Assessment of shoreline dynamics and vulnerability along the Central Kerala Coast using a geospatial approach

Abstract

Coastal areas are susceptible to coastal processes, such as sea level rise and natural disasters, making them highly dynamic and vulnerable. The study examines factors such as shoreline changes, coastal slope, wave height, tidal range and landforms and shows distinct erosion, accretion and stability patterns across six littoral cells. Coastal slope and sea level rise are crucial for vulnerability assessment, with low slopes and rising sea levels indicating areas of higher risk. The Coastal Vulnerability Index categorizes zones as low, medium and high risk based on physical variables, while the linear regression method calculates an average shoreline change of −2.41 m/year erosion and 2.59 m/year accretion from 1990 to 2015. The results show that 68.14% of the shoreline is classified as low risk, 17.82% as stable and 14.18% as high risk.