ABSTRACT Climate change and extreme weather events pose a growing threat to the health and development of vulnerable populations in the United States. Psychological distress from extreme storms often persists for years, air pollution from wildfires increases the risk of adverse birth outcomes, and floods spread contaminants in land and water. While the threats from climate change to wellbeing are clear, research has predominantly focused on the effects of extreme events, rather than how the “new normal” under climate change can cause frequent disruptions and long-term stress for households and communities. For many coastal communities, sea level rise is creating a new normal with routine flooding from monthly high tides and rain. While those floods are not as catastrophic as hurricanes, their near-certain occurrence causes different problems – and potentially leads to different responses – than low- probability hurricane strikes. Understanding the impacts of chronic stresses from climate change, alone and in combination with acute disasters, is necessary for enabling effective adaptation. This K01 Award proposal will advance our understanding of the impacts of chronic and acute coastal flooding on migration and stress. By building on my expertise in climate exposures and impacts, it will accelerate my progress towards my career goal of becoming an independent researcher at the intersection of climate change and population science. I will train in demographic theory and methods, conduct guided readings with my mentors on measurement of psychosocial and physical health, and develop survey design and analysis skills. Then, I will apply those skills to study the interactions between flooding, migration, and health in coastal communities in the US. My research aims are: 1) to characterize the relationship between flood experience and in- and out-migration, 2) to analyze how health, economic resources, and flood experience shape migration intentions, and 3) to assess the health and economic wellbeing of movers and stayers. To achieve these aims, I will draw on two primary datasets: an administrative dataset consisting of individual address histories for most adults in eight Atlantic coast states, and a detailed household survey currently underway in four coastal North Carolina counties. My mentor team, with expertise in environmental migration, survey methods, and health measurement, are ideally suited to help me achieve my research and training goals. The outcomes of the research and data collected in this study will form the basis for future R-level proposals to expand the geographic scope of the household survey on the impacts of coastal flooding and to examine the health and development impacts of sea level rise on children and young adults. Combined, the research and training proposed here will enable me to apply my expertise in climate change adaptation to the widespread and urgent challenge of climate impacts on health, migration, and human development.

PROJECT NARRATIVE This project evaluates the interactions between flooding, migration, and psychosocial health in coastal communities in the US, with a particular focus on the impacts of frequent, smaller floods caused by rising sea levels. Drawing on a combination of large-scale administrative records and a detailed representative household survey, I will quantify the relationship between residential migration and flood experience, examine how health, economic resources, and flood exposure interact to shape migration intentions, and evaluate the health and economic wellbeing of current residents of and recent out- migrants from areas exposed to sea level rise. The outcomes of this research will generate new empirical evidence on the impacts of coastal flooding on migration and psychosocial health and will enable the development of public policies and programs that address both chronic stresses imposed by rising sea levels and extreme events to better support communities at risk.