Case Studies | U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit

Communities, businesses, and individuals are taking action to document their vulnerabilities and build resilience to climate-related impacts. Click dots on the map to preview case studies, or browse stories below the map. Use the drop-down menus above to find stories of interest. To expand your results, click the Clear Filters link.

Wooden boardwalk leading to a beach with trees on either side and mountains in the distance.

A Community Effort Stems Runoff to Safeguard Corals in Puerto Rico

In Culebra, Puerto Rico, the community used green infrastructure to decrease coastal erosion and mitigate damage to their near-shore coral reef.

A Coral Bleaching Story With an Unknown Ending

Changing ocean conditions pose an increasing threat to the health and resilience of coral reefs. Across the two Samoas—American Samoa and the Independent State of Samoa—people are planning to protect these important ecosystems.

Panorama of the Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska

A Town with a Plan: Community, Climate, and Conversations

Homer, Alaska, has been taking action to reduce climate change for almost a decade. As the ten-year anniversary of their first plan looms on the horizon, the community is engaging in conversations about adaptation.

Alaskan Tribes Join Together to Assess Harmful Algal Blooms

Tribal communities in southeastern Alaska are partnering with federal and state agencies to investigate increasing frequency, duration, and extent of harmful algal blooms—events that pose human health risks to subsistence harvesters.

An Integrated Plan for Water and Long-Term Ecological Resilience

Recognizing their vulnerability to drought and climate change, federal, state, tribal, and local partners in Washington’s Yakima River Basin developed a comprehensive plan to meet their diverse needs for water into the future.

Morro Bay, Morro Rock, and the City of Morro Bay

Assessing Climate Risks in a National Estuary

Stakeholders of the Morro Bay National Estuary Program in California worked with resources from the EPA's Climate Ready Estuaries program to identify their climate risks. Their results helped them prioritize actions for building resilience.

Building Resilience in the Face of Ocean Acidification

The Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery in Seward, Alaska, is collaborating with federal and academic partners to measure the impacts of ocean acidification on shellfish—and develop possible adaptation strategies.

waves crash down at the shoreline where large rocks are scattered.

Florida Experiment Lessens Shoreline Damage from High-Energy Waves

Click the link below to read Florida Experiment Lessens Shoreline Damage from High-Energy Waves as published by the NOAA Office for Coastal Management. Florida Experiment Lessens Shoreline Damage from High-Energy Waves »

How Will Fish Fare in the Future? Assessing Vulnerability Across an Ecosystem

Fisheries in the Northeast—and the businesses that depend on them—want to know how fish will respond to climate change. A new methodology helps scientists and fisheries managers identify species' vulnerability across an ecosystem.

Maine's Lobster Fishing Community Confronts Their Changing Climate

Participatory planning and system dynamics modeling help fishermen in coastal Maine make decisions to improve their bottom lines.

Oyster Growers Prepare for Changing Ocean Chemistry

As the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide, ocean acidity changes—inhibiting the growth of oysters. A new tool may be able to help oyster growers understand how they will be affected.

Healthy coral reef in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands.

Pollution and Coral Health in the Virgin Islands

Coral communities are under pressure from land-based pollutants and sediments. Now, coastal managers now can access an effective tool to correlate human land-use activity with coral reef condition. Resource managers can use this information to increase resilience for corals—and the people who depend on them.

Protecting Fish to Save Coral Reefs

Coral reefs off the west coast of Maui are readily accessible and heavily used by visitors and locals alike. Managers needed a plan to boost the resilience of the reefs so they could continue providing critical habitat for marine species.

Homeland of the Suquamish Tribe taken from Port Madison Bay

Suquamish Build Resilience to Ocean Acidification Through Education

Coastal habitats and archeological sites in western Alaska are at risk from coastal erosion. Researchers are documenting current assets and vulnerabilities so managers can make informed decisions.

Cloudy sky over ocean and flat beach environment

Tribal Community Partners with Researchers to Monitor Food and Climate

Residents of a rural Alaska village are studying their environment to understand and protect their food. Their research partnership hires and trains students and local residents to contribute to high-quality research...and builds the capacity of the local workforce.

Image of drummers in a Salmon procession

Tulalip Tribes: Saving Their Sacred Salmon

People of the Salmon collaborate with farmers to ensure survival of their sacred fish.

Using Novel Approaches To Create Resilient Dune Systems

After a series of storms ravaged Puerto Rican beaches, a team from the University of Puerto Rico used innovative restoration techniques—including biomimicry—to create resilient dune systems that provide protection from coastal storms.