Coastal and Ocean Climate Applications (COCA)

Formerly the coastal portfolio of the Sectoral Applications Research Program (SARP), the Coastal and Ocean Climate Applications (COCA) program addresses the needs of specific stakeholder(s) grappling with pressing climate-related issues in coastal and marine environments. This program will strengthen existing initiatives developed under SARP focused on supporting interdisciplinary applications research in the coastal zone, and will expand efforts to include coastal and marine ecosystems.

COCA will address two of NOAA's societal challenges: "Coasts and Climate Resilience" and "Sustainability of Marine Ecosystems" and will ensure alignment with the following efforts: the National Climate Assessment, the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force, the NOAA Ocean and Coastal Council, the National Ocean Council, and the National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy. The overarching objectives of COCA are:

• Improve understanding of the vulnerabilities of coastal communities and coastal and marine ecosystems in a changing climate;
• Improve understanding of the interactions between human and environmental systems in a changing climate;
• Improve insight and understanding related to resource managers and planners' needs and obstacles in coping with climate variability and change for increasingly effective and relevant information services;
• Produce state-of the art knowledge, tools, and methodologies for decision makers' use in vulnerability analysis, planning, adaptation, and mitigation;
• Support the incorporation of climate information, including information on climate risks, vulnerabilities, and uncertainty, into decision-making processes at various scales; and
• Promote partnerships between the scientific and sector-specific decision-making communities for continued use and understanding of climate information

The program is designed to support multidisciplinary teams in the creation and transition of climate-related research, information, and decision-support resources to advance decision-making. COCA is particularly interested in collaborating on and/or supporting opportunities that connect with and leverage NOAA's coastal and marine programs priorities, funding opportunities, and activities (e.g. National Marine Fisheries Service, National Ocean Service, Coastal Zone Management Program, National Marine Sanctuaries, Coastal Services Center, Sea Grant, etc.).