Operational Early Warning Systems and Socio-Ecological Risk in the U.S. Gulf Coast: Integrating Ecosystem Loss and Social Vulnerability, a Scoping Review

Early warning systems support hazard detection, forecasting, and communication, yet U.S. Gulf Coast warning practice often treats hazards, coastal ecosystem change, and vulnerability constraints as separate domains. This paper maps operational early warning systems for climate hazards across Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, and assesses whether ecosystem protective functions and social vulnerability are integrated into warning thresholds, dissemination design, and response planning. Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus were searched (timespan limit 2020 to 2026), alongside targeted searches of NOAA/NWS/NHC, FEMA IPAWS, CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index, IOOS (GCOOS), USGS, and state coastal agencies including CPRA. Searches ran from 15 September 2025 to 18 January 2026. Three independent reviewers screened records and resolved disagreements by consensus. Data were charted using a standardized matrix covering hazard focus, geography, lead organizations, products, dissemination channels, ecosystem indicators, equity features, and governance arrangements. 861 records were identified; 440 duplicates were removed and 421 abstracts were screened. Full text was unavailable for 300 records, leaving 121 reports assessed for eligibility. Ninety were excluded for lacking U.S. Gulf Coast focus and six Spanish language reports were excluded, resulting in 25 sources for charting and synthesis. Socio-ecological integration was inconsistently operationalized, with uneven documentation of how ecosystem condition and vulnerability constraints informed thresholds, accessible messaging, and preparedness supports. End-to-end warning effectiveness can be strengthened through interoperable interfaces between monitoring programs, warning operations, and emergency management, paired with equity and accessibility workflows that translate forecasts into feasible protective actions.