Coastal Vulnerability Assessment of Cumberland Island National Seashore (CUIS) to Sea-Level Rise
Pendleton EA, Thieler ER, Williams SJ. 2004. Coastal Vulnerability Assessment of Cumberland Island National Seashore (CUIS) to Sea-Level Rise. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2004-1196
A coastal vulnerability index (CVI) was used to map the relative vulnerability of the coast to future sea-level rise within Cumberland Island National Seashore in Georgia. The CVI ranks the following in terms of their physical contribution to sea-level riserelated coastal change: geomorphology, regional coastal slope, rate of relative sealevel rise, historical shoreline change rates, mean tidal range and mean significant wave height. The rankings for each input variable were combined and an index value calculated for 1-minute grid cells covering the park. The CVI highlights those regions where the physical effects of sea-level rise might be the greatest. This approach combines the coastal system's susceptibility to change with its natural ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions, yielding a quantitative, although relative, measure of the park's natural vulnerability to the effects of sea-level rise. The CVI provides an objective technique for evaluation and long-term planning by scientists and park managers. Cumberland Island National Seashore consists of stable to washover-dominated portions of barrier beach backed by wetland, marsh, mudflat and tidal creek. The areas within Cumberland that are likely to be most vulnerable to sealevel rise are those with the lowest foredune ridge and highest rates of shoreline erosion.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Pendleton, Elizabeth; Thieler, E.; Williams, S.
- Date of Issue
- 2004
- Units
- CUIS , HIST
- Keywords
- Assessment, Cumberland Island, Cumberland Island National Seashore, ehistory, History, National seashore, rise, Sea-level, vulnerability