Our Earth is indeed a watery planet – nearly two-thirds of its surface is covered by water. And all but 3% of that water covers land submerged under the oceans. Our seas are the source of living and non-living resources that we rely on for food, recreation, protection from storms, energy and minerals, and so much more.

No group knows more about U.S. ports than the Washington, D.C.-based American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA). Perhaps the thorniest problem facing U.S. port authorities is how to pay for both the maintenance of existing infrastructure and the improvements to facilities both on the water and landside in the future. The following questions proffered by the AJOT were answered by the AAPA staff.

When community leaders in the town of Piermont, just north of New York City, ask residents, “How long do you want to live here?” the question is more than a personal one.

At the end of the day, everything about climate change is a choice. And among the most serious choices are the ones we’ll face are along our coasts.

Think you can't afford to live in a beach town? Think again. These are the most affordable beach towns where buyers can find plenty of bargains.

The slow, tedious process of coming to grips with reality.

The people and companies with money on the line tend to be less ideological about climate change.

The US Environmental Protection Agency issued new guidance on states’ certification authority under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act.

As many American states are making the push to use more renewable energy sources, engineers in one of the country's oldest states are looking "across the pond" for help from British scientists to harness the power of the wind.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced $292.7 million in discretionary grant funding through the new Port Infrastructure Development Program.

With significant coastal populations and property at stake, two new studies by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and its research partners focus on the behavior of tropical cyclones. Because hurricanes can cause fatalities and billions of dollars in damage, the new research could contribute to greater preparedness, improved forecasts, and resiliency efforts.

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has published a new regional offshore wind leasing strategy, saying the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) provides a world-class wind resource on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. BOEM has 15 active commercial leases for offshore wind development that could support more than 21 gigawatts of generating capacity.

Often criticized as playthings of Silicon Valley billionaires, floating cities have the potential to help coastal regions adapt to climate change, writes researcher Nathalie Mezza-Garcia.

NEW ORLEANS — Ten environmental groups, including the New Orleans-based Healthy Gulf, are suing to challenge what they view as the Trump administration’s decision to weaken critical safety rules created after the nation’s worst offshore drilling disaster.

Coastal Zone Management Act seeks to balance ecosystem health, development

US electricity generation capacity from renewable energy sources surpassed coal for the first time this April, and that gap looks to grow substantially during the next three years.

A guide to going gritty on the Eastern Seaboard, from the Deep South to the Great White North.

It may seem like spring has barely begun in Maine, but it is already hurricane season. That brings heightened worries about heavy rainfall, high winds and floods. The danger, of course, is more acute along the state’s shoreline.

Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden have joined colleagues to introduce the Living Shorelines Act, legislation that would create a new grant program for nature-based shoreline protection projects known as living shorelines.

The findings may help coastal communities better protect and manage their drinking water.

Offshore wind power in the U.S. is about to go into a dizzying growth mode. Here’s some of what has happened in the last week that is raising our already sky-high expectations of what may be coming.

US oil production keeps accelerating towards new highs. New records are expected both when the final numbers for May emerge and at the end of the year.

The U.S. military has been eyeing America’s offshore wind development, concerned about impacts on training and operations, with project-siting issues brewing in some states. The dispute moved to the national stage May 21 when a House of Representatives committee passed federal appropriations bills that would set new curbs on where turbines could go. Industry advocates say they are duplicative impact mandates.

Flaring and venting of natural gas in the Permian basin in Texas and New Mexico has reached an all-time record high in this year’s first quarter, averaging 661 MMcfd, according to research conducted by Rystad Energy. This widespread waste of a valuable commodity is the result of persistent infrastructure challenges, a lack of enough takeaway capacity, and an unexpected outage on a key pipeline in the area.

“Nature is our best bet to tackle climate change and secure the future,” said Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, at the declaration of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) in early March.

une marks the official start of hurricane season. If recent history is any guide, it will prove to be another destructive year thanks to the worsening impact of climate change.

The Navy is planning to launch a massive, 50-ton undersea drone to expand mission scope, increase attack options, integrate large high-tech sensors, further safeguard manned combat crews and possibly fire torpedoes -- all while waging war under the ocean surface.

FORT MYERS, FL – From a childhood spent building sand castles to adolescent walks on the beach to adults enjoying family time, America’s beaches are synonymous with celebrating summer. With the beginning of the summer beach season a few days away, the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) today released its much-anticipated annual list of the nation’s best restored beaches.

The Atlantic hurricane season, which begins Saturday, puts 7.3 million homes at risk with an estimated reconstruction cost of $1.8 trillion, CoreLogic said in its 2019 Storm Surge Report. CoreLogic, a data analytics provider based in Irvine, Calif., examined potential losses along a 3,700-mile coastline encompassing 19 states from Texas to Maine.

Things certainly aren’t dull in the world of offshore wind these days. Between new legislation to kick-start offshore wind markets, new bids to meet states’ demand for projects, and new markets getting set to open up, momentum just keeps building. Here are six near-term things I’m watching for.

Gilbert Gaul on the transformation of the American shoreline. Catch Gil's interview on ASPN's Ship to Shore Podcast hosted by Bob Frump. The podcast link is at the bottom of the article.

Type "sea-level rise" in an internet search engine and almost all the resulting images will show flooded cities, with ample guidance on civic options for protecting urban infrastructure, from constructing seawalls to elevating roadways.

Planning a trip to the beach? Along with looking forward to some summer fun, beachgoers may be thinking about the safety of their waterfront destination. Will the water be clean enough for swimming, surfing, wading and all the other ways people enjoy the nation’s shoreline?

Beach season is here! Let's talk about how to enjoy the beach and make it better at the same time.

Breezy Point is beautiful in the summertime, a quaint neighborhood sitting on a slim peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic just south of New York City. In a storm, though, that dreamy setting can become a nightmare.

Since 1991, Coastal scientist Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman (better known as Dr. Beach) has evaluated beaches and shorelines across the United States of America, each year releasing a ranking of the top ten.

Over the past three decades, federal and local governments have poured more than $5 billion into buying tens of thousands of vulnerable properties across the country, according to an Associated Press analysis. Buyouts have been getting more expensive, with many of the costliest coming in the last decade after strong storms pounded heavily populated coastal states such as Texas, New York and New Jersey.

People nowadays are inventing creative ways on how to participate in the fight against climate change. Some are using a fishing net to pick up plastic waste in the ocean, while others incorporate fun in social media to raise awareness in the growing concern over our environment.

A world where artificial intelligence (AI) has advanced to the point where we can compare it to a human and judge it by its actions accordingly is the scene set in the latest instalment of a futuristic port story.

El Nino and warmer-than-average Atlantic help shape this season’s intensity

Government officials order coastal evacuation even when it’s sunny at the beach with not a cloud in the sky and no hint of the ominous threat thousands of miles away other than from satellite images. People who know I study hurricane evacuations have often asked me to explain this curious decision.

Corporations want a stable business climate, and climate chaos is bringing them anything but that. That’s why companies have issued a call for action on the climate crisis, including an economy-wide carbon pricing policy.

Major reforms are needed to the federal program that assesses flood risk, but Congress just punted — for the 11th time — on an opportunity to fix it.

Weather forecasts in the US could be in trouble, as the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – the guys in charge of flogging off the wireless spectrum for the 5G network to be developed – are being warned by meteorologists that it could make weather reports around the world less accurate.

During National Safe Boating Week (May 18-24), NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration is taking a closer look at the anatomy of abandoned and derelict vessels. In this first blog, take a peek at some of the hidden hazards of a sunken vessel.

In the wake of hurricanes like Florence, the U.S. government pays to dump truckloads of sand onto eroding beaches, in a cycle that is said to harm ecosystems and disproportionately benefit the rich.

Scientists investigating methane seeps on the ocean floor off North Carolina were in for a surprise—when a deep-sea tubeworm, never seen before in the region, popped out “like a jack in the box.”

A bipartisan group of coastal lawmakers are calling on the federal government to release $16 billion in disaster relief funding within 60 days.

SALISBURY, Mass. - For sale: waterfront property with sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean. Waves erode beach regularly. Flooding gets worse every year. Saltwater damage to lawn. Asking price: anyone's guess.

Newswise — In Norfolk, Virginia, officials are taking action to reduce their city’s vulnerability to flood risks. Flooding in Norfolk does not just happen during major storms. It can happen when the sun is shining, if the tide is high or the winds are right.

In a typically cryptic announcement on its website, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has announced an important opportunity now open to potential non-federal sponsors. Report to Congress on Future Water Resources Development:

Breezy Point is beautiful in the summertime, a quaint neighborhood sitting on a slim peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic just south of New York City. In a storm, though, that dreamy setting can become a nightmare.

The House on Friday passed a $19 billion disaster aid bill that would deliver long-sought relief to farmers, victims of hurricanes and floods, and rebuild southern military bases, as Democrats try to dislodge the legislation from a Senate logjam over aid to hurricane-slammed Puerto Rico.

Researchers at Oregon State University have developed a new methodology for building computer models that paves the way to better understanding the flood risks faced by coastal communities.

While debates rage about how to restore America’s manufacturing, military, and even moral foundations to periods of perceived glory, little attention is being given to the crisis in shipping.

The House on Friday passed a $19-billion disaster aid bill that would deliver long-sought relief to farmers and victims of hurricanes and floods, and rebuild southern military bases, as Democrats try to dislodge the legislation from a Senate logjam over aid to hurricane-slammed Puerto Rico.

An ambitious wetlands restoration project is underway on Delaware Bay, where scientists are using innovative methods to revive a badly damaged salt marsh. The project could be a model for other places seeking to make coastal wetlands more resilient to rising seas and worsening storms.

Three members of the Florida delegation--Democrat U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist and Republican U.S. Reps. Vern Buchanan and Francis Rooney--are looking to codify safety regulations about offshore drilling which the Trump administration is looking to change.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration today announced it has selected the University of Rhode Island to host NOAA’s Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute.

Though infrastructure sometimes makes it into the US news, perhaps more now as Donald Trump seeks to make it a signature issue, ports and port planning are generally at the less exciting end of the maritime spectrum, however, the offshore wind sector is whipping up some interest.

The start of the 2019 hurricane season is only four weeks away. So now is the time to prepare for our fair share of Atlantic and Gulf Coast storms, which seem to grow in number and devastation each year.

The Rhode Island visit of two hurricane hunting aircraft is part of a five-state NOAA tour during National Hurricane Preparedness Week. Hurricane season starts June 1 and continues until Nov. 30.

Americans have seen a series of devastating hurricanes and deadly wildfires over the past few years, but millions of people are still desperately waiting for help as a $14 billion federal disaster relief bill is still stalled—in part due to a clash between President Trump and Democrats over how much money should go to Puerto Rico.

Estuaries vulnerable to storm tides, river flooding

Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Peter DeFazio, last week introduced H.R. 440 the Full Utilization of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund Act, which would unlock billions in already-collected fees to maintain U.S. federal ports and harbors.

This is the second installment in a special reporting series on coastal resiliency. Read Part 1. As Category 4 Hurricane Florence plowed toward the North Carolina coast last September, an all-hands weather code red reverberated throughout the eastern part of the state.

Ocean waves and storms have been getting stronger over the past 30 years, which has implications for coastal and offshore infrastructure.

Imagine a massive raft tethered to a coastal city. On it, is an apartment building. And linked to that raft are more of the same, a chain of floating structures that serve as “suburbs.”

WASHINGTON - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and 25 colleagues introduced legislation Thursday to overhaul the federal tax code to support an innovative, low-carbon economy.

Most people's experience with seagrass, if any, amounts to little more than a tickle on their ankles while wading in shallow coastal waters. But it turns out these ubiquitous plants, varieties of which exist around the world, could play a key role in protecting vulnerable shores as they face onslaughts from rising sea levels.

CNT Editor Note: This report from June 2018 was produced by Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars / Environmental Change and Security Program, and reported through their blog, New Security Beat. We chose to feature the report to introduce CNT readers to the Wilson Center and the level of "think tank" analysis going into issues like climate change and coastal risk management.

The Pentagon seems at odds with the president over how best to prepare for climate-related extreme weather. Listen to American Shoreline Podcast interview with Dr. William Parker, President and CEO of the National Defense University Foundation, on military preparedness for climate change (Link at the bottom of the article).

After delivering more than 200 Senate floor speeches warning Americans it's "time to wake up" to the risks of climate change, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse hit a key milestone Tuesday in his yearslong campaign: He was joined by a Republican. Listen to the American Shoreline Podcast interview with Senator Whitehouse from Earth X (Find the link at the bottom of the story).

The state Supreme Court ruled a Monroe County township’s zoning ordinance bars the short-term rental of homes in strictly residential districts in a widely anticipated decision with statewide implications for homesharing platforms like Airbnb.

New research has uncovered a missing nutrient source in coastal oceans, which could promote better water quality and sand management on popular beaches.

A group of 25 U.S. Senators signed a letter last week to the leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee urging them to save a federal program they claim has helped the domestic seafood trade and coastal communities.

Offshore wind companies spent unprecedented sums on influencing state policies last year, in response to official incentives promoting the renewable technology. "We are witnessing the first of a brand-new American energy industry," said Sopko. "The industry recognizes the importance of having a seat at the table."

The White House has approved the Interior Department's rewrite of offshore drilling standards that the Obama administration had imposed in response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Today, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released the findings of a new, in-depth study titled “Rigorously Valuing the Role of U.S. Coral Reefs in Coastal Hazard Risk Reduction,” – funded in part by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Office of Insular Affairs.

Recently, news broke about the rollout of Risk Rating 2.0, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s redesign of National Flood Insurance Program and how it will determine rates for flood insurance. The Massachusetts Coastal Coalition has followed Risk Rating 2.0 since the beginning of its development.

The Interior Department is reviewing permits from companies interested in exploring the coast for potential sources of oil, despite the agency announcing a pause in its offshore drilling plans, Reuters reported Monday.

Americans must assume more responsibility for protecting themselves from the rising toll of natural disasters, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency warned.

Rising acidity in the world’s oceans due to fossil fuel burning could have disastrous consequences for millions who depend on the seas for their livelihoods, new research has warned.

OFFSHORE DRILLING: The Trump administration backs off plans to expand offshore drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic after a recent ruling by a federal judge in Alaska. (New York Times)

Mary Robinson will speak in a video address and Constance Okollet will speak on the opening plenary of the Global Landscapes Forum Kyoto, on 12 May at 22:00 JST and 13 May at 08:30 JST respectively. Both can be viewed online through the conference’s Digital Edition. (Use this converter to plan for your time zone.)

Associate Professor Otto Cordero and colleagues discover simple assembly rules for marine microbiomes.

The earth's warming temperatures are already leading to catastrophic events like earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and landslides. But there may be a way to channel these disasters to protect coastal communities.

Atlantic Puffins, those charismatic little seabirds with wildly colorful bills, are warning us of big trouble in the ocean. Puffins now must travel further and dive deeper to find the tiny fish their chicks need to survive. Even so, Puffin parents increasingly are coming up short and last year many chicks starved.

A new web-based interactive tool for ocean mapping and planning created by NOAA and the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), is giving everyone from ocean industries to coastal managers, students, as well as the general public the opportunity to be an ocean explorer from their own computer.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has again turned to private reinsurance markets to help strengthen the financial framework of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

Seafood farming in the ocean—or marine aquaculture—is the fastest growing sector of the global food system, and it shows no sign of slowing. Open-ocean farms have vast space for expansion, and consumer demand continues to rise.

Drinking water biggest concern, Wheeler says

This story is part of a Long Beach Post multi-part series, “Close to Home: How climate change is shaping the future of Long Beach.” For the full series, click here.

When Miami Beach borrowed $162 million from Wall Street this week, it wanted investors to know rising seas and extreme weather are a real risk to the city and that it’s doing something about it.

A Lords Committee heard that Thanet has seen 84% growth in creative businesses between 2013 and 2016, following a long-term programme to support arts and culture.

NEW YORK — Looking for a place to assemble offshore wind farms on the East Coast? New York officials say their 63 acres at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal could be just the place.

Environmental remediation represents a promising solution to many of today’s most pressing concerns. With the perils of human encroachment, remediation services help to offset the damage, preserving natural habitats and restoring balance to sensitive ecosystems. Through these efforts, progress is possible.

Rising sea levels can submerge the backbone of the internet, increasingly powerful storms can destroy the cell networks phones need to work, and high-intensity winds can tear down the critical infrastructure that makes 21st century America go.

There’s a new sweetheart of the ocean, and they go by nudibranch

As the fastest growing food production sector in the world, aquaculture accounts for 50 percent of the world’s fish consumption. According to a recent analysis, the aquaculture market was valued at $176 billion in 2017, with an annual growth of 5.8 percent.