Hoagland Porter

Last Name

Hoagland

First Name

Porter

ORCID

0000-0003-0744-4184

Full item page

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 20 of 57

Economic impact of the 2005 red tide event on commercial shellfish fisheries in New England

( 2007-10-04) Jin, Di ; Thunberg, Eric M. ; Hoagland, Porter

Over the last several decades, harmful algal bloom (HAB) events have been observed in more locations than ever before throughout the United States. The 2005 bloom of Alexandrium fundyense was the most widespread and intense in New England waters since a similar event more than three decades ago. In this study, using historical data from the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, and other sources, we develop estimates of the direct economic impacts of the 2005 event on commercial shellfish fisheries in Maine and Massachusetts. Results of our regression analyses suggest that the 2005 event had broad spatial and temporal effects on the shellfish market. In response to a supply shortage resulting from local closures, there was an increase in shellfish imports to New England during the red tide. Further, shellfish closures in Maine were the most likely cause of observable price changes on the Fulton Fish Market in New York.
The importance of human dimensions research in managing harmful algal blooms

(Ecological Society of America, 2009-02-10) Bauer, Marybeth ; Hoagland, Porter ; Leschine, Thomas M. ; Blount, Benjamin G. ; Pomeroy, Caroline M. ; Lampl, Linda L. ; Scherer, Clifford W. ; Ayres, Dan L. ; Tester, Patricia A. ; Sengco, Mario R. ; Sellner, Kevin G. ; Schumacker, Joe

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are natural freshwater and marine hazards that impose substantial adverse impacts on the human use of coastal and marine resources. The socioeconomic and health impacts of HABs can be considerable, thereby making a case for “human dimensions” research to support HAB response. Human dimensions research is multidisciplinary, integrating social science, humanities, and other fields with natural science to enhance resource management by addressing human causes, consequences, and responses to coastal environmental problems. Case studies reported here illustrate the importance of human dimensions research. Incorporating such research into the scientific agenda – as well as into management decisions of public agencies concerned with natural resource management, environmental protection, and public health and welfare – requires the development of both strategic guidance and institutional capacity. The recent development of a multi-agency research strategy for HAB response and a strategic plan for human dimensions research represent two important steps in this direction.
Modeling the economic value of carbon sequestration by wetlands in the Delaware Estuary : historic estimates and future projections

( 2017-10-04) Carr, Edward W. ; Shirazi, Yosef ; Parsons, George R. ; Hoagland, Porter ; Sommerfield, Christopher K.

Coastal wetlands sequester large amounts of carbon in their soils, effectively removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and acting as a carbon sink. In this paper, we estimate the economic value of carbon sequestered by wetlands in the Delaware Estuary. We estimate the value of the current stock of wetlands, the value of the historic loss of wetlands, and under a range of different scenarios the expected future loss. We use historical topographic maps and Land Cover inventories of the Delaware Estuary to measure the acreage of tidal wetlands in nine distinct time periods from 1778 to 2011. Using these data, we estimate an annual rate of wetland loss of 1.03km2. Coupling observed land cover change with exogenous factors including sea-level rise, population pressure, and channel dredging, we estimate changes in tidal wetland area under a range of future scenarios for our expected future economic loss estimates.
Public opinion and the environmental, economic and aesthetic impacts of offshore wind

( 2015-11) Bush, Drew ; Hoagland, Porter

During ten-plus years of debate over the proposed Cape Wind facility off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the public’s understanding of its environmental, economic, and visual impacts matured. Tradeoffs also have become apparent to scientists and decision-makers during two environmental impact statement reviews and other stakeholder processes. Our research aims to show how residents’ opinions changed during the debate over this first-of-its-kind project in relation to understandings of project impacts. Our methods included an examination of public opinion polls and the refereed literature that traces public attitudes and knowledge about Cape Wind. Next we conducted expert elicitations to compare trends with the level of understanding held by small groups of scientists and Cape Cod stakeholders. Our review found that Massachusetts residents became more supportive of the project while our research demonstrated the gap between scientific and lay knowledge diminished late in the debate. To facilitate planning for other offshore energy projects, we recommend steps to move the public to an informed position more quickly.
Development of an integrated economic and ecological framework for ecosystem-based fisheries management in New England

( 2012-10) Jin, Di ; Hoagland, Porter ; Dalton, Tracey M. ; Thunberg, Eric M.

We present an integrated economic-ecological framework designed to help assess the implementation of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) in New England. We develop the framework by linking a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model of a coastal economy to an end-to-end (E2E) model of a marine food web for Georges Bank. We focus on the New England region using coastal county economic data for a restricted set of industry sectors and marine ecological data for three top level trophic feeding guilds: planktivores, benthivores, and piscivores. We undertake numerical simulations to model the welfare effects of changes in alternative combinations of yields from feeding guilds and alternative manifestations of biological productivity. We estimate the economic and distributional effects of these alternative simulations across a range of consumer income levels. This framework could be used to extend existing methodologies for assessing the impacts on human communities of groundfish stock rebuilding strategies, such as those expected through the implementation of the sector management program in the US northeast fishery. We discuss other possible applications of and modifications and limitations to the framework.
A review of legal and policy constraints to aquaculture in the US northeast

(Northeastern Regional Aquaculture Region, 2003-09) Duff, John A. ; Getchis, Tessa S. ; Hoagland, Porter

Throughout the northeastern United States, aquaculture operators face a wide variety of laws and regulations that govern the manner in which they plan, site, and operate aquaculture facilities. Many local, state, and federal laws and regulations have been designed to enable aquaculture to exist as a viable industry and to flourish. It is obvious that aquaculture cannot be conducted in the absence of a legal system that establishes property rights, provides a means for the enforcement of these rights, and ensures the safety of the product for consumers. Although a legal framework is necessary for aquaculture to exist as an industry, there are many instances where uninformed, outdated, or inappropriate regulatory regimes impede aquaculture development (DoC 1999; MCZM 1995; Ewart et al. 1995; Rychlak and Peel 1993; Bye 1990; DeVoe and Mount 1989; Kennedy and Breisch 1983; NRC 1978). Inconsistencies in the law can lead to an uncertain legal environment for aquaculturists.1 Regulators are put in the conflicting position of promoting the development of the industry and regulating its effect on other uses of the land and sea (DeVoe 1999; NRC 1992). Operators are sometimes forced to undertake activities while lacking adequate information or a complete understanding of laws and regulations. Conflicts and concerns often may be left unresolved until an issue is brought before an adjudicatory body. Legal constraints such as these detract from the stability and certainty that otherwise would facilitate sustainable aquaculture development, slowing or halting the growth of the industry, or perhaps even leading to its decline. Such constraints make the statements quoted above as true today as they were 35 years ago. Policies that both facilitate and constrain aquaculture have been reviewed by a number of commentators (McCoy 2000; Brennan 1999; Barr 1997; Reiser and Bunsick 1999; Reiser 1997; Hopkins et al. 1997; Rychlak and Peel 1993; Eichenberg and Vestal 1992; Wildsmith 1982; Kane 1970). In 1981, the US Fish and Wildlife Service sponsored a comprehensive review of aquaculture regulation across the nation (the “Aspen Report”). The report’s authors identified at least 120 federal laws that, at that time, either directly (50 laws) or indirectly (70 laws) affected aquaculture. Further, the authors found more than 1,200 statutes regulating aquaculture in 32 states (ASC 1981). An important finding of the Aspen Report was that aquaculture businesses must obtain at least 30 permits, on average, in order to site and operate their businesses. McCoy (2000) concludes from his review of the Aspen Report and other studies that aquaculture may be the most highly regulated industry in America.2 In its responses to periodic surveys of constraining factors, the industry seems to agree with McCoy by consistently ranking legal and regulatory constraints near the top of the list of factors. Wypyszinszki et al. (1992) begin to assemble the body of law relating to marine aquaculture in the US Northeast, although their work remains unfinished due to insufficient resources. A number of excellent analyses emerged from that effort, including a study of the public trust doctrine by Eichenberg and Vestal (1992) and a study of “reverse regulation” of the oyster industry in Long Island Sound.3 Here we examine a range of aquaculture policies in an effort to identify those laws and regulations that may impede development unnecessarily within the northeastern United States. Through a survey of industry and government officials and a review of the literature, we find that specific laws and policies or the absence of laws and policies can be argued to impose constraints on growth in certain segments of the industry.
Scaling the benefits of and risks to the ecosystem services of the midwater

( 2018-09) Jin, Di ; Hoagland, Porter

The midwater is renowned for its unusual life forms, including 13 species of bristlemouths, which are thought to be the most numerous vertebrates on earth. Irigoien et al. (2014) have raised the median estimate of midwater fish biomass by an order of magnitude to ~11x109T. Some observers have suggested that these fish constitute an enormous potential source of pro-tein that literally could “feed the world.” Diel vertical migrations of zooplankton lead to the consumption of epipelagic phytoplankton, and the zooplankton, in turn, are consumed by the midwater’s fish. This ecological cycle comprises a central element of a biological “carbon pump” that leads eventually to the very long-term sequestration of carbon on the deep seabed. While the net amounts of carbon sequestered in this way are highly uncertain, estimates range between 4-12x109T annually. In April 2018, a formal international conference will initiate work on a new Framework Con-vention under the law of the sea, focusing on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (the so-called BBNJ Convention). De-spite a growing recognition by marine scientists of the importance of the midwater, its ecosys-tem services have been essentially ignored during these discussions. Here, we report on ap-proaches to estimating the scales of the economic values of the midwater’s ecosystem services and the nature of anthropogenic risks to those services. An ultimate objective of this research is to strengthen the links between marine science and the emerging international discussions over the conservation of the biodiversity of the high seas. This poster was presented at the ICES Annual Science Conference 2018, "Theme Session A: Mesopelagic ecosystems: fish and invertebrate population biomass and biodiversity, and role in carbon flux," and it is identified in this Theme Session report: https://www.ices.dk/news-and-events/asc/asc2018/Documents/Session%20Reports/Theme%20session_A_report_onlineready.pdf
Supply-side approaches to the economic valuation of coastal and marine habitat in the Red Sea

(Elsevier, 2013-03-07) Hoagland, Porter ; Kite-Powell, Hauke L. ; Jin, Di ; Solow, Andrew R.

The degradation of natural fish habitat in the ocean implies lost economic benefits. These value losses often are not measured or anticipated fully, and therefore they are mainly ignored in decisions to develop the coast for industrial or residential purposes. In such circumstances, the ocean habitat and its associated ecosystem are treated as if they are worthless. Measures of actual or potential economic values generated by fisheries in commercial markets can be used to assess a conservative (lower-bound) value of ocean habitat. With this information, one can begin to compare the values of coastal developments to the values of foregone ocean habitat in order to help understand whether development would be justified economically. In this paper, we focus on the economic value associated with the harvesting of commercial fish stocks as a relevant case for the Saudi Arabian portion of the Red Sea. We describe first the conceptual basis behind supply-side approaches to economic valuation. Next we review the literature on the use of these methods for valuing ocean habitat. We provide an example based on recent research assessing the bioeconomic status of the traditional fisheries of the Red Sea in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). We estimate the economic value of ecosystem services provided by the KSA Red Sea coral reefs, finding that annual per-unit values supporting the traditional fisheries only are on the order of $7000/km2. Finally, we develop some recommendations for refining future applications of these methods to the Red Sea environment and for further research.
The value of scientific research on the ocean's biological carbon pump

(Elsevier, 2020-08-01) Jin, Di ; Hoagland, Porter ; Buesseler, Ken O.

The ocean's biological carbon pump (BCP) sequesters carbon from the surface to the deep ocean and seabed, constituting one of Earth's most valuable ecosystem services. Significant uncertainty exists surrounding the amounts and rates of organic carbon sequestered in the oceans, however. With improved understanding of BCP sequestration, especially its scale, world policymakers would be positioned to make more informed decisions regarding the mitigation of carbon emissions. Here, an analytical model of the economic effects of global carbon emissions—including scientific uncertainty about BCP sequestration—was developed to estimate the value of marine scientific research concerning sequestration. The discounted net economic benefit of a putative 20-year scientific research program to narrow the range of uncertainty around the amount of carbon sequestered in the ocean is on the order of $0.5 trillion (USD), depending upon the accuracy of predictions, the convexities of climate damage and economic output functions, and the initial range of uncertainty.
Applying portfolio management to implement Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM)

( 2016-05-19) Jin, Di ; DePiper, Geret ; Hoagland, Porter

Portfolio management has been suggested as a tool to help implement ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM). The portfolio approach involves the application of financial portfolio theory to multispecies fishery management to account for species interdependencies, uncertainty, and sustainability constraints. By considering covariance among species, this approach allows economic risks and returns to be calculated across varying combinations of stock sizes. Tradeoffs between expected aggregate returns and portfolio risk can thus be assessed. We develop a procedure for constructing portfolio models to help implement EBFM in the northeastern United States, using harvest data from the National Marine Fisheries Service. Extending the work of Sanchirico et al. (2008), we propose a measure of excessive risk taking, which may be used by managers to monitor signals of non-optimal harvests. In addition, we conduct portfolio assessments of historical commercial fishing performance at different accounting stances: the large marine ecosystem, the New England region, and the community (fishing ports). We show that portfolio analysis could inform management at each level. Results of the study suggest that excessive risk taking is associated with overfishing, and risk management is therefore important for ensuring sustainability.
The value of harmful algal bloom predictions to the nearshore commercial shellfish fishery in the Gulf of Maine

( 2008-05-01) Jin, Di ; Hoagland, Porter

In this study, we develop a framework for measuring the value of harmful algal bloom (HAB) predictions. The framework captures the effects of both private and public responses to HABs. Using data from the New England nearshore commercial shellfish fishery and impact estimates for a large-scale HAB event in 2005, we illustrate how the potential value of HAB forecasts may be estimated. The results of our study suggest that the long-term value of a HAB prediction and tracking system for the Gulf of Maine is sensitive to the frequency of HAB events, the accuracy of predictions, the choice of HAB impact measures, and the effectiveness of public and private responses.
Biological assessment for a blue mussel ocean aquaculture experiment in Rhode Island Sound

(Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1998-04) Hoagland, Porter ; Kite-Powell, Hauke L. ; Paul, Walter ; Hampson, George R.

This report assesses the potential biological impacts on certain protected species of the deployment of a longline for growing blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) in Rhode Island Sound. The proposed project is a scientific research experiment designed to test the feasibility of offshore aquaculture from engineering, biological, and economic perspectives. The proposed project is small in scale, limited in duration, and located in an area of the ocean that is known to be only a minor, nonessential habitat for the protected species of concern. Of crucial significance to the relevant protected species and to the project, the project's geographic location is not believed to be critical habitat in even the broadest sense of the term. The project does not involve feeding mussels or treating the mussels with any type of pharmaceuticals. The project relies upon a set of spat from naturally occurring stocks in the region. As a result, the project principal investigators believe that the potential for adverse effects on individuals or stocks of protected species or on their environment is extremely small.
The ecosystem services of the ocean's twilight zone

( 2019-01-30) Hoagland, Porter

The mesopelagic, or the “ocean’s twilight zone” (OTZ), occurring at depths between 200-1000m, is renowned for its unusual life forms, including 13 species of bristlemouths, which are thought to be the most numerous vertebrates on earth. Irigoien et al. (2014) have raised the median estimates of OTZ fish biomass by an order of magnitude to ~11-16 Bt, although much uncertainty surrounds this estimate (7-214 Bt). OTZ fish help support stocks of apex predators, including marine mammals and commercially important fish and cephalopods, and some observers have suggested that they could constitute an enormous potential source of protein for human consumption per se. Diel vertical migrations of zooplankton, fish, squids, jellies, salps, and other organisms comprise a “biological carbon pump” that may facilitate the very long-term sequestration of carbon in deep waters or on the seabed. The net amounts of carbon sequestered in the ocean are also highly uncertain, with estimates ranging between 4-12 Bt annually. The OTZ can be conceptualized as a stock of differentiated natural capital, subject to capital gains or losses, that may yield flows of benefits, termed “ecosystem services.” Here, approaches developed through the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment are utilized as an organizing framework for beginning to assess and evaluate OTZ ecosystem services. Understanding the benefits associated with these services is central to gauging the opportunity costs of activities that might diminish those benefits, such as unregulated fishery exploitation or the effects associated with climate changes in the ocean, including warming, acidification, decreased dissolved oxygen levels, or shifts in biological diversity. Such an understanding is foundational for conserving the OTZ in a sustainable way. The potential relevance of OTZ scientific research to contemporary developments in the international law of the high seas is discussed as well.
CHANS : Florida red tides and coastal populations as a coupled nature-human system

( 2013-10-28) Hoagland, Porter ; Kirkpatrick, Barbara ; Kirkpatrick, Gary ; Hitchcock, Gary ; Kohler, Kate ; Lovko, Vince ; Ullmann, Steven G. ; Reich, Andrew ; Fleming, Lora E.

Coupled nature-human (CNH) systems are now the focus of a growing number of inter-disciplinary research programs worldwide. As implied by the term “coupled,” these systems in-volve interactions between humans and nature, often affecting the dynamic characteristics of each component. Both natural and social scientists are engaged in developing a deeper un-derstanding of these dynamics, focusing on the linkages and feedbacks affecting the trajectories of coupled system behavior. Several researchers have begun to identify the generic aspects of nature-human couplings. Many of these aspects have been adapted from the field of ecology, where the dynamic characteristics of ecological systems have been studied for decades. These aspects include system heterogeneity, time lags, reciprocal feedbacks, thresholds, surprises, legacies, and resilience. The presence of such aspects has implications for the stability and persistence of particular ecosystem states, leading potentially to further implications for human heath and welfare. This talk reviews a specific type of natural hazard-human coupling that relates to coastal blooms of toxic marine algae, drawing examples primarily from human interactions with blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia brevis from the eastern Gulf of Mexico. This talk introduces a set of HAB Symposium “speed” presentations relating to different aspects of an ongoing multi-institutional and inter-disciplinary research project that examines Florida red tides as a type of CNH system. We present examples of the generic aspects of CNH systems in the context of Florida red tides, and we discuss also some of the challenges involved in compiling relevant data to support our analytical efforts.
Changes in work habits of lifeguards in relation to Florida red tide

( 2010-06-15) Nierenberg, Kate ; Kirner, Karen ; Hoagland, Porter ; Ullmann, Steven G. ; LeBlanc, William G. ; Kirkpatrick, Gary ; Fleming, Lora E. ; Kirkpatrick, Barbara

The marine dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis, is responsible for Florida red tides. Brevetoxins, the neurotoxins produced by K. brevis blooms, can cause fish kills, contaminate shellfish, and lead to respiratory illness in humans. Although several studies have assessed different economic impacts from Florida red tide blooms, no studies to date have considered the impact on beach lifeguard work performance. Sarasota County experiences frequent Florida red tides and staffs lifeguards at its beaches 365 days a year. This study examined lifeguard attendance records during the time periods of March 1 to September 30 in 2004 (no bloom) and March 1 to September 30 in 2005 (bloom). The lifeguard attendance data demonstrated statistically significant absenteeism during a Florida red tide bloom. The potential economic costs resulting from red tide blooms were comprised of both lifeguard absenteeism and presenteeism. Our estimate of the costs of absenteeism due to the 2005 red tide in Sarasota County is about $3,000. On average, the capitalized costs of lifeguard absenteeism in Sarasota County may be on the order of $100,000 at Sarasota County beaches alone. When surveyed, lifeguards reported not only that they experienced adverse health effects of exposure to Florida red tide but also that their attentiveness and abilities to take preventative actions decrease when they worked during a bloom, implying presenteeism effects. The costs of presenteeism, which imply increased risks to beachgoers, arguably could exceed those of absenteeism by an order of magnitude. Due to the lack of data, however, we are unable to provide credible estimates of the costs of presenteeism or the potential increased risks to bathers.
Risk averse choices of managed beach widths under environmental uncertainty

(Wiley, 2021-07-26) Jin, Di ; Hoagland, Porter ; Ashton, Andrew D.

Applying a theoretical geo-economic approach, we examined key factors affecting decisions about the choice of beach width when eroded coastal beaches are being nourished (i.e., when fill is placed to widen a beach). Within this geo-economic framework, optimal beach width is positively related to its values for hazard protection and recreation and negatively related to nourishment costs and the discount rate. Using a dynamic modeling framework, we investigated the time paths of beach width and nourishment that maximized net present value under an accelerating sea level. We then analyzed how environmental uncertainty about expected future beach width, arising from natural shoreline dynamics, intermittent large storms, or sea-level rise, leads to economic choices favoring narrower beaches. Risk aversion can affect a coastal property owner's choice of beach width in contradictory ways: the expected benefits of hazard protection must be balanced against the expected costs of repeated nourishment actions.
Lessening the hazards of Florida red tides: a common sense approach

(Frontiers Media, 2020-07-09) Hoagland, Porter ; Kirkpatrick, Barbara ; Jin, Di ; Kirkpatrick, Gary ; Fleming, Lora E. ; Ullmann, Steven G. ; Beet, Andrew R. ; Hitchcock, Gary ; Harrison, Kate K. ; Li, Zongchao C. ; Garrison, Bruce ; Diaz, Roberto E. ; Lovko, Vince

In the Gulf of Mexico, especially along the southwest Florida coast, blooms of the dinoflagellate Karenia brevis are a coastal natural hazard. The organism produces a potent class of toxins, known as brevetoxins, which are released following cell lysis into ocean or estuarine waters or, upon aerosolization, into the atmosphere. When exposed to sufficient levels of brevetoxins, humans may suffer from respiratory, gastrointestinal, or neurological illnesses. The hazard has been exacerbated by the geometric growth of human populations, including both residents and tourists, along Florida’s southwest coast. Impacts to marine organisms or ecosystems also may occur, such as fish kills or deaths of protected mammals, turtles, or birds. Since the occurrence of a severe Karenia brevis bloom off the southwest Florida coast three-quarters of a century ago, there has been an ongoing debate about the best way for humans to mitigate the impacts of this hazard. Because of the importance of tourism to coastal Florida, there are incentives for businesses and governments alike to obfuscate descriptions of these blooms, leading to the social amplification of risk. We argue that policies to improve the public’s ability to understand the physical attributes of blooms, specifically risk communication policies, are to be preferred over physical, chemical, or biological controls. In particular, we argue that responses to this type of hazard must emphasize maintaining the continuity of programs of scientific research, environmental monitoring, public education, and notification. We propose a common-sense approach to risk communication, comprising a simplification of the public provision of existing sources of information to be made available on a mobile website.
Equitable allocations in northern fisheries: bridging the divide for Labrador Inuit

(Frontiers Media, 2021-02-18) Kourantidou, Melina ; Hoagland, Porter ; Dale, Aaron ; Bailey, Megan

Canada has undertaken commitments to recognize the rights of Indigenous Peoples in fisheries through policies and agreements, including Integrated Fishery Management Plans, the Reconciliation Strategy, and Land Claim Agreements (LCAs). In addition to recognizing rights, these commitments were intended to respect geographic adjacency principles, to enhance the economic viability of Indigenous communities, and to be reflective of community dependence on marine resources. We examined the determinants of quota allocations in commercial fisheries involving Nunatsiavut, Northern Labrador, the first self-governing region for the Inuit peoples in Canada. It has been argued that current fishery allocations for Nunatsiavut Inuit have not satisfied federal commitments to recognize Indigenous rights. Indicators that measure equity in commercial allocations for the turbot or Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) and northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) fisheries were identified and assessed. In these two cases, historical allocations continue to predominate for allocations based upon equity or other social or economic considerations. We illustrate equity-enhancing changes in the quota distribution under scenarios of different levels of inequality aversion, and we make qualitative assessments of the effects of these allocations to Nunatsiavut for socioeconomic welfare. This approach could benefit fisheries governance in Northern Labrador, where federal commitments to equity objectives continue to be endorsed but have not yet been integrated fully into quota allocations.
Institutional barriers to coastal resilience

( 2017-06-23) Hoagland, Porter

Many US coastal communities have experienced decades of expanding population growth, in-volving the construction of private residences, businesses, and public infrastructures in near-coast areas. In the United States, counties directly on the shoreline account for more than 126 million people or 39 percent of the nation’s population. Coasts are marked by a concentration of not only population but also of wealth: the income per capita of US coastal counties is more than eight times that of inland counties. Coastal communities depend on coastal natural and human capital for businesses, livelihoods, and flows of market-based and nonmarket ecosystem services. In the face of these demographic trends, coastal communities and their citizens face increasingly urgent challenges concerning how they should respond to natural hazards. Residents and property owners immediately on the coast have become exposed increasingly to tidal flooding and other hazards arising from so-called “king tides” (perihelic-perigean spring tides), storm events, including surges, and shoreline change, especially erosion. These hazards are exacerbated further by rising sea levels due to climate change. Where manmade capital is perceived to be at risk from coastal hazards, humans have responded typically by replenishing beaches or by building hard structural protections, such as seawalls, to protect their communities and properties. Often, these solutions are only temporary or they may lead to external effects, such as accelerated erosion down-drift of structures, unexpected property damages when structures are overtopped or fail, or losses of environmental amenities due to unexpected and unintended shoreline changes. Citizens, coastal residents, businesses, environmentalists, and politicians alike point to factors contributing to “community resilience” as remedies to the problems of coastal hazards. The term has become a catchword, something that every person, thing, or system apparently needs to survive and flourish. Nevertheless, a lot of vagueness persists in both the extant literature and the vernacular about resilience and its related concept, vulnerability. NOAA’s National Ocean Service defines “coastal resilience” as the ability of a community to “bounce back” after experiencing a natural hazard. While the idea of “bouncing back” makes intuitive sense, nowhere in the NOS definition is there a description of how a community can be understood to have bounced back. The only general criterion is that a short-term hazard should not become a long-term, presumably more serious one. In other words, there is no explicit metric to which a community might refer in order to determine whether bouncing back has taken place. Further, the absence of such a metric begs the question of how one would know what factors contribute to resilience and to what degree. This presentation explores the issue of resilience in the context of shoreline change in coastal Massachusetts.
Linking the oceans to public health : current efforts and future directions

(BioMed Central, 2008-11-07) Kite-Powell, Hauke L. ; Fleming, Lora E. ; Backer, Lorraine C. ; Faustman, Elaine M. ; Hoagland, Porter ; Tsuchiya, Ami ; Younglove, Lisa R. ; Wilcox, Bruce A. ; Gast, Rebecca J.

We review the major linkages between the oceans and public health, focusing on exposures and potential health effects due to anthropogenic and natural factors including: harmful algal blooms, microbes, and chemical pollutants in the oceans; consumption of seafood; and flooding events. We summarize briefly the current state of knowledge about public health effects and their economic consequences; and we discuss priorities for future research. We find that: • There are numerous connections between the oceans, human activities, and human health that result in both positive and negative exposures and health effects (risks and benefits); and the study of these connections comprises a new interdisciplinary area, "oceans and human health." • The state of present knowledge about the linkages between oceans and public health varies. Some risks, such as the acute health effects caused by toxins associated with shellfish poisoning and red tide, are relatively well understood. Other risks, such as those posed by chronic exposure to many anthropogenic chemicals, pathogens, and naturally occurring toxins in coastal waters, are less well quantified. Even where there is a good understanding of the mechanism for health effects, good epidemiological data are often lacking. Solid data on economic and social consequences of these linkages are also lacking in most cases. • The design of management measures to address these risks must take into account the complexities of human response to warnings and other guidance, and the economic tradeoffs among different risks and benefits. Future research in oceans and human health to address public health risks associated with marine pathogens and toxins, and with marine dimensions of global change, should include epidemiological, behavioral, and economic components to ensure that resulting management measures incorporate effective economic and risk/benefit tradeoffs.

Hoagland Porter

Last Name

First Name

ORCID

Filters

Author

Subject

Date

Type

Has files

Settings

Sort By

Results per page

Search Results