Oceanographer Davina Passeri participates in a virtual panel discussion on coastal resilience

The Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions at St. Petersburg College (SPC) hosted a virtual panel discussion about coastal resilience. The topic was based on a recent PBS documentary called “Sinking Cities – Miami” and focused on coastal resilience in response to sea level rise. The discussion was led by Patrick Luce, SPC Adjunct Professor of Economics; Christian Moriarty, SPC Professor of Ethics and Law and Academic Chair of the Applied Ethics Institute; and Dr. Davina Passeri, Research Oceanographer at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center. Davina emphasized that the coast is not a bathtub and will not simply inundate under sea level rise. Rather, the effects of sea level rise will result in increased beach erosion, increased flooding from high tides and during storm events, and wetland loss. Restoration strategies for enhancing coastal resilience include moving away from hard structures like seawalls and jetties towards natural and nature-based features like living shorelines, beach nourishment and marsh restoration that can dampen wave energy, stabilize shorelines and reduce storm surge inundation.