Vulnerability Assessment of a Coastal Dune System at São Francisco do Sul Island, Santa Catarina, Brazil

Fernanda Alquini,Giovanni Sarti,Duccio Bertoni,Daniela Ciccarelli,Celso Voos Vieira,João Carlos Ferreira De Melo Júnior,Alessandro Pozzebon

doi:10.1088/1755-1315/44/5/052028

Abstract

In this paper a Coastal Dune Vulnerability Index (CDVI) has been applied on a beach located in the eastern side of Sao Francisco do Sul Island (Brazil). The aim of this study is to assess the vulnerability of a coastal dune system and to identify the areas that result most sensitive to environmental changes. The CDVI has been applied along six transects traced out on two sectors that have been selected based on dune characteristics: Zone A is characterized by well developed parabolic dunes, whereas Zone B is characterized by transverse dunes. The analysis involved 51 quantitative and qualitative variables, divided into five groups: geomorphological dune system condition, marine influence, Aeolian effect, vegetation condition and human effect. The total CDVI was computed as the unweighted average of the partial vulnerability indices. In summary, the total vulnerability can be classified as medium: the geomorphological factor must be monitored at Grande beach, in particular the blowouts in Zone A and the frontal dune retreat in Zone B. The results of the study confirm that the management of coastal areas might be improved using a tool such as the CDVI, which can be easily applied on a regular basis to take under control the factors that mostly affect the evolution of the site.

Highlights

Coastal areas have always exerted a great attraction to humans due to economic, social or recreational reasons
The Coastal Dune Vulnerability Index (CDVI) has been applied along six transects traced out on two sectors that have been selected based on dune characteristics: Zone A is characterized by well developed parabolic dunes, whereas Zone B is characterized by transverse dunes
The total vulnerability can be classified as medium: the geomorphological factor must be monitored at Grande beach, in particular the blowouts in Zone A and the frontal dune retreat in Zone B

Summary

Introduction

Coastal areas have always exerted a great attraction to humans due to economic, social or recreational reasons. The intensity of tropical and extratropical storms will increase in the decades adding up to climate change and rising sea level, making the coastal areas extremely vulnerable [3, 4]). The northern coast of Santa Catarina is not known historically for recurrent natural disasters such as cyclones or frequent and intense storms. Regardless, it is already experiencing serious environmental problems such as coastal erosion, degradation of the dunes, urbanization, pollution and loss of biodiversity.

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Conclusion