The Northeast Region will work to establish Capability Teams for integrating research and monitoring capabilities to address key environmental issues of societal concern. Three Capability Teams (CTs) will be developed in the Northeast Region (initially): Coastal Science, Urban Landscapes, and Flood Science.
The Northeastern United States is the nation’s most densely populated, culturally diverse, and economically developed region within the country. It is also the second most urban region in the United States, with 85 percent of its population residing in urban areas. Coastline sections of northeastern states are the most densely populated in the country, and, as of 2008, five of these states (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut) had the densest coastline populations of all coastline states. Given such demographics, people living in the Northeast are faced with many challenges resulting from urbanization, flooding, and coastal changes related to a changing and more variable planet.
With that in mind, the first three NER Capability Teams that were initially implemented focus on: Urban Landscapes, Flood Science, and Coastal Science.
Since their inception, Capability Teams have generated a lot of synergy and enthusiasm among their members. Some of the CTs have included scientists from other USGS Regions as part of their efforts to share ideas, resources, and technology where appropriate. Additionally, some of the CTs have invited other Federal agencies to join topical calls in an effort to better understanding the science needs of those agencies USGS might collaborate in meeting those needs. The USGS Northeast Region plans to implement additional thematic Capability Teams in the future.
