DOI’s Blue Portfolio – Ocean, Coasts, and Climate: Applying Science for Effective Management Strategies

The ocean plays a key role in Earth’s climate. While there are increasing threats posed by ex- treme storms, sea-level rise, coastal erosion, loss of coastal ecosystems, and changes to global currents and circulation patterns, there are also ways the ocean can help solve or mitigate cli- mate changes and related impacts. For Ocean Month, we are highlighting topics from across DOI’s extensive ‘Blue Portfolio’ to demonstrate how we are advancing and applying science to address climate change impacts across the Department. The recently published Ocean Climate Action Plan outlines actions that the U.S. will be taking to mitigate climate change impacts as well as harness the power of the ocean to address them. DOI’s bureaus have diverse steward- ship responsibilities for managing vital ocean and coastal resources and are critical partners for fulfilling the goals of the Plan. Learn more about how we are advancing science to support ocean climate actions, management strategies, and policies, including through:

• Deep Sea Science to Support National Ocean Mapping, Exploration and Characterization (NOMEC) Amanda Demopoulos (USGS) and Mark Mueller (BOEM)
• Applied Science for Managing Blue Carbon Kevin Kroeger (USGS) and Tim Smith (NPS)
• Science to Prepare for Coastal Change Erika Lentz and Elizabeth Pendleton (USGS), Amanda Babson and James Nyman (NPS)