Updating California’s Sea-Level Rise Guidance

In 2017, OST convened an Ocean Protection Council (OPC) Science Advisory Team Working Group to update California’s sea-level rise projections, which were presented in the Rising Seas in California report. The technical findings from the 2017 report were used by OPC as a basis to develop the 2018 Update of the State of California Sea-Level Rise Guidance (2018 policy document), which provided policy direction for state resource agencies to plan for future sea-level rise. In the 2018 policy document, OPC committed to updating this guidance every 5 years to keep pace with advancements in sea-level rise science. The next update to the State of California Sea-Level Rise Guidance is currently under development, which combines the scientific update on projected sea-level rise with pragmatic policy and planning guidance into a single report.

Since August 2022, OST has been convening an interdisciplinary and multi-institutional Task Force of scientific experts, policymakers, and boundary spanners to update California’s sea-level rise guidance based on recent scientific advancements. Specifically, the Task Force’s charge is to:

• Synthesize the best available and most recent sea-level rise science to update California’s current statewide sea-level rise and flooding projections; and
• Develop practical and pragmatic guidance and approaches for end users to use and incorporate updated projections in state and local planning efforts.

Susheel Adusumilli, University of California, San Diego
Patrick Barnard, United States Geological Survey
Daniel Cayan, University of California, San Diego
Laura Engeman, California Sea Grant & University of California, San Diego
Gary Griggs, University of California, Santa Cruz
Benjamin Hamlington, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Kristina Hill, University of California, Berkeley
Felix Landerer, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mark Merrifield, University of California, San Diego
Phil Thompson, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Jenn Eckerle, Ocean Protection Council
Justine Kimball, Ocean Protection Council
Ella McDougall, Ocean Protection Council

Liz Whiteman, Ocean Science Trust
Monica LeFlore, Ocean Science Trust
Dominique Kone, Ocean Science Trust