{"id":5338,"date":"2016-03-04T16:07:23","date_gmt":"2016-03-04T21:07:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/?page_id=5338"},"modified":"2017-04-18T15:01:47","modified_gmt":"2017-04-18T19:01:47","slug":"string-of-sentries","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/previous-issues\/2016-2\/winter-2016\/string-of-sentries\/","title":{"rendered":"STRING OF SENTRIES: SENTINELS FORM A NETWORK OF EYES ON THE COAST"},"content":{"rendered":"

By AMANDA PHELPS, NOAA Sentinel Site Program<\/h3>\n

Download PDF here<\/a><\/h4>\n
\"Sentinel

The five cooperatives in the Sentinel Site Program help foster collaboration and knowledge sharing among members and partners. Download the PDF here<\/a>. Photo courtesy NOAA Sentinel Site Program.<\/p><\/div>\n

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. That classic saying is the basis of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration\u2019s Sentinel Site Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Along the nation\u2019s coasts, NOAA strives to help coastal communities and critical habitats become more resilient to the effects of sea-level rise and changing coastal flooding patterns. By collecting and sharing a wide variety of environmental observations \u2014 and developing models and tools to understand and predict changes taking place along the coasts \u2014 NOAA is enabling coastal decision makers to apply science in their adaptation and mitigation plans.<\/p>\n

NOAA\u2019s National Ocean Service<\/a>, or NOS, created the Sentinel Site Program in 2011. This collaborative effort focuses a wide range of science, service and stewardship activities to address specific issues in specific places. The program brings together partners from many scientific and management disciplines.<\/p>\n

The program has focused on quantifying impacts of coastal flooding and sea-level rise, and applying science-based solutions to coastal regions.<\/p>\n

Sea-level rise and coastal inundation are global issues, but their effects in communities are unique because sea levels are changing at different rates in different places. The impacts are best addressed at the local level \u2014 using local forecasts, land-elevation and water-level data, and local information about the people and resources in affected areas.<\/p>\n

Other cooperatives focusing on challenges such as ocean acidification, water quality or marine debris have been envisioned for the future.<\/p>\n

Sentinel sites are located in coastal environments that can support intensive study and sustained observations to detect \u2014 and understand \u2014 physical and biological changes. Cooperatives are the collection of agencies and people that are working toward understanding and addressing the impacts from sea-level rise and coastal flooding, and helping to apply the lessons learned within the sentinel sites to broader areas.<\/p>\n

There are five cooperatives: North Carolina, Chesapeake Bay, Northern Gulf of Mexico, the Hawaiian Islands and San Francisco Bay. Each cooperative can address its locality\u2019s unique assets, geography and concerns. The network structure of the program fosters collaboration and knowledge sharing among the cooperatives.<\/p>\n

They allow NOAA to make efficient use of its assets \u2014 human and geographic \u2014 and those of partner organizations to develop management plans that protect, build, and enhance coastal communities and ecosystems.<\/p>\n

Each cooperative was selected using factors such as:<\/p>\n