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Coastal Hazards Vulnerability, Disaster Management, and Climate Change Impacts: Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Air, Climate Change and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 13989

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Komali Kantamaneni

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Guest Editor

School of Engineering and Computing, University of Central Lancashire, Fylde Rd, Preston PR1 2HE, UK
Interests: climate change; GIS; coastal vulnerability; geo hazards; geomorphology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Andrew Barkwith

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Guest Editor

British Geological Survey, Environmental Science Centre, Nottingham NG12 5GG, UK
Interests: landscape and coastal evolution; climate change; groundwater resources; urban water security
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Sigamani Panneer

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Centre for Happiness, Department of Social Work, School of Social Sciences & Humanities, Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur 610005, India
Interests: disaster management; climate change; public health; public policy and management

Dr. Carlos Jimenez-Bescos

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Guest Editor

Department of the Built Environment, Oslo Metropolitan University - OsloMet, 0130 Oslo, Norway
Interests: climate change; urban heat island impact; disasters; sustainably energy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Coastal regions are vulnerable to extreme weather, such as storms, which incur significant costs to coastal societies. As a consequence of climate change, global coastal communities are increasingly at risk from sea level rise and increased storm intensities. Rapid large-scale coastal infrastructure development, frequent strikes of intensive natural disasters, and temperature fluctuations increase coastal vulnerability. In developing countries, climate change influences can be catastrophic in terms of human cost, but with developed nations, there is also more of an economic challenge. Therefore, to inform coastal zone management, coastal vulnerability assessments with respect to present and predicted climate change scenarios are important.

The main emphasis of this Special Issue is current research on global and regional coastal vulnerability and coastal management and mitigation strategies for protecting coastal areas from diverse viewpoints. There is no geographical remit (study area) for the submissions.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

Subject areas include: (relating to the Special Issue)

Coastal disasters;
Coastal communities and infrastructure;
Coastal vulnerability;
Disaster management;
Climate change;
Vulnerability mapping;
Adaption and mitigation;
Risk assessment;
GIS and spatial tools.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

An international workshop on climate change and coastal hazards will be conducted on 11-12th May 2023 at EIC, UCLan.

The workshop organizers are pleased to invite you to submit an abstract or full paper to present at this international workshop within the remit of the following themes:

Climate change and coastal vulnerability
Risk assessment and coastal management
Disasters and risk assessment
New methods and strategies & remote sensing/satellite data
GIS and vulnerability maps

More details:
https://www.uclan.ac.uk/events/listing/adaptation-strategies-to-reduce-societal-impact-of-climate-change-and-coastal-hazards-in-the-uk

Registration link with abstract/paper submission:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfcGbVxsLdTsZ6dvHt8ZEz4qN3t47jLecEC3bk2Jx6pL3pV7w/viewform

Registration link without abstract/paper submission:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/adaptation-strategies-to-reduce-impact-of-climate-change-coastal-hazards-tickets-580750910607?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

If you need further information, please contact:
Dr. Komali Kantamaneni
Email: [email protected]

Dr. Komali Kantamaneni
Dr. Andrew Barkwith
Prof. Dr. Sigamani Panneer
Dr. Carlos Jimenez-Bescos
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

coastal vulnerability
coastal hazards
climate change
vulnerability mapping
GIS
mitigation and adaptation

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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27 pages, 19511 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Climate-Change-Related Phenomena on Coastal Ecosystems in the Mexican Caribbean

by Odette Guzmán, Edgar Mendoza, Brigitta I. van Tussenbroek and Rodolfo Silva

Sustainability 2023, 15(15), 12042; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151512042 - 06 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1985

Abstract

The intensity of climate change impacts on coastal ecosystems is determined by a combination of global, regional, and local drivers. However, many studies on the impact of climate change on ecosystems only consider trends associated with global changes. To assess the global, regional, and local trends, this research analyzes different climates in the coastal zone of the Mexican Caribbean. These drivers include sea level rise in synergy with tectonic activity, sea surface temperature, atmospheric pressure, precipitation, waves and winds. Marine climate variability from 1980 to 2020 was assessed from historical records by local/governmental agencies and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting. An up-to-date diagnosis of local changes of the coastal ecosystems was made, the magnitudes of change differ from the global means, which must be considered when identifying local climate change impacts. Coastal ecosystems, such as mangroves, coastal dunes, sandy beaches and seagrass meadows, showed no changes consistent with geophysical drivers associated with climate change. The exception was coral reefs, where increasing SST is related to coral bleaching. Regional and local anthropic drivers or disturbances other than those related to climate change, including eutrophication, massive influxes of the brown algae Sargasso and changes in land use, induced degradation of the coastal ecosystems. Communities often do not have the capacity to cope with global climate change, but the main impacts on coastal ecosystems in the coastal zone studied were induced by regional and local drivers/disturbances that can be better managed using monitoring programmes and specific management strategies. Climate change induces pressures on coastal ecosystems that affect their functioning, physiology and species distribution; therefore, this study highlights the need to understand how climate-change-related phenomena will affect ecosystems and which geophysical drivers may have priority effects. It also highlights the importance of developing robust regional/local databases to enable stakeholders to diagnose the state of coastal ecosystems and to monitor the effectiveness of actions to prevent or reverse undesirable changes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coastal Hazards Vulnerability, Disaster Management, and Climate Change Impacts: Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies)

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21 pages, 15896 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Multi-Temporal Shoreline Changes Due to a Harbor Using Remote Sensing Data and GIS Techniques

by Sanjana Zoysa, Vindhya Basnayake, Jayanga T. Samarasinghe, Miyuru B. Gunathilake, Komali Kantamaneni, Nitin Muttil, Uttam Pawar and Upaka Rathnayake

Sustainability 2023, 15(9), 7651; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097651 - 06 May 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3032

Abstract

Coastal landforms are continuously shaped by natural and human-induced forces, exacerbating the associated coastal hazards and risks. Changes in the shoreline are a critical concern for sustainable coastal zone management. However, a limited amount of research has been carried out on the coastal belt of Sri Lanka. Thus, this study investigates the spatiotemporal evolution of the shoreline dynamics on the Oluvil coastline in the Ampara district in Sri Lanka for a two-decade period from 1991 to 2021, where the economically significant Oluvil Harbor exists by utilizing remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) techniques. Shorelines for each year were delineated using Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM), Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), and Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager images. The Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) was applied as a spectral value index approach to differentiate land masses from water bodies. Subsequently, the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) tool was used to assess shoreline changes, including Shoreline Change Envelope (SCE), Net Shoreline Movement (NSM), End Point Rate (EPR), and Linear Regression Rate (LRR). The results reveal that the Oluvil coast has undergone both accretion and erosion over the years, primarily due to harbor construction. The highest SCE values were calculated within the Oluvil harbor region, reaching 523.8 m. The highest NSM ranges were recorded as −317.1 to −81.3 m in the Oluvil area and 156.3–317.5 m in the harbor and its closest point in the southern direction. The maximum rate of EPR was observed to range from 3 m/year to 10.7 m/year towards the south of the harbor, and from −10.7 m/year to −3.0 m/year towards the north of the harbor. The results of the LRR analysis revealed that the rates of erosion anomaly range from −3 m/year to −10 m/year towards the north of the harbor, while the beach advances at a rate of 3 m/year to 14.3 m/year towards the south of the harbor. The study area has undergone erosion of 40 ha and accretion of 84.44 ha. These findings can serve as valuable input data for sustainable coastal zone management along the Oluvil coast in Sri Lanka, safeguarding the coastal habitats by mitigating further anthropogenic vulnerabilities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coastal Hazards Vulnerability, Disaster Management, and Climate Change Impacts: Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies)

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25 pages, 6568 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Integrated Flood Risk Management Approach Using Mesh Grid Stability and Hydrodynamic Model

by Azazkhan Pathan, Komali Kantamaneni, Prasit Agnihotri, Dhruvesh Patel, Saif Said and Sudhir Kumar Singh

Sustainability 2022, 14(24), 16401; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416401 - 07 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1605

Abstract

Today, inhabitants residing in floodplains face a serious and perpetual threat of flooding. Flooding causes fatalities and considerable property damage in metropolitan areas. Therefore, robust structural measures need to be adopted to eliminate flood catastrophe. Structural measures in the floodplain are the most promising solutions. However, there are cost-associated factors for proposing a flood retention plan. Navsari city (98.36 km², area extent) of Gujarat was used as a case study to investigate the impact of mesh grid structures (100 m, 90 m, and 50 m) along with structural measures for the preparation of a flood retention plan. The HEC-RAS 2D hydrodynamic model was performed for the Purna River. The output of the model was characterized by four different scenarios: (i) Without weir and levees (WOWL), (ii) With weir (WW), (iii) With levees (WL), and (iv) With weir and levees (WWL). The statistical parameters (R², RMSE, NSE, inundation time, and inundation area) were determined to evaluate model accuracy. The outcome of the model revealed that a 50 m size mesh grid exhibited more accurate results, yielding high NSE and R² values (0.982 and 0.9855), a low RMSE value (0.450 m), and a smaller inundation area (114.61 km²). The results further revealed that the WW scenario was the most effective flood retention measure as it delayed the flood water for up to 16 h, and managed the flood with the WOWL case. Moreover, the mean error (WW scenario) estimated from profiles 1 and 2 ranged from (−0.7 to 0.62) and from (−0.1 to 0.02 m), respectively, which were evaluated as very low when compared with other scenarios. The novel scenario-based flood retention plan emphasizing the stability of mesh grid structures using the hydrodynamic model can be applied to any other region around the globe to recommend efficacious structural flood measures for flood decision making systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coastal Hazards Vulnerability, Disaster Management, and Climate Change Impacts: Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies)

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22 pages, 6408 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Future Impacts of ESL Events in Euro-Mediterranean Coastal Cities: The Coast-RiskBySea Model to Assess the Potential Economic Damages in Naples, Marseille and Barcelona

by Maria Fabrizia Clemente

Sustainability 2022, 14(16), 10096; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141610096 - 15 Aug 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1500

Abstract

In coastal cities, the effects of climate change will cause an increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme sea level (ESL). In this scenario, the application of the Coast-RiskBySea model is proposed to assess the economic impacts of ESL on the built environment in three Euro-Mediterranean coastal cities: Naples, Barcelona, and Marseille. The risk (land use-based) is assessed in the GIS environment as a function of the potential direct and tangible economic damages. The results highlight risk scenarios in all three cities with significant economic damages expected, requiring the implementation of climate mitigation and adaptation measures to reduce the current impacts and limit future ones. The simulations highlight the potential of both remote sensing data and GIS systems to carry out homogeneous environmental analyses over wide areas. The results that were obtained are compared with existing works to verify the reliability of the Coast-RiskBySea model. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coastal Hazards Vulnerability, Disaster Management, and Climate Change Impacts: Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies)

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17 pages, 5856 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Coastal Disasters on Women in Urban Slums: A New Index

by Komali Kantamaneni, Sigamani Panneer, N.N.V. Sudha Rani, Udhayakumar Palaniswamy, Lekha D. Bhat, Carlos Jimenez-Bescos and Louis Rice

Sustainability 2022, 14(6), 3472; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063472 - 16 Mar 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3256

Abstract

Coastal hazards, particularly cyclones, floods, erosion and storm surges, are emerging as a cause for major concern in the coastal regions of Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. Serious coastal disaster events have become more common in recent decades, triggering substantial destruction to the low-lying coastal areas and a high death toll. Further, women living in informal and slum housing along the Vijayawada coastline of Andhra Pradesh (CAP), India, suffer from multiple social, cultural and economic inequalities as well. These conditions accelerate and worsen women’s vulnerability among this coastal population. The existing literature demonstrates these communities’ susceptibility to diverse coastal disasters but fails to offer gender-specific vulnerability in urban informal housing in the Vijayawada area. Accordingly, the current study developed a novel gender-specific Women’s Coastal Vulnerability Index (WCVI) to assess the impact of coastal disasters on women and their preparedness in Vijayawada. Field data was collected from over 300 women through surveys (2) and workshops (2) between November 2018 and June 2019, and Arc-GIS tools were used to generate vulnerability maps. Results show that women are more vulnerable than men, with a higher death rate during coastal disaster strikes. The current study also found that gender-specific traditional wear is one of the main factors for this specific vulnerability in this area. Furthermore, the majority of the women tend to be located at home to care for the elders and children, and this is associated with more fatalities during disaster events. Homes, particularly for the urban poor, are typically very small and located in narrow and restricted sites, which are a barrier for women to escape from unsafe residential areas during disasters. Overall, the research reveals that most of the coastal disaster events had a disproportionately negative impact on women. The results from this present study offer valuable information to aid evidence-based policy- and decision-makers to improve existing or generate innovative policies to save women’s lives and improve their livelihood in coastal areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coastal Hazards Vulnerability, Disaster Management, and Climate Change Impacts: Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies)

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Review

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18 pages, 1507 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Systematic Review Investigating the Use of Earth Observation for the Assistance of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Disaster Response and Recovery

by Aamina Shah, Komali Kantamaneni, Shirish Ravan and Luiza C. Campos

Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3290; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043290 - 10 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1291

Abstract

The use of Earth observation technology such as satellites, unmanned aircraft, or drones as part of early-warning systems and disaster risk reduction plans is a widely researched and established area of study. However, the use this technology can have in the provision of water, sanitation and hygiene services in the response and recovery phases of a disaster is not widely researched. A systematic literature review was undertaken assessing relevant literature to identify Earth observation technology and methods that can be applied to the context of water, sanitation and hygiene in disaster response and recovery. Whilst there were many water-related studies, there was a lack of studies looking at the potential uses of Earth observation for sanitation. This is an area that requires further research. Three main common uses of Earth observation technology were identified as relevant: (1) Monitoring of surface water quality; (2) Groundwater Sensing; and (3) Mapping and monitoring of hazards and infrastructure. Whilst the studies of Earth observation in these areas highlight that this technology could be usefully applied to assist with water, sanitation and hygiene during disaster response and recovery, more research is needed and there are limitations to consider—predominantly that funding, communication and integration between many agencies and technologies are required. Additionally, some technologies are subject to local regulations which can cause restrictions to their use over contested or private areas, or trans-national boundaries—common situations in disasters. This review was largely influenced by the search strings inputted during the identification of relevant literature; changing the search strings would likely result in a different combination of literature available for review and subsequent variations in the findings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coastal Hazards Vulnerability, Disaster Management, and Climate Change Impacts: Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies)

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