Coastal Vulnerability Assessment of Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park to Sea-Level Rise
Pendleton EA, Thieler ER, Williams SJ. 2006. Coastal Vulnerability Assessment of Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park to Sea-Level Rise. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Open-File Report. 2005-1248. U.S. Geologic Survey. Reston, VA
A coastal vulnerability index (CVI) was used to map the relative vulnerability of the coast to future sea-level rise within Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park in Hawaii. The CVI ranks the following in terms of their physical contribution to sea-level rise-related coastal change: geomorphology, regional coastal slope, rate of relative sea-level 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 500-meter 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. Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park consists of carbonate sand beaches, coral rubble, rocky shoreline, and mangrove wetland areas. The areas within Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park that are likely to be most vulnerable to sea-level rise based on this analysis are areas of unconsolidated sediment and highest wave energy.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Pendleton, Elizabeth; Thieler, E.; Williams, S.
- Date of Issue
- 2006
- Publisher
- U.S. Geologic Survey
- Units
- HIST , KAHO , WRD
- Keywords
- Calculating the vulnerability index, ehistory, Geologic variables, Geology, History, Physical Process variables, sea-level rise