On June 3, 2020, postdoc Angelica Rodriguez presented the CCCIA’s work in San Diego and the Los Angeles area to the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Safety Committee (LA/LB HSC) during their first-ever virtual committee meeting.
The LA/LB HSC is responsible for ensuring safe navigation and vessel operation in San Pedro Bay, Santa Monica Bay, and the Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex, as well as preventing oil spills in the region.
Members in attendance included representatives from the Marine Exchange of Southern California, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other local organizations.
In her presentation, Angelica explained coastal flood risk vulnerability due to rising sea level and demonstrated CCCIA’s capacity to enhance regional-scale models and develop coastal monitoring systems and approaches for understanding climate change trends and impacts.
She also highlighted a recently launched CCCIA project in the Los Angeles and Long Beach area, in partnership with Southern California Edison. This will involve assessments and observations at several of their coastal substations which face similar vulnerabilities as low-lying areas in San Diego.
The presentation was well-received and sparked subsequent conversations. One LA/LB HSC member wrote, “I really appreciated Dr. Rodriguez’s presentation to the group…the reality is that leaders in our coastal areas will have difficult choices to make in how to prioritize who/what is protected, what is feasible to build. Thanks for coming into ‘the lion’s den’ to give us a clear-eyed view of how the future is likely to unfold!”
Top photo courtesy of Port of Long Beach.