Enhancing a Coastal Territorial Vulnerability Index: Anticipating the Impacts of Coastal Flooding with a Local Scale Approach

Abstract

Abstract The coastal zone of mainland Portugal is characterized by its morpho-sedimentary diversity such as estuaries, lagoons, barrier islands, beaches, dunes and cliffs. The high population density and the multiplicity of land use, occupation and activities, makes it an area of great national strategic value. This transforms the coastal zone into a multi-hazard zone, where the occurrences related to coastal flooding and overtopping stand out. In the present work, a multidimensional methodology called Coastal Territorial Vulnerability Index (CTVI) was developed and applied in three selected areas with a historical record of coastal impacts, to analyze, evaluate and interpret the local vulnerability. The methodology considers four components of coastal territorial vulnerability: morphology, land value, buildings and public areas characteristics. These four components are combined to calculate the CTVI. The results highlight the differences for the analyzed areas, allowing the differentiation of natural and artificial areas. In the natural areas a moderate CTVI predominates, while in the latter, a high and very high CTVI stands out. The results contribute to the development of a comprehensive coastal flood risk assessment and forecasting the impacts.