An ad hoc committee will conduct a study to determine research needed to improve understanding of the interactions and feedbacks between long-term (decadal to millennial scale) natural coastal dynamics and development, including energy-related infrastructure, along the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coastline. The work will be informed by case studies from other U.S. regions, including the mid-Atlantic, California, and/or Alaska.

Recognizing the Gulf Research Program’s interest in understanding the Gulf of Mexico region’s interconnected human, environmental, and energy production and development systems, the study will:

1. Identify gaps in scientific and technical understanding of the interactions and feedbacks between physical processes and coastal development in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, and similarities and differences in these processes compared to other U.S. coastlines.

2. (a) Define the essential components of a research and development program (e.g., monitoring, data collection and management, modeling, population surveys, multi-dimensional mapping) in response to the gaps identified in (1); and

(b) Develop and set priorities for no more than three critical areas of research to increase understanding of long-term natural coastal dynamics (e.g., sea-level rise; coastal subsidence, uplift, and erosion; coastal ecosystem evolution; coastal hazards) in order to advance the science and help inform stakeholder decision making, especially for those activities focused on energy and related infrastructure.

3. Identify barriers to, and opportunities for, more effective communication among scientists and coastal stakeholders about improved monitoring, forecasting, mapping, and other data collection and research regarding long-term changes in U.S. coastlines.