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.

Birds Returning to the Restored Kickemuit River Estuary

The birds gathering at the Kickemuit River are helping tell the story of an estuary coming back to life. On October 10, community members visited the restored estuary in Warren with birding expert and photographer Butch Lombardi. As participants watched birds move...

Walking Tour Tackles Shoreline Access Confusion in Portsmouth

Leah Feldman of CRMC points out the seaweed line on the beach in Portsmouth that helps demarcate the public shoreline from private property.The unusual sight of a small group gathered at the shoreline right-of-way (ROW) on Seaconnet Boulevard in Portsmouth on a recent...

How Photovoice Helps Communities Share Their Coastal Stories

Jessica Brunacini, training and engagement director of the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve, described how residents of Maine's Drakes Island and Moody Beach used the Photovoice technique to explore and share their deep connections to those places.A...

Coastal Squeeze

A new framework helps communities measure the value of coastal access at risk from sea level rise.We often think about sea level rise in terms of flooded roads and damaged homes. But another loss is happening more quietly: our ability to reach the coast. Part of the...

Marine Law Symposium Looks at RI Insurance Needs with Environmental Change

How can Rhode Island best prepare its communities and businesses to insure property effectively when risks and costs are rapidly increasing? The half-day Marine Law Symposium, Insurance Needs with a Changing Environment: Preparing Rhode Island for the Future, hosted...

Esri Highlights Rhode Island’s CHAMP Coastal Storm Forecasting System

A new feature from Esri’s ArcWatch takes a closer look at how the University of Rhode Island’s Coastal Hazards, Analysis, Modeling and Prediction (CHAMP) system is helping emergency managers prepare for coastal storms.The University of Rhode Island’s CHAMP system...

A Beginner’s Guide to Recreational Shellfishing in Rhode Island

Whether you're interested in digging quahogs along the shoreline or simply curious about the shellfish that live in Rhode Island's coastal waters, recreational shellfishing offers a unique way to experience the Ocean State's marine environment. Rhode Island residents...

Journalists, Emergency Managers Explore Hazard Communication Using CHAMP

As coastal storms become more frequent and complex, accurately communicating evolving hazards is critical to public safety. But the information emergency managers rely on to prepare for a storm isn't always the same information journalists need to explain risk to the...

Secrets of the Garden

The Woonasquatucket River Greenway plants never stop workingThe recent $11.5-million Woonasquatucket River Greenway renovation added a bike lane and an accessible boat ramp for canoes and kayaks as well as improved stormwater management.The Woonasquatucket River was...

When the Shoreline Moves, Who Decides What Happens Next?

As erosion gradually moves Rhode Island's shoreline inland, the debate over who can, and cannot, hold back the sea is becoming increasingly important. Seawalls and other hardened shoreline structures may protect private property from erosion, but studies suggest they...

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.

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.

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