Coastal Change in Greenland Engaging Stakeholders to Direct Research

Like other places in the World, the coast of Greenland is affected by sea level changes. Predictions of sea level change significantly in different locations around the coast range from a rise of a few tens of centimeters to a lowering of several meters, affected by the development of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Local communities, regional and national authorities, our stakeholders, would need to respond to those changes considering coastal infrastructure and shallow water marine habitats. Their mitigation strategies require newest data and spatio-temporal models not fully available today. In this project, collaborators from US and Greenland research institutions are developing predictions of sea level change for four specific communities by combining large-scale models of sea level change with high-resolution surveys of local bathymetry and habitats as well as satellite data. Our stakeholders guide the specific survey objectives through their practical experiences, also framing the scientific results and products in reality. Here we explain our current experience of engaging our stakeholders and education of local youth, and discuss possible strategies for further engagement and implementation.