Coastal erosion and vulnerability of the NSW region: Shoalhaven case study
This research aims to assess approaches to determining coastal vulnerability to shoreline change. The goal of this study is to produce a relative ranking of the shoreline in response to hazards and determine those factors that increase or decrease it. The project aims at answering the research question –“ Can we develop an approach to assessing coastal vulnerability that is useful for coastal managers based on scaling segments of the coast in terms of geological and physical parameters?”
Field work involves measuring variables that have been divided into geologic and physical process variables. The geologic variables are dune height, barrier types, beach states which is taken to replace relief, rock types and landforms respectively in other studies conducted in the USA and is more applicable to the NSW coast of Australia. Another geologic variable is shoreline erosion and accretion rates. Physical process variables are relative sea-level change, mean significant wave height and tidal range. Preliminary laboratory results indicate that geologic variables show the most spatial variability and thus have the most influence on coastal vulnerability indices (CVI).
Abuodha, P. A. and Woodroffe, C. D., 2006. International assessments of the vulnerability of the coastal zone to climate change, including an Australian perspective. Report for the Australian Greenhouse Office in response to RFQ 116/2005DEH. 69 pp.
Abuodha, P. A. and Woodroffe, C. D., 2006. Assessing vulnerability of coasts to climate change: a review of approaches and their application to the Australian coast. Paper to be presented at the CoastGIS ‘06 conference 13-16 July, 2006 Sydney and Wollongong, NSW Australia
Baker, C., Abuodha, P. A., Lemmon, J., Brown, H., Marthick, J., Wilthsire, G. and Woodroffe, C. D., 2006. GIS as a tool for the better management of Wollongong’s beaches, NSW, Australia. Poster to be presented at the CoastGIS ‘06 conference 13-16 July, 2006 Sydney and Wollongong, NSW Australia
