Exploring Macroalgae as Renewable Energy Source
The Takeaway: The cultivation of marine macroalgae, such as seaweed and kelp, could benefit both human energy needs and ocean ecology.
Learn MoreStates / U.S. Virgin Islands
Population
Coastal Employment
Annual Wages
Climate and Weather Disasters
(Affecting U.S. Virgin Islands 2010 to 2018)*s
The entire population of the U.S. Virgin Islands—106,400 people—lives in coastal portions of the territory.
The U.S. Virgin Islands employs over 37,000 people annually, earning a total of almost $1.5 billion.
Two billion-dollar weather disasters affected the U.S. Virgin Islands between 2010 and 2018. Hurricanes Irma and Maria both hit the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2017. Before making landfall in the Florida Keys as a category 4 hurricane in early September, 2017, Irma devastated the U.S. Virgin Islands as a category 5 storm. Two weeks later, Hurricane Maria struck St. Croix, causing further devastation to the ravaged islands.**
U.S. Virgin Islands’ coral reefs provide millions of dollars in protection to buildings and the local economy—over $47 million every year (this includes St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John).***
Sources:
American Community Survey Five-Year Estimates (NOAA Data)
*Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (NOAA Website)
**Report: Rigorously Valuing the Role of U.S. Coral Reefs in Coastal Hazard Risk Reduction (U.S. Geological Survey)
(All economic and demographic facts represent the latest data available [2015] and are regularly updated as new data become available)
The Takeaway: The cultivation of marine macroalgae, such as seaweed and kelp, could benefit both human energy needs and ocean ecology.
Learn MoreThe Takeaway: Some U.S. coastal communities have plentiful data for creating robust resilience plans. Others are struggling to catch up. NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management is focused on providing equal access to the data, tools, and expertise they deserve.
Learn More