Los Angeles County’s geography, ecology, and communities are highly variable, as are its climate impacts and risks. The region is impacted by a variety of threats, such as bluff erosion, sea level rise, wildfire, saltwater intrusion, water availability, and water quality, amongst others. Similarly, L.A. County also faces extreme variation in social and economic factors, including disparities in income, education, and employment opportunities. Anticipating this risk requires comprehensive vulnerability assessments that consider ecological, social, economic, and cultural factors and examines how these components might be impacted by specific climate risks.
However, sea level rise and uncertainty in its projections pose a major challenge to flood risk management and adaptation investments. Adaptation pathways can meet this challenge. An adaptation pathway is defined as the collection of measures (e.g., beach nourishment, dune restoration, flood-proofing buildings, and levees) required to lower flood risk. The aim of using different adaptation pathways is to enable a transition from one methodology to another over time. These pathways address uncertainty in future projections, allowing for flexibility among policies and potentially spreading the costs over time.
USC Sea Grant works to support and inform comprehensive vulnerability assessments and evaluations of adaptation strategies for coastal adaptation that holistically addresses community needs.
Recent Research
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Indicators and participatory processes: a framework for assessing integrated climate vulnerability and risk as applied in Los Angeles County, California
- Citation: Fleming, C.S., Regan, S.D., Freitag, A. et al. Indicators and participatory processes: a framework for assessing integrated climate vulnerability and risk as applied in Los Angeles County, California. Nat Hazards 115, 2069–2095 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-022-05628-w
Assessing the Geographic Variability in Vulnerability to Climate Change and Coastal Hazards in Los Angeles County, California
- Citation: Fleming, C.S., S.D. Regan, A. Freitag, and H. Burkart. 2020. Assessing the Geographic Variability in Vulnerability to Climate Change and Coastal Hazards in Los Angeles County, California. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 275. Silver Spring, MD. 172 pp. DOI: 10.25923/mgca-hc06
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Pathways to resilience: adapting to sea level rise in Los Angeles
- Citation: Aerts, J. C., Barnard, P. L., Botzen, W. , Grifman, P. , Hart, J. F., Moel, H. , Mann, A. N., Ruig, L. T. and Sadrpour, N. (2018), Pathways to resilience: adapting to sea level rise in Los Angeles. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 1427: 1-90. doi:10.1111/nyas.13917
An economic evaluation of adaptation pathways in coastal mega cities: An illustration for Los Angeles
- Citation: Ruig, L. T., Barnard, P. L., Botzen, W., Grifman, P., Hart, J. F., Moel, H., Sadrpour, N. and Aerts, J. C. (2019), An economic evaluation of adaptation pathways in coastal mega cities: An illustration for Los Angeles. Sci Total Environ., 678:647-659. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.04.308
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Greening the Gray: Using Novel Coastal Armoring Methods to Support Greater Intertidal Community Productivity and Resilience Against Climate Warming Impacts
Principal Investigator:
- Luke Miller, Ph.D., San Diego State University
Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Study for the City of Los Angeles
- Citation: Grifman, P. M., J. F. Hart, J. Ladwig, A. G. Newton Mann, M. Schulhof. (2013) Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Study for the City of Los Angeles.
Community Engagement
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- Envisioning Future Impacts through King Tides and Storms (January 12, 2015)
