Lead: Prabhat Hegde
Counselor: Klaus Keller
Coastal communities are facing difficult decisions about how to respond to beach erosion and rising sea levels. Their main options include adding sand to the beach to protect it (known as beach nourishment), doing nothing, or gradually relocating buildings and infrastructure away from the shoreline (called managed retreat). In the past, most studies have focused on the costs and benefits of adding sand, while the idea of retreating from the coast has not received as much attention. MACH researcher Prabhat Hegde is leading efforts to improve how these choices are analyzed. Hegde’s work includes managed retreat as a serious option and offers guidance on when communities could invest in protecting the shoreline and when it might make more sense to move away from it. This analysis takes into account economic and climate uncertainties that can affect these decisions. Overall, this project's goal is to help communities better understand the pros and cons of each approach and make smarter, long-term choices that offer the best return on investment.

To learn about other decision analysis research efforts, check out these other MACH projects:

• Decision Analysis: Flood Risk and Federal Funding
• Decision Analysis: Designing Storm Drainage Systems
• Barrier Island and Habitat Modeling for Conservation Management