Coastal Erosion

Coastal Vulnerability Index

The coastal vulnerability index (C.V.I.) presented here is similar to that used by Gornitz et al. (1994), as well as to the sensitivity index employed by Shaw et al. (1998). The index allows the six physical variables to be related in a quantifiable manner that expresses the relative vulnerability of the coast to physical changes due to sea-level rise. This method yields numerical data that cannot be equated directly with particular physical effects. It does, however, highlight those regions where the various effects of sea-level rise might be the greatest.