Critical Knowledge Gaps for Coastal Systems: Research Priorities for Coastal Regions of the United States

Publication: April 2026
Workshop Date: March 2024
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The coastal region of the southeastern United States is critically important to the nation’s energy security but is vulnerable to pressures from sea level rise, saltwater intrusion, storms, and land and water management. Ecosystems in this region are shaped by both marine influences and processes throughout watersheds that drain into the coastal plain.

Integrating these influences and processes into multiscale models is vital to establishing the predictive understanding needed to protect ecosystem services, energy infrastructure, and communities in the southeastern United States.

To identify research needs and opportunities for improving predictive understanding of southeastern coastal systems, BER’s Environmental System Science program held a workshop to identify (1) major vulnerabilities of southeastern coastal systems; (2) critical gaps in knowledge, data, and modeling that limit predictive understanding of these systems; and (3) key science priorities for the region.

Suggested Citation: U.S. DOE. 2026. Critical Knowledge Gaps for Coastal Systems: Research Priorities for Coastal Regions of
the Southeastern United States, DOE/SC-2026. U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. https://doi.org/10.2172/2997906.