High-Resolution Coastal Vulnerability Assessment for the Istrian Peninsula: Developing a Physical Coastal Vulnerability Index (PCVI)
Increasing risks from sea-level rise and other climate impacts call for a focus on physical coastal attributes, emphasising the need for region-specific tools to address the vulnerability of different coastlines. This paper presents the development of a Physical Coastal Vulnerability Index (PCVI) fo...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-03-01
|
| Series: | Geosciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/15/3/85 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850203928800526336 |
|---|---|
| author | Zaviša Šimac Nina Lončar Sanja Faivre |
| author_facet | Zaviša Šimac Nina Lončar Sanja Faivre |
| author_sort | Zaviša Šimac |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Increasing risks from sea-level rise and other climate impacts call for a focus on physical coastal attributes, emphasising the need for region-specific tools to address the vulnerability of different coastlines. This paper presents the development of a Physical Coastal Vulnerability Index (PCVI) for climate change impacts like sea-level rise, erosion, and storm surges, which is applied to the Croatian coast of the Istrian Peninsula. The methodology provides a detailed, site-specific vulnerability assessment focusing on physical parameters such as coastal aspect, slope, elevation, and coastal type. Eight different grid cell sizes were evaluated to map the coastline, demonstrating, as expected, that smaller cells (5 × 5 m) captured more detailed variability in vulnerability. Among seven evaluated calculation methods, the second root of the self-weighted arithmetic mean (M3) proved the most effective, emphasising high-risk regions by prioritising critical physical variables. The results show that the western Istrian coast is more vulnerable due to its morphological properties, with nearly 50% of highly vulnerable coastlines. This paper emphasises the importance of using high-resolution grids to avoid oversimplification of vulnerability assessment and recommends using PCVI as a basis for further socio-economic assessments. The proposed PCVI methodology offers a framework that can be adapted to assess the physical vulnerability of the eastern Adriatic coast and other similar coastal regions, particularly in the Mediterranean, enhancing its relevance for integrated coastal zone management and global climate change mitigation strategies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b9b3a8b302c8498e86969ee102958b2e |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2076-3263 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geosciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-b9b3a8b302c8498e86969ee102958b2e2025-08-20T02:11:23ZengMDPI AGGeosciences2076-32632025-03-011538510.3390/geosciences15030085High-Resolution Coastal Vulnerability Assessment for the Istrian Peninsula: Developing a Physical Coastal Vulnerability Index (PCVI)Zaviša Šimac0Nina Lončar1Sanja Faivre2University of Applied Science Velika Gorica, 10410 Velika Gorica, CroatiaGeospatial Analysis Lab, Department of Geography, University of Zadar, 23000 Zadar, CroatiaDepartment of Geography, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaIncreasing risks from sea-level rise and other climate impacts call for a focus on physical coastal attributes, emphasising the need for region-specific tools to address the vulnerability of different coastlines. This paper presents the development of a Physical Coastal Vulnerability Index (PCVI) for climate change impacts like sea-level rise, erosion, and storm surges, which is applied to the Croatian coast of the Istrian Peninsula. The methodology provides a detailed, site-specific vulnerability assessment focusing on physical parameters such as coastal aspect, slope, elevation, and coastal type. Eight different grid cell sizes were evaluated to map the coastline, demonstrating, as expected, that smaller cells (5 × 5 m) captured more detailed variability in vulnerability. Among seven evaluated calculation methods, the second root of the self-weighted arithmetic mean (M3) proved the most effective, emphasising high-risk regions by prioritising critical physical variables. The results show that the western Istrian coast is more vulnerable due to its morphological properties, with nearly 50% of highly vulnerable coastlines. This paper emphasises the importance of using high-resolution grids to avoid oversimplification of vulnerability assessment and recommends using PCVI as a basis for further socio-economic assessments. The proposed PCVI methodology offers a framework that can be adapted to assess the physical vulnerability of the eastern Adriatic coast and other similar coastal regions, particularly in the Mediterranean, enhancing its relevance for integrated coastal zone management and global climate change mitigation strategies.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/15/3/85coastal vulnerabilitysea-level riseclimate change impactsAdriatic coast |
| spellingShingle | Zaviša Šimac Nina Lončar Sanja Faivre High-Resolution Coastal Vulnerability Assessment for the Istrian Peninsula: Developing a Physical Coastal Vulnerability Index (PCVI) Geosciences coastal vulnerability sea-level rise climate change impacts Adriatic coast |
| title | High-Resolution Coastal Vulnerability Assessment for the Istrian Peninsula: Developing a Physical Coastal Vulnerability Index (PCVI) |
| title_full | High-Resolution Coastal Vulnerability Assessment for the Istrian Peninsula: Developing a Physical Coastal Vulnerability Index (PCVI) |
| title_fullStr | High-Resolution Coastal Vulnerability Assessment for the Istrian Peninsula: Developing a Physical Coastal Vulnerability Index (PCVI) |
| title_full_unstemmed | High-Resolution Coastal Vulnerability Assessment for the Istrian Peninsula: Developing a Physical Coastal Vulnerability Index (PCVI) |
| title_short | High-Resolution Coastal Vulnerability Assessment for the Istrian Peninsula: Developing a Physical Coastal Vulnerability Index (PCVI) |
| title_sort | high resolution coastal vulnerability assessment for the istrian peninsula developing a physical coastal vulnerability index pcvi |
| topic | coastal vulnerability sea-level rise climate change impacts Adriatic coast |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/15/3/85 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT zavisasimac highresolutioncoastalvulnerabilityassessmentfortheistrianpeninsuladevelopingaphysicalcoastalvulnerabilityindexpcvi AT ninaloncar highresolutioncoastalvulnerabilityassessmentfortheistrianpeninsuladevelopingaphysicalcoastalvulnerabilityindexpcvi AT sanjafaivre highresolutioncoastalvulnerabilityassessmentfortheistrianpeninsuladevelopingaphysicalcoastalvulnerabilityindexpcvi |