Maryland Analyzes Coastal Wetlands Susceptibility to Climate Change

Maryland is continually losing islands, acres of shoreline, and critical coastal wetlands to sea-level rise, storms, and inundation. Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources and Department of the Environment analyzed future climate conditions using the Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM), and prioritized highly threatened coastal areas for conservation and restoration. Conservation initiatives focused on land that will allow for coastal wetland migration in the face of sea-level rise. The results from the SLAMM analysis were published on The Maryland Coastal Atlas (a public GIS tool), in order to encourage integration of the analysis into public and private coastal conservation efforts.