Abstract
Coastal areas worldwide represent an aggregation of population and assets of growing economic, geopolitical, and sociocultural significance, yet their functions are increasingly challenged by worsening coastal hazards. Vulnerability assessments have been recognized as one way we can better understand which geographic areas and segments of society are more susceptible to adverse impacts from different stressors or hazards. The aims of this paper are to evaluate the state of coastal vulnerability assessment mapping efforts and to identify opportunities for advancement and refinement that will lead to more cohesive, impactful, and policy-relevant coastal vulnerability studies. We conducted a systematic review of the literature that addresses physical and social vulnerability to coastal hazards and contains corresponding mapping products. The content was analyzed for the scale of analysis, location, disciplinary focus, conceptual framework, metrics used, methodological approach, data sources, mapping output, and policy relevance. Results showed that most Coastal Vulnerability Mapping Assessments (CVMAs) are conducted at the local level using a range of methodologies, often with limited inclusion of social considerations and limited discussion of policy relevance. Based on our analysis, we provide seven recommendations for the advancement of this field that would improve CVMAs’ methodological rigor, policy relevance, and alignment with other vulnerability assessment paradigms.
Highlights
Depending on one’s definition of the coastal zone, the population living in it ranges from 323 million at 0–5 m elevation above mean sea level (AMSL), to 1.1 billion at 0–20 m AMSL, to 2.5 billion people living within 100 km of the coast [1,2]
In order to fill this gap, this paper systematically evaluates recent coastal vulnerability mapping assessments (CVMAs) from the peer-reviewed and gray literature to determine the typology of existing studies, applied methodological approaches and mapping products, and their policy relevance
It may suggest that this trend reflects more confidence among researchers in exploring the nexus of physical and social circumstances in the coastal zone, using vulnerability mapping in parallel with the advancement and visibility of the vulnerability field in other disciplines
Summary
Depending on one’s definition of the coastal zone, the population living in it ranges from 323 million at 0–5 m elevation above mean sea level (AMSL), to 1.1 billion at 0–20 m AMSL, to 2.5 billion people living within 100 km of the coast [1,2]. Coastal populations are growing rapidly and are projected to continue to grow faster than inland areas [3,4,5,6,7,8,9]. This growing population is accompanied by a significant increase in coastal development, a trend that is likely to continue for the foreseeable future [5]. The total population exposed to coastal flooding could increase 3-fold by the 2070s due to the combined effects of sea level rise, land subsidence, population growth, and urbanization [12]. Recent research suggests that economic assets exposed to flooding from a once-in-a-century flood event are expected to increase by 200% by 2050 [23]
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