Coastal vulnerability index as a tool for current state assessment and anthropogenic activity planning for the Eastern Gulf of Finland coastal zone (the Baltic Sea)

Abstract

Coastal reclamation is a major feature of contemporary land planning. As a multicomponent natural system, the coastal zone is impacted by various external processes (inundation, erosion, etc.) and land habitat demands an increased focus on anthropogenic activity. For the first time, a coastal vulnerability index (CVI) has been determined for the easternmost area of the Gulf of Finland (the Baltic Sea) (EGoF) in order to assess vulnerability of the coastal zone to erosion. The parameters for the CVI assessment were identified on the basis of existing field observations and analysis of environmental factors expressed in the EGoF. This research is focused on coastal segments prone to the rapid development of erosion, a subject highly relevant for coastal management. The CVI assessment, based on a method proposed by Gornitz (1991), uses seven physical parameters grouped according to geological, geomorphological, lithodynamic and hydrodynamic characteristics. Storminess, or susceptibility to destructive storm events, was applied for the study area not only because of the global increase in storm activity but also because this area undergoes a “bay-effect”. An experts’ assessment distinguished the most crucial parameters that triggered the coastal erosion process, namely that coastal geology and the number of destructive storms affected coastal processes.