A multi dimensional approach to evaluate the composite vulnerability status for the southern coast of tamil nadu

Abstract

Coastal areas worldwide are preferred destinations for a variety of newlinehuman activities. Coastal populations and urban agglomerations are steadily newlineincreasing. Many coastal locations are considered to be at risk as they are newlinefrequently exposed to natural hazards, including cyclones, storm surges, newlinetsunami, erosion and accretion, which are constantly affecting the shorelines, newlineresulting in loss of human habitation and degradation of ecosystems. In newlineaddition, anthropogenic activities that produce a number of stressors (e.g. newlinepollution, habitat fragmentation or destruction, introduction of invasive newlinespecies, unsustainable fishing, hydrological changes) from both land and sea newlinehave varying impacts on different components of the coastal and marine newlineecosystems. Coastal engineering, such as artificial inlets, embankments, newlinebreakwaters, groynes and seawalls promote various undesirable changes in newlinecoastal systems, including siltation and erosion.The trend in studies on coastal vulnerability is towards more holistic assessments; even here, only physical and social vulnerability are newlineconsidered to a large extent. In the case of environmental (water quality) newlineassessments, the focus is usually on the status of various parameters. The newlinepresent study is an attempt towards more inclusive assessment by evaluating newlinethe composite vulnerability of the Southern Coast of Tamil Nadu using two newlinerelative risk variables, namely, Coastal Vulnerability Index, which classifies newlinecoastal areas at risk due to modifications of the physical environment and newlineEcosystem Health assessment, which classifies newline newline