National Assessment of Coastal Vulnerability to Sea-Level Rise: Preliminary Results for the U.S. Atlantic Coast
Summary
The coastal vulnerability index (CVI) provides insight into the
relative potential of coastal change due to future sea-level rise.
The maps and data presented here can be viewed in at least two
ways:
- as a base for developing a more complete inventory of
variables influencing the coastal vulnerability to future sea-level
rise to which other elements can be added as they become available;
and
- as an example of the potential for assessing coastal
vulnerability to future sea-level rise using objective
criteria.
As ranked in this study, coastal geomorphology is the most
important variable in determining the CVI. Coastal slope, wave
height, relative sea-level rise, and tide range provide large-scale
variability to the coastal vulnerability index. Erosion and
accretion rates contribute the greatest variability to the CVI at
short (~3 km) spatial scales. The rates of shoreline change,
however, are the most complex and poorly documented variable in
this data set. The rates used here are based on a dated,
low-resolution data set and thus far corrections have been made
only on a preliminary level. To best understand where physical
changes may occur, large-scale variables must be clearly and
accurately mapped, and small-scale variables must be understood on
a scale that takes into account their geologic, environmental, and
anthropogenic influences.
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