Spatial Analysis for Coastal Vulnerability Assessment

Authors

Jarbas Bonetti, University of Wollongong, Federal University of Santa CatarinaFollow
Colin D. Woodroffe, University of WollongongFollow

RIS ID

113132

Publication Details

Bonetti, J. & Woodroffe, C. (2017). Spatial Analysis for Coastal Vulnerability Assessment. In D. Bartlett & L. Celliers (Eds.), Geoinformatics for Marine and Coastal Management (pp. 367-395). Boca Raton, United States: CRC Press.

Abstract

Coastal systems are complex. They are variable across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Coastal processes cannot always be described by the basic laws of physics because the multiplicity of components, some hardly predictable, interact dynamically along a highly interconnected surface. Bak (1997) argued that complex behaviour in nature reflects the tendency of some systems to evolve into a 'poised, critical state, way out of balance', where minor disturbances may initiate a wide range of events. This seems to apply particularly well to coastal systems.