Reactions to coastal saltwater intrusion: Creating a landowner typology for mapping vulnerability

Sea level rise will transform much of the outer edge of the Southern US coastal plain. A variety of actions -- including infrastructure investments and retreat -- taken in the intervening decades will determine resident vulnerability to economic and environmental shocks from storm surges and saltwater intrusion. This talk explores findings of a survey of residents (March 2017; n=750) in the five counties comprising North Carolina’s Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula. Using responses about attitudes, opinions, and future plans in the face of various saltwater intrusion scenarios, we create a landowner typology to focus geo-spatial scenarios describing changes in future saltwater intrusion vulnerability.