CISA Integrating Climate Science & Decision Making in the Carolinas

CISA: Carolinas Integrated Sciences and Assessments, A NOAA RISA Team

Sarah Watson

Sarah Watson

Coastal Climate & Resilience Specialist
CISA & SC Sea Grant Consortium
Charleston, SC
Sarah.watson@scseagrant.org
CV (pdf)

Sarah Watson is the Coastal Climate and Resilience Specialist for S.C. Sea Grant Consortium and the Carolinas Integrated Sciences and Assessments. She works directly with S.C. coastal communities to help them prepare for the effects of climate change, sea level rise, flooding, and extreme weather. Her specialty areas include community and stakeholder engagement, effective climate communication, translating and applying science to decision making, and assisting planners with understanding how to apply climate projections. She was inspired to enter this field after working as a journalist covering Hurricane Sandy and the storm’s recovery along the New Jersey shore. She blends her journalism experience with risk communication expertise in all of her engagement and outreach work. She has also worked as a risk communication consultant for NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management. Sarah holds a Masters in City and Regional Planning, with a focus on coastal resilience, a Masters in Public Policy, with a focus on climate adaptation from Rutgers University, and a bachelor's degree in Journalism from Temple University.