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Vulnerability assessment of African coasts to sea level rise using GIS and remote sensing

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Abstract

Climate change and its association with sea level rise ‘SLR’ have become a true fact that increasingly challenge coastal zones all over the world. This study attempts to fill the lack of studies and assessments of the African coasts through developing a SLR vulnerability assessment. The study has customized coastal vulnerability index ‘CVI’ to include seventeen parameters grouping in the vulnerability’s pillars: exposure, sensitivity, and resilience. The selected variables represent the main coastal characteristics physically and socioeconomically. The study applies CVI method for the African coastal zone using GIS and remote sensing. However, the study has followed the case study approach on the continental level of Africa, and the results have classified coastal areas into different degrees of vulnerabilities. Application of CEI equation showed that about 40% of African coast are ranging from moderate to very high exposure, as for the CSI equation showed that 75% of African coast are ranging from moderate to very high sensitivity, as for the CRI equation showed that 55% of African coast are ranging from moderate to very high resilience, and as for the CVI equation showed that 35% of the 26,000 km length of Africa’s coasts are vulnerable to SLR. It has been approved that deltas are the most vulnerable areas along the African coasts. Also, values of CVI pillars for each of these deltas showed great variation, which accordingly could give an indicator for adaptation and mitigation strategies of Africa’s coasts at regional and national levels, which could be one strategy or more: protection, accommodation, and retreat strategies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Architecture Department, Nile Higher Institute for Engineering and Technology, AJa City, Dakahlia Governate, Egypt

    Sherein El-Shahat

  2. Urban Design Department, Faculty of Urban and Regional Planning, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

    Abbas Mohamed El-Zafarany

  3. Environmental and Infrastructure Planning Department, Faculty of Urban and Regional Planning, Cairo University, Giza City, Egypt

    Tarek Abou El Seoud & Safaa A. Ghoniem

Authors
  1. Sherein El-Shahat
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  2. Abbas Mohamed El-Zafarany
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  3. Tarek Abou El Seoud
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  4. Safaa A. Ghoniem
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Correspondence to Sherein El-Shahat.

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El-Shahat, S., El-Zafarany, A.M., El Seoud, T.A. et al. Vulnerability assessment of African coasts to sea level rise using GIS and remote sensing. Environ Dev Sustain 23, 2827–2845 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-020-00639-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-020-00639-8

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