What Rising Seas Institute does

The Rising Seas Institute is an interdisciplinary research and education center within Nova Southeastern University's NSU Ocean division, headquartered at 3300 S. University Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Founded by oceanographer John Englander and the late Robert Corell (a 2007 Nobel Peace Prize co-recipient through his IPCC work), the institute focuses on sea level rise adaptation, fostering collaboration across business, finance, real estate, city planning, engineering, coastal resilience, public health, environmental law, and policy. Its mission is to advance intelligent adaptation strategies that help coastal communities understand, plan for, and respond to rising seas.

The institute operates a portfolio of programs rather than a single product. Core offerings include: (1) Greenland Expeditions, immersive educational trips limited to 8-10 travelers that provide firsthand observation of glacial melt; (2) Speaking engagements by John Englander delivered to the U.S. Congress, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard, Port of San Francisco, City of Miami Beach, and the Florida Bar Association, among others; (3) two published books by John Englander, "Moving to Higher Ground: Rising Sea Level and the Path Forward" (2021) and "High Tide on Main Street" (2012); and (4) digital humanities collaborations, notably the ArcGIS-based "Rising Tides: Visualizing South Florida's Future" interactive story map collection developed with NSU students. For 2026, the expedition program is being expanded to include public June and August trips plus an NSU Trustees VIP trip in July, alongside the existing Explorers VIP format.

The business model is not a conventional commercial enterprise. The institute is an academic research unit within Nova Southeastern University and does not publish separate financial statements or maintain independent funding rounds. Revenue is generated through speaking fees (not publicly disclosed), expedition participation fees (not publicly disclosed), book royalties via Amazon and other retailers, and donations/gifts to support the mission. Customer segments span government organizations (federal, state, and local agencies), business and finance leaders, educational institutions, scientists and researchers, and media reporters. The institute does not operate a traditional go-to-market or pricing infrastructure, functioning instead as an academic coordination hub whose value is conveyed through expert-led field experiences, content, and convening.

Name

Rising Seas Institute

Legal name

Rising Seas Institute

Website

https://risingseasinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Rising Seas Institute is an interdisciplinary research center within Nova Southeastern University's NSU Ocean, focused on sea level rise adaptation. It delivers Greenland expeditions, speaking engagements, published books, and digital visualization tools to governments, business leaders, educators, and researchers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Research & Education

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI), Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE), Earth Science & Geoscience Programs (EDAMABAI)

Keywords

• Climate research
• Sea level rise
• Educational expeditions
• Climate visualization
• Science communication

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Lauderdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Rising Seas Institute is a research and education initiative that provides science-based information on sea level rise and climate adaptation. Its core offerings include scholarly research, Greenland educational expeditions, keynote speaking engagements, published books, and a "Rising Tides" visualization tool. The institute serves governments, businesses, educational institutions, and media organizations seeking expert guidance on climate impacts.

Product overview

The Rising Seas Institute is an interdisciplinary research and education initiative under NSU Ocean (Nova Southeastern University) focused on sea level rise adaptation. The Institute operates as a coordination hub rather than a single product, offering multiple interconnected programs: research and education initiatives spanning coastal resilience, climate preparedness, and adaptation strategies; immersive Greenland Expeditions for business leaders, scientists, and the public; public speaking engagements by founding director John Englander; digital humanities projects like the ArcGIS-based 'Rising Tides' story map collection; and published books including 'Moving to Higher Ground' and 'High Tide on Main Street'. The portfolio collectively addresses sea level rise through research, education, field experience, and public communication.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Greenland Educational Expeditions Curated, expert-led expeditions to Greenland designed for executives, institutional leaders, and educational groups to observe glacial retreat and sea level rise impacts firsthand. The program is tailored to audiences seeking immersive, science-based learning experiences.
• Keynote Speaking Engagements Keynote and speaking presentations on sea level rise science and climate adaptation, delivered by John Englander to governments, businesses, conferences, and educational institutions. Engagements are tailored to audience and use case.
• Rising Tides (Book) Published book authored by John Englander that explains the science and implications of sea level rise for general, business, and policy audiences. Distributed through traditional publishing and retail channels.
• Moving to Higher Ground (Book) Published book by John Englander focused on adaptation strategies and responses to rising sea levels, aimed at general readers and decision-makers. Distributed through traditional publishing channels.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Nova Southeastern University (NSU) OceancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Rising Seas Institute is an integral part of NSU Ocean, Nova Southeastern University's marine science portfolio. The institute collaborates with other NSU Ocean institutes including the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center, National Coral Reef Institute, and Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program for interdisciplinary research and outreach initiatives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• ICLEI USA: ICLEI USA supports local governments in climate planning, resilience and adaptation through toolkits and peer networks. It overlaps with Rising Seas Institute's government and city planning segments, but focuses on municipal capacity building rather than direct research or expeditions.
• Resilient Cities Network: Resilient Cities Network is a global network of cities working on urban climate resilience and adaptation strategy. Comparable to Rising Seas Institute in addressing coastal resilience and adaptation planning for city stakeholders, but it operates as a city-network platform rather than an expedition-and-content organization.

Direct peers

• Climate Central: Climate Central is a non-profit climate science and communications organization that produces sea level rise mapping, visualization tools and research widely cited by media and policymakers. It is directly comparable to Rising Seas Institute in mission (sea level rise awareness and adaptation) and audience (government, media, business leaders), though it is larger and more data-platform driven.
• Union of Concerned Scientists: Union of Concerned Scientists is a U.S. non-profit that combines climate science research with policy advocacy and expert communication. It overlaps with Rising Seas Institute in translating climate science for policymakers and the public, but operates at far greater scale across multiple climate topics beyond sea level rise.
• Risky Business Project: Risky Business Project quantifies the economic risks of climate change for the U.S. economy and targets business and policy leaders, including real estate and coastal exposure. It mirrors Rising Seas Institute's focus on translating climate science into economic and business implications for decision-makers.
• First Street Foundation: First Street Foundation is a non-profit research and technology organization that quantifies climate-related property and flood risk in the U.S. Like Rising Seas Institute, it targets real estate, finance and government decision-makers with climate risk data; the peer is more data-and-platform oriented while RSI emphasizes expeditions and advisory content.
• Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES): C2ES is a climate and energy policy think tank producing analysis for government and business decision-makers. It shares Rising Seas Institute's positioning at the intersection of climate science, policy and corporate strategy, though it is broader in scope and located in the policy hub of Arlington, Virginia.
• Climate Reality Project: Climate Reality Project is a climate education and advocacy organization founded by Al Gore that trains speakers and runs public campaigns on climate change. Comparable to Rising Seas Institute in using authoritative spokespeople, public talks and educational programs to drive climate action, though its scope spans all of climate change rather than sea level rise specifically.

Regional players

• 1000 Friends of Florida: 1000 Friends of Florida is a Florida-focused non-profit advocating for sustainable growth, climate adaptation and coastal resilience. It is highly comparable to Rising Seas Institute in Florida-specific focus on sea level rise planning and policy, though it leans toward advocacy and land-use planning rather than expeditions or oceanographic research.

Broad incumbents

• Environmental Defense Fund: Environmental Defense Fund is one of the largest U.S. environmental non-profits working on climate, oceans and policy. It is comparable to Rising Seas Institute in applying climate and ocean science to business and policy outcomes, but it operates at vastly greater scale and across many topics beyond sea level rise.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/novasoutheasternuniversity
• Facebookfacebook.com/NSUFlorida
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rising-seas-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/NSUFlorida

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rising Seas Institute