Defense & Intelligence Policy, Business and Technology

The Navy adapts to rising sea levels

Marketplace: Many environmentalists have expressed concern about the incoming Trump Administration, since several of the President-elect’s picks for cabinet appointments are people who question the human impact on climate. Many fear a government pullback from efforts to combat climate change. The Department of Defense, however, is continuing work to adapt its bases to deal with possible threats associated with a warmer planet.

Naval Base Ventura County at Point Mugu sits on the Pacific coast about 90 minutes above Los Angeles. The base contains multiple warfare systems and houses deployable units like the Pacific Seabees and the West Coast E-2C Hawkeyes.

About half of the base’s seven square miles is salt marsh and is home to many marine birds and mammals. Valerie Vartanian is a natural resources manager for the Navy. Much of her work these days is dedicated to protecting the base from nature, as the ocean level rises.

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