Building Resilience to Rising Waters
Combining the expertise and resources provided by Old Dominion University (ODU), William & Mary’s Virginia Coastal Resilience Collaborative (VCRC) and Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), we conduct studies, provide training and offer a variety of services in the area of recurrent flooding resilience to local governments, state agencies, industries, and citizens of the Commonwealth.
Collaborations across sectors
0
External funding resulting from CCRFR projects (2022-2025)
$
0
Water level sensors used in flood forecasting
0
Faculty from ODU and W & M and VIMS involved in CCRFR projects
0
Our Projects
SUBSIDENCE
Hampton Roads has experienced one of the highest rates of relative sea level rise on the Atlantic coast over the past century. This rate of relative sea level rise results from a combination of land subsidence, which has long been known to be present in the region, and rising seas associated with global warming on long timescales and exacerbated by shifts in ocean dynamics on shorter timescales. A study funded by NASA and CCRFR reveals that land in the metropolitan area is sinking at highly uneven rates, with a few trouble spots subsiding 7 to 10 times faster than the spatial average, with major differences in subsidence rates being observed only a few miles apart.
ADAPT VIRGINIA
Adapt Virginia is an information gateway on climate change adaptation for individuals, local programs, and agencies. ADAPTVA integrates best available science, legal guidance, and planning strategies. Visitors will find short and long-term sea level curves and maps, flood mapping and decision-support tools, legal and policy resources, and stories that explain adaption through maps and pictures.
WATER LEVEL PREDICTIONS
Water level predictions are critical for building resiliency to flooding both in terms of short-term storm-induced flooding and longer-term sea level rise. The Tidewatch network utilizes a growing network of tide gauges that provides easy visualization of current water levels and predictions up to 36 hours at water levels gauge sites. CCRFR is in the process of further expanding this network through the incorporation of ultrasonic water level sensors throughout the cities of Hampton Roads as part of the StormSense project.
COMMUNICATIONS & COMMUNITIES
CCRFR communicates their work across sectors including state, regional, and local governments, businesses, non-governmental organizations, and community members using various communication strategies including messaging campaigns, seminars, webinars, project reports, and academic publications. Engaging our communities is critical to our success. CCRFR has developed a web application that can be used throughout Coastal Virginia to understand community flooding challenges and what assets communities value.
LAW & POLICY
CCRFR works with scientists, local and state political figures, community leaders, the military, and others to integrate the latest science with legal and policy analysis to solve coastal resource management issues. CCRFR works collaboratively across disciplines, drawing on scientific, economic, engineering, public policy, and sociological expertise of faculty within William & Mary and Old Dominion University.
ECONOMIC IMPACTS
CCRFR studies the economic costs of flooding and sea level rise and the benefits of interventions including engineered infrastructure, natural and nature-based solutions, and resilient design standards. In addition to evaluating economic impacts, customized tools and workshops support small business resilience and tourism industry resilience in Coastal Virginia. These tools support Coastal Virginia businesses and communities helping them prepare for resilience to significant storm surges and flooding.
Tidewatch
Tidewatch Charts© provide an effective way to visualize and predict the magnitude and impacts of coastal flooding at specific locations within the Chesapeake Bay and along Virginia’s seaside Eastern Shore by extrapolating from recent observations.
Tidewatch Map© brings inundation predictions to your landscape by modeling flood levels throughout the region.
StormSense
StormSense addresses flooding issues through proliferation of low cost, low energy water level sensors, and modeling research across the City of Virginia Beach and the Hampton Roads Region. StormSense has installed more than 50 water levels throughout coastal Virginia and ingests data from 25 more sensors outside its network from NOAA and USGS to provide a more comprehensive at-a-glance view of real-time flood conditions in Tidewater Virginia.
Our Impact
"The Virginia CCRFR has been an invaluable partner and a statewide leader in advancing science-based solutions for coastal resilience. Through VIMS, CCRFR has consistently demonstrated excellence in supporting community-driven initiatives such as Catch the King, enhancing the accuracy and credibility of community-science-based tidal flood mapping across the Commonwealth. The CCRFR has directly supported research and development of comprehensive water level monitoring and forecasting efforts, including VIMS' StormSense and Tidewatch programs. These initiatives have revolutionized how Virginia's coastal communities anticipate, visualize, and respond to tidal and storm-driven flooding—translating complex hydrodynamic modeling into clear, street-level insights that inform both emergency response and long-term planning."
Mary-Carson Stiff
Executive Director of Wetlands Watch
"The Virgina Coastal Zone Management Program (Virginia CZM) is excited to be working with ODU & CCRFR towards achieving our shared goal of increasing coastal wetland plant production to support resilience work in the Hampton Roads as well as across Virginia's other coastal zone communities. This project and the new Wetland Plant Hub, funded in collaboration with CCRFR, are adding to the work to achieve two of the goals in the Action Plan of the Plant Virginia Natives Initiative, launched by Virginia CZM in 2009, to Increase collaboration and coordination among partners engaged in native plant education, communication and marketing and to Increase Virginia Grown native plant stock. This hub will connect Virginia coastal wetland plant growers with the partners installing the natural solutions so critical to increasing the resilience of our coastal habitats and communities!"
*Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Capacity Building funding through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
*Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Capacity Building funding through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Lucas Manweiler
Conservation Coordinator at Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
"AdaptVA is a helpful digital tool for regional and local governments and private property owners. It takes complex information and forecasting and makes it easier to understand and use, supporting planning and coordination across communities. It doesn’t replace local knowledge, but it adds to it in a way that helps both public and private partners make more informed decisions."
Rachael L. Peabody
Acting Executive Director of MP-PDC
“A fantastic conference, Securing Virginia’s Future: National Perspectives on State & Local Resilience Finance! The discussions on resilience finance were both timely and practical, especially the innovative approaches like parametric and community-based insurance, and the importance of planning grants. It’s encouraging to see so many perspectives focused on empowering Virginia’s state and local governments to lead the way on resilience. These conversations are exactly what we need to secure our future.”
Chris Stone
Professional Engineer Emeritus
“The conference ‘Securing Virginia’s Future: National Perspectives on State & Local Resilience Finance’ showed what true resilience looks like: bringing together diverse voices to forge common understanding, deepen collaboration, and confront the financial and safety challenges of a changing climate.”
Samantha (Sam) Medlock
Founder of Climate Risk Advisors and former Assistant Administrator for Resilience Strategy at FEMA
“The Pamunkey Indian Tribe uses AdaptVA daily to prepare for climate change. The resources and tools it provides, such as sea level rise projections, Tidewatch, and adaptation strategy recommendations have been invaluable for community planning, citizen education, and grant writing on the Pamunkey Indian Reservation.”
Joe Capella (he/him/his)
Natural Resources Director at the Pamunkey Indian Tribe - Natural Resources Department
Partners
