Our Work

 

Coastal Resilience

Group of people walking along East Matunuck Beach during a shoreline tour exploring coastal dynamics and Rhode Island’s shoreline access law.

About

Rhode Island’s 400-mile coastline is experiencing accelerating impacts from erosion, stronger storms, sea-level rise, and development pressures.

Building coastal resilience requires communities to prepare for and adapt to evolving environmental, economic, and social conditions unique to the state’s shoreline.

Rhode Island Sea Grant supports this work by providing science-based tools, technical assistance, and training that help municipalities, practitioners, and residents understand risk, strengthen coastal ecosystems, and plan for long-term adaptation.

This work spans Sea Grant’s focus areas in climate adaptation, coastal ecosystems, and waterfront sustainability.

Our Mission

To build vibrant waterfront communities resilient to a changing climate.

Focus Areas

Natural Hazards Tools

Hazard mapping and modeling tools that help communities understand coastal risks and use data to inform planning and decisions.

Community Resilience

Partnerships with municipalities, local organizations, and regional agencies to turn risk information into community-driven adaptation strategies.  

Training

Programs that equip planners, managers, and community leaders with the tools to address coastal hazards and climate impacts.

URI Landscape Architecture student designs combine beauty, fun, and resilience for Middletown area

You could drive by the Middletown side of Newport’s Easton’s Pond without really noticing it’s there on the side of this busy roadway. If you stop to look, however—as senior University of Rhode Island Landscape Architecture students did this past semester—you may see...

Rhode Island Sea Grant Extension Position Available

  Position will support resilience portfolio and more Rhode Island Sea Grant's Extension program is seeking an Extension Specialist (Marine Research Associate III) who will focus on RISG's coastal resilience portfolio while also supporting the program's blue...

Middletown Workshop Seeks Input for URI Student Project

URI Landscape Architecture capstone students seek input on Middletown project

A Community Walk Through Warren’s Resilience Efforts

A guided walk through Warren highlighted projects addressing flooding and coastal resilience.

Tourister Mill Links Shoreline Access and Resilience

Walking tour offers closer look at how resilience and shoreline access are interwoven in Warren’s waterfront.

Ports, Sea Level Rise, and Rhode Island’s Blue Future

Rhode Island port leaders discuss sea-level rise, adaptation, and workforce challenges shaping the state’s resilient Blue Economy.

Uncovering Shoreline Access in Warwick’s Potowomut Neighborhood

Shoreline access tour reassures participants they can use rights-of-way, even if they look like private property.

Microplastics in Narragansett Bay: Hotspots, Pathways, and Solutions

Microplastics are now found everywhere—from polar ice to human bloodstreams. Join us for a discussion on how and where they accumulate in coastal ecosystems.

Charlestown Breachway Restoration Proceeds with $8.4 Million in Funding

Charlestown Breachway permanent repairs and dune restoration to begin this fall with state funding.

Warren Project to Build Coastal and Flood Resilience

An NSF-funded project to study Warren’s groundwater, flooding, and related issues and propose mitigation efforts got underway in August.

Current Projects & Initiatives

Natural Hazards Tools Collaborative

 

 

Empowering communities with vital tools for emergency management, planning, and resilience decision-making across the state.

STORMTOOLS

 

 

Coastal flood hazard mapping that helps communities assess risks from sea-level rise, storm surge, and coastal storms.

RI–CHAMP

 

 

RI-Coastal Hazards, Analysis, Modeling, and Prediction (CHAMP)provides real-time storm hazard modeling and early-warning tools that support emergency response and resilience planning.

Natural Hazards Tools Collaborative

 

 

Empowering communities with vital tools for emergency management, planning, and resilience decision-making across the state.

STORMTOOLS

 

 

Coastal flood hazard mapping that helps communities assess risks from sea-level rise, storm surge, and coastal storms.

RI–CHAMP

 

 

RI-Coastal Hazards, Analysis, Modeling, and Prediction (CHAMP)provides real-time storm hazard modeling and early-warning tools that support emergency response and resilience planning.

MyCoast: RI

 

 

MyCoast: Rhode Island is a community-powered reporting that documents flooding, erosion, and coastal change across Rhode Island.

PREP-RI: Resilience Training

 

 

PREP-RI (Providing Resilience Education for Planning in Rhode Island) equips municipal leaders with practical tools and training to advance coastal resilience planning.

Project materials coming soon.

Risks, Impacts, & Strategies for Coastal Communities

 

 

The RISCC project gives communities the tools they need to adapt to changing coastal conditions, helping local leaders create a roadmap for more resilient towns. In Rhode Island, our focus is on the town of Warren.

MyCoast: RI

 

 

MyCoast: Rhode Island is a community-powered reporting that documents flooding, erosion, and coastal change across Rhode Island.

PREP-RI: Resilience Training

 

 

PREP-RI (Providing Resilience Education for Planning in Rhode Island) equips municipal leaders with practical tools and training to advance coastal resilience planning.

Project materials coming soon.

Risks, Impacts, & Strategies for Coastal Communities

 

 

The RISCC project gives communities the tools they need to adapt to changing coastal conditions, helping local leaders create a roadmap for more resilient towns. In Rhode Island, our focus is on the town of Warren.

RI Coastal Resilience Learning Network

Connecting municipal staff, planners, and coastal practitioners to share tools, data, and strategies that strengthen coastal resilience.

Community-Driven Coastal Climate Research & Solutions

 

 

A regional partnership advancing research, coordination, and actionable resilience strategies across Rhode Island and Maine.

Reducing Flood and Wind Risk in Bristol & Newport Counties

 

 

This project evaluates combined risk from coastal, riverine, and pluvial (stormwater) flooding, high winds, and sea-level rise in Bristol and Newport Counties. Results will inform updated risk maps and support local hazard mitigation planning.

Project materials coming soon.

RI Coastal Resilience Learning Network

Connecting municipal staff, planners, and coastal practitioners to share tools, data, and strategies that strengthen coastal resilience.

Community-Driven Coastal Climate Research & Solutions

 

 

A regional partnership advancing research, coordination, and actionable resilience strategies across Rhode Island and Maine.

Reducing Flood and Wind Risk in Bristol & Newport Counties

 

 

This project evaluates combined risk from coastal, riverine, and pluvial (stormwater) flooding, high winds, and sea-level rise in Bristol and Newport Counties. Results will inform updated risk maps and support local hazard mitigation planning.

Project materials coming soon.

Meet Our Team

Casey Tremper

Coastal  Project Manager
Tel: (401) 874-6493
Email: casey_tremper@uri.edu

Eliza Berry

Eliza Berry

Coastal  Project Manager
Email: eliza.berry@uri.edu

Casey Tremper

Coastal  Project Manager
Tel: (401) 874-6493
Email: casey_tremper@uri.edu

Eliza Berry

Eliza Berry

Coastal  Project Manager
Email: eliza.berry@uri.edu