Improve your climate change storytelling with NOAA’s coastal hazard products

Over the past decade, broadcast meteorologists have been asked to fill the role of climate change journalists or "station scientists'' alongside daily forecasting duties. Coastal-focused organizations also share a responsibility to explain climate change to nontechnical audiences. These groups help communicate causes and impacts of climate change to their local governments as they create community resiliency budgets. As the public increasingly searches for reliable and digestible climate change information, NOAA’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) delivers a wealth of water level data and operational products to provide meaningful context across timescales. Climate products like the Annual and Monthly High Tide Flooding Outlooks, Sea Level Trends, and Extreme Water Levels can be leveraged by communicators looking to develop compelling climate change stories for their local communities. For example, the Annual High Tide Flooding Outlook can illustrate when the frequency of high tide flooding will increase from a monthly occurrence to a weekly occurrence due to a warming climate. Sea Level Trends show the observed decadal changes in mean sea level at NOAA water level gauges, some dating back over 100 years. The Monthly High Tide Flooding Outlook is a unique tool for forecasters that helps explain the science behind King Tides and projects when and where coastal inundation is likely due to anomalously high tides. Communicators can thus learn how to localize the impacts of sea level rise and translate these complex concepts to their audiences.

Blending the need for sound science with the ability to clearly communicate coastal impacts and risks underscores the importance of helping communities plan for the inevitable consequences of sea level rise via continued coordination with coastal scientists, planners, decision-makers, and journalists. Ongoing efforts within CO-OPS will optimize the utility of its coastal hazard products for both technical and non-technical users. As these products are enhanced through iterative development based on user input, users will ultimately be able to access short- and long-term oceanographic predictions between NOAA water level gauges, i.e. beyond point-based station data. Moving from point-based to gridded data is a significant leap forward in NOAA's predictive capabilities and will significantly expand data access to underrepresented communities. Expanded accessibility provides a new opportunity and challenge to effectively communicate the associated risks from anthropogenically-induced climate change. Ongoing educational opportunities and conversations between NOAA scientists and communicators are crucial in providing equitable water level and sea level change information to the Nation’s coastal communities.