emerging approaches to monitoring climate hazards and areas where synergies between types of authors are likely to increase resilience in the 21st century. This review expands the understanding of the information network in the Chesapeake Bay and explores the institutional landscape of stakeholders involved in the production and consumption of environmental and social change data. The analysis and insights of this review may be extended to similar regions around the planet experiencing or anticipating similar climate hazards to the Chesapeake Bay.
Highlights
Anthropogenic climate change is a threat to the livelihood of humans and the sustainability of our civilization into the future [1]
We chose to focus on the state of Maryland because of its historical track record of adopting policy and promoting collaborations to combat climate change, its wealth of information on climate-related hazards, and because it exemplifies specific challenges faced by large coastal regions impacted by coastal-specific climate hazards (e.g., sea-level rise (SLR), coastal ecosystem changes, and stormwater management in a mostly agricultural watershed)
Anthropogenic climate change is already affecting the livelihood of humans around the world by driving changes to the ocean and land ecosystems we depend on [2]
Summary
Anthropogenic climate change is a threat to the livelihood of humans and the sustainability of our civilization into the future [1]. There has been an increase in the scientific and management information on climate change in the last decade but progress in the adaptation space remains a challenge for many communities and local governments [12]. This report reviews the literature on climate adaptation indicators from 2007–2018 with a geographic focus of the Chesapeake Bay (Maryland) in the United States. Responding to climate hazards and increasing local resilience requires the active participation of stakeholders across multiple levels of the state of Maryland’s government [13] and engagement of the local, scientific, and non-profit communities. We reviewed the available literature by multiple author types (local, county, state government, non-governmental research and outreach organizations, as well as scientific journal publications) in order to contribute to the understanding of climate adaptation science and practice to this date. The findings and conclusions of this review article are meant to advance the understanding of climate adaptation and resilience in the State of Maryland and add to the development of a holistic framework for climate resilience measurement across multiple regions
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
