Coastal Sensitivity/Vulnerability Characterization and Adaptation Strategies: A Review

Abstract

Coastal area constitutes a vulnerable environment and requires special attention to preserve ecosystems and human activities therein. To this aim, many studies have been devoted both in past and recent years to analyzing the main factors affecting coastal vulnerability and susceptibility. Among the most used approaches, the Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI) accounts for all relevant variables that characterize the coastal environment dealing with: (i) forcing actions (waves, tidal range, sea-level rise, etc.), (ii) morphological characteristics (geomorphology, foreshore slope, dune features, etc.), (iii) socio-economic, ecological and cultural aspects (tourism activities, natural habitats, etc.). Each variable is evaluated at each portion of the investigated coast, and associated with a vulnerability level which usually ranges from 1 (very low vulnerability), to 5 (very high vulnerability). Following a susceptibility/vulnerability analysis of a coastal stretch, specific strategies must be chosen and implemented to favor coastal resilience and adaptation, spanning from hard solutions (e.g., groins, breakwaters, etc.) to soft solutions (e.g., beach and dune nourishment projects), to the relocation option and the establishment of accommodation strategies (e.g., emergency preparedness).

Coastal Migration Index for Coastal Flooding Events Increased by Sea Level Rise due to Climate Change: Mexico and Cuba Case Studies

“…With these comparative results, it was possible to demonstrate the adaptability of the CMI to assess coastal risks with basic information, and quickly [13,29,96,97], contrary to other indices that require very specific information from each site, which is expensive to obtain [49,[98][99][100][101][102][103][104][105][106]. We agree with authors [107,108] who have explained the importance of choosing and implementing specific actions in each polygon according to the communities' needs and vulnerabilities.…”

Coastal Vulnerability Index for Kuwaiti Coast

“…The important policy, planning, practice and programs for CCA and DRR are revealed. Anfuso et al (2021) 205 published articles were reviewed and the authors examined the different vulnerability indexes, built up with forcing and morphological variables in both coastal sensitivity and vulnerability studies, together with the main coastal adaptation strategies used to reduce biophysical vulnerability. The analysis demonstrated that the more sophisticated the index or the model, the more data are required, so this point highlights the need for observations, continuous measurements and open-access databases.…”

Vulnerability Analysis of Episodic Beach Erosion by Applying Storm Wave Scenarios to a Shoreline Response Model

“…Most of the understanding of episodic erosion phenomena is based on statistical analysis of beach erosion survey data or numerical model results that rely on physical parameters related to the sediment process (Mendoza and Jimeńez, 2006;Bosom and Jimeńez, 2011;Oliveira et al, 2014;Ballesteros et al, 2017;Narra et al, 2019;Anfuso et al, 2021). Data analysis has been mainly used for the purpose of finding long-term erosion rates, and short-term erosion has recently become possible with the analysis of CCTV image data.…”