Abstract
The Australian coastline is one of the longest and most diverse of any in the world, and Australian researchers have developed preliminary models of the behaviour of major coastal systems such as beaches and reefs. The Australian population is particularly focused along the coastline, especially in metropolitan centres; however, the population of regional centres along the coast is increasing steadily in response to a phenomenon termed seachange. Coastal systems are increasingly threatened by potential impacts as a result of climate change, as indicated by the successive assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Although Australia played a central role in applying a common methodology (CM), developed from IPCC guidelines in the 1990s, and in devising alternative approaches, which were initially trialled at nine sites on the Australian coast, there has not been a nationally co-ordinated approach to assessing the coastal vulnerability of Australia, and such an approach is only emerging now. Instead, there have been a series of different approaches adopted to look at the different parts of the Australian coast, including wetland mapping in northern Australia; geomorphic unit mapping in South Australia; storm surge vulnerability modelling in Queensland; probabilistic approaches to beach erosion in New South Wales; indicative mapping of potential coastal retreat in Tasmania. Additionally, there have been methods proposed by insurers and coastal engineers to meet their requirements. Since 2005, the Australian government has once again seen the need for a national coastal vulnerability assessment, and a series of studies are planned or under way to achieve the aims of a National Climate Change Adaptation Framework.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abuodha PA, Woodroffe CD (2006) International assessments of the vulnerability of the coastal zone to climate change, including an Australian perspective. Prepared for the Australian Greenhouse Office, Department of Environment and Heritage. http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/impacts/publications/pubs/coastal-international.pdf
Allen Consulting Group (2005) Climate change risk and vulnerability: promoting an efficient adaptation response in Australia. Report to the Australian Greenhouse Office, Canberra
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (2006) Year Book Australia, 2006. http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@nsf/Latestproducts/BE2857976E4D24EACA2570DE000314A3?opendocument. Accessed 29 Aug 2007
Bayliss BL, Brennan KG, Eliot I, Finlayson, CM, Hall RN, House T, Pidgeon RWJ, Walden D, Waterman P (1998) Vulnerability assessment of predicted climate change and sea level rise in the Alligator Rivers Region, Northern Territory, Australia. Supervising Scientist Report 123. Supervising Scientist, Canberra
Bryan B, Harvey N, Belperio A, Bourman B (2001) Distributed process modeling for regional assessment of coastal vulnerability to sea-level rise. Environ Model Assess 6:57–65
Burnley I, Murphy P (2004) Sea change: movement from metropolitan to Arcadian Australia. UNSW Press, Sydney
Chen K, McAneney J (2006) High resolution estimates of Australia’s coastal population. Geophys Res Lett 33:L16601. doi:10.1029/2006GL026981
Church JA, Hunter JR, McInnes KL, White NJ (2006) Sea-level rise around the Australian coastline and the changing frequency of extreme sea-level events. Aust Meteorol Mag 55:253–260
Cobb SM, Saynor MJ, Eliot M, Eliot I, Hall (2007) Saltwater intrusion and mangrove encroachment of coastal wetlands in the Alligator Rivers Region, Northern Territory, Australia. Supervising Scientist Report 191. Supervising Scientist, Canberra
Cooper JAG, Pilkey OH (2004) Sea-level rise and shoreline retreat: time to abandon the Bruun Rule. Glob Planet Change 43:157–171
Cowell PJ, Zeng TQ (2003) Integrating uncertainty theory with GIS for modelling coastal hazards of climate change. Mar Geol 26:1–14
Cowell PJ, Thom BG, Jones RA, Everts CH, Simanovic D (2006) Management of uncertainty in predicting climate-change impacts on beaches. J Coast Res 22:232–245
Crimp S, Balston J, Ash A (2004) Climate change in the Cairns and Great Barrier Reef Region: scope and focus for an integrated assessment. Australian Greenhouse Office, Canberra
Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories (DEST) (1995) Living on the coast, the commonwealth coastal policy. Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra
Department of the Environment, Sport, Territories (DEST) (1996) Australian coastal vulnerability assessment project report. Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra
Eliot I, Finlayson CM, Waterman P (1999) Predicted climate change, sea-level rise and wetland management in the Australian wet-dry tropics. Wetl Ecol Manag 7:63–81
Eliot I, Saynor M, Eliot M, Finlayson CM (2000) Assessment and monitoring of coastal change in the Alligator Rivers Region, northern Australia. Supervising Scientist Report 157. Supervising Scientist, Canberra
Eliot I, Saynor MJ, Eliot M, Pfitzner K, Waterman P, Woodward E (2005) Assessment and development of tools for assessing the vulnerability of wetlands and rivers to climate change in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. Report prepared by the Environment Research Institute of the Supervising Scientist and the National Centre for Tropical Wetland Research for the Australian Greenhouse Office, Canberra
Finlayson CM, Eliot I (2001) Ecological assessment and monitoring of coastal wetlands in Australia’s wet-dry tropics: a paradigm for elsewhere? Coast Manag 29:105–115
Galloway RW, Story R, Cooper R, Yapp GA. (1984) Coastal lands of Australia. Natural resources series no. 1. Division of Water and Land Resources, CSIRO, Canberra
Gornitz V, Kanciruk P (1989) Assessment of global coastal hazards from sea-level rise. In: Proc 6th Symp Coastal Ocean Management ASCE. Charleston, South Carolina, pp 1345–1359
Graham B, Pitts D (1997) Good practice guidelines for integrated coastal planning. The Royal Australian Planning Institute, Carlton, VIC
Granger K (2003) Quantifying storm tide risk in Cairns. Nat Hazards 30:165–185
Gurran N, Squires C, Blakely EJ (2006) Meeting the sea change challenge: best practice models of local and regional planning for sea change communities. Report no. 2 for the National Sea Change Taskforce. Planning Research Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney
Hanslow DJ (2007) Beach erosion trend measurement: a comparison of trend indicators. J Coast Res (special issue) 50:588–593
Hardy T, Mason L, Astorquia A (2004) Queensland climate change and community vulnerability to tropical cyclones > ocean hazards assessment—stage 3. http://www.longpaddock.qld.gov.au/ClimateChanges/pub/OceanHazards/Stage3LowRes.pdf
Harper BA (1998) Storm tide threat in Queensland: history, prediction and relative risks. Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage, Brisbane
Harvey N, Belperio T (1994) Implications of climate change for the South Australian coastline. T Roy Soc South Aust 118:45–52
Harvey N, Caton B (2003) Coastal management in Australia. Oxford University Press, Melbourne
Harvey N, Clouston B, Carvalho P (1995) Coastal vulnerability study: Northern Spencer Gulf, South Australia. The University of Adelaide, Adelaide
Harvey N, Clouston B, Carvalho P (1999a) Improving coastal vulnerability assessment methodologies for integrated coastal management: an approach from South Australia. Aust Geogr Stud 37:50–69
Harvey N, Belperio T, Bourman B, Bryan B (1999b) A GIS-based approach to regional coastal vulnerability assessment using Holocene geological mapping of the northern Spencer Gulf, South Australia. Asia Pac J Environ Dev 6:1–25
Harvey N, Clarke B, Carvalho P (2001) The role of the Australian coastcare program in community-based coastal management: a case study from South Australia. Coast Manag 44:161–181
Hennecke WG, Greve CA, Cowell PJ, Thom BG (2004) GIS-based coastal behavior modeling and simulation of potential land and property loss: implications of sea-level rise at Collaroy/Narrabeen Beach, Sydney (Australia). Coast Manag 32:449–470
Hoegh-Guldberg O, Hoegh-Guldberg H (2004) The implications of Climate Change for Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. People and industries at risk. World Wildlife Fund and Queensland Tourism Industry Council, Brisbane
Hopley D, Smithers SG, Parnell KE (2007) The Geomorphology of the Great Barrier Reef—development, diversity, and change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (1990) Climate change: the IPCC scientific assessment. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (1991) The seven steps to the assessment of the vulnerability of coastal areas to sea-level rise (Draft). Response Strategies Working Group, IPCC Secretariat, Geneva
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (1992) Global climate change and the rising challenge of the sea. Coastal zone management subgroup. Ministry of Transport and Public Works, The Hague
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (1994) Preparing to meet the coastal challenges of the 21st Century. Report of the world coast conference. Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, The Hague
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (2007) Working group I report. The physical science basis. http://ipcc-wg1.ucar.edu/wg1/wg1-report.html
Johnson JE, Marshall PA (2007) Climate change and the Great Barrier Reef. A vulnerability assessment. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and Australian Greenhouse Office, Australia
Kay R, Hay JE (1993) A decision support approach to coastal vulnerability and resilience assessment: a tool for integrated coastal zone management. In: McLean R, Mimura N (eds) Vulnerability assessment to sea-level rise and coastal zone management, Proc IPCC Eastern Hemisphere Workshop. Tokyo, pp 213–225
Kay R, Waterman P (1993) Review of the applicability of the common methodology for assessment of vulnerability to sea-level rise in the Australian coastal zone. In: McLean R, Mimura N (eds) Vulnerability assessment to sea-level rise and coastal zone management, Proc IPCC Eastern Hemisphere Workshop. Tokyo, pp 237–248
Kay RC, Eliot IG, Klem G (1992) Analysis of the IPCC sea-level rise vulnerability assessment methodology using Geographe Bay, SW Western Australia as a case study. Coastal risk management report. Department of Arts, Sports, Environment and Territories, Canberra
Kay RC, Eliot I, Caton B, Morvell G, Waterman P (1996) A review of the intergovernmental panel on climate change’s common methodology for assessing the vulnerability of coastal areas to sea-level rise. Coast Manag 24:165–188
Kay RC, Crossland CJ, Gardner S, Waterman P, Woodroffe CD (2005a) Assessing and communicating vulnerability of the Australian coast to climate change. Strategic discussion paper. Australian Greenhouse Office, Canberra
Kay RC, Crossland CJ, Gardner S, Waterman P, Woodroffe CD (2005b) Assessing and communicating vulnerability of the Australian coast to climate change. Supporting technical paper. Report to Australian Greenhouse Office, Canberra
Klein RJT, Nicholls RJ (1997) Coastal zones. In: United Nations Environment Programme handbook on methods for climate change impact assessments and adaptation strategies. UNEP, Geneva
Klein RJT, Nicholls RJ (1999) Assessment of coastal vulnerability to climate change. Ambio 28:182–187
Leigh R, Chen K (2006) A national coastal vulnerability study. Report prepared for the Insurance Council of Australia. Risk Frontiers Report, Macquarie University
McAneney J, Crompton R, Chen K, Leigh R, Hunter L. (2007) A century of damage- property losses due to natural perils. Aust NZ Inst Insur Financ J 30:16–22
McLean R (2001) Australia’s coastal vulnerability assessment studies: recent upscaling or downscaling? In: Mimura N, Yokoki H (eds) Global change and Asia Pacific Coasts. Proc APN/SURVAS/LOICZ Joint Conf Coastal Impacts Climate Change Adaption Asia-Pacific Region. Asia Pacific Network for Global Change Research and Center for Water Environment Studies, Ibaraki University, Kobe, Japan, pp 29–33
McLean R, Mimura N (eds) (1993) Vulnerability assessment to sea-level rise and coastal zone management. Proc IPCC Eastern Hemisphere Workshop, Tsukuba, Japan. Department of Environment, Sport and Territories, Canberra
McLean R, Shen J-S (2006) From foreshore to foredune: foredune development over the last 30 years at Moruya Beach, New South Wales, Australia. J Coastal Res 22:28–36
McInnes KL, Walsh KJE, Hubbert GD, Beer T (2003) Impact of sea-level rise and storm surges on a coastal community. Nat Hazards 30:187–207
Mulrennan ME, Woodroffe CD (1998) Saltwater intrusion into coastal plains of the Lower Mary River, Northern Territory, Australia. J Environ Manag 54:169–188
National Committee on Coastal and Ocean Engineering (NCCOE) (2004) Guidelines for responding to the effects of climate change in coastal and ocean engineering. NCCOE of Engineers Australia, Barton, ACT
Nicholls RJ, Wong PP, Burkett VR, Codignotto JO, Hay JE, McLean RF, Ragoonaden S, Woodroffe CD (2007) Coastal systems and low-lying areas. In: Parry ML, Canziani OF, Palutikof JP, van der Linden PJ, Hanson CE (eds) Climate change 2007: impacts, adaptation, vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 315–356
Nott J (2005) Letter to the editor: comment on the paper Quantifying storm tide risk in Cairns by Ken Granger. Nat Hazards 34:375–379
Port of Melbourne Authority (1992) Victorian coastal vulnerability study. Coastal investigations unit. Port of Melbourne Authority, Melbourne
Queensland Government (2004) Queensland climate change and community vulnerability to tropical cyclones. Oceans hazards assessment, synthesis report: an overview of discussion of results from project stages 2, 3 and 4. Queensland Government, Australia
Ranasinghe R, McLoughlin R, Short AD, Symonds G (2004) The southern oscillation index, wave climate, and beach rotation. Mar Geol 204:273–287
SA Coast Protection Board (1992) Coastal erosion, flooding and sea level rise standards and protection policy. Coastline 26:7
Sharples C (2004) Indicative mapping of Tasmanian coastal vulnerability to climate change and sea-level rise: explanatory report. Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries Water and Environment, Tasmania
Sharples C (2006) Indicative mapping of Tasmanian coastal vulnerability to climate change and sea-level rise: explanatory report, 2nd edn. Department of Primary Industries and Water, Tasmania
Short AD (1999) Handbook of beach and shoreface morphodynamics. Wiley, Chichester
Short AD (2006) Australian beach systems—nature and distribution. J Coast Res 22:1–27
Thieler ER (2000) National assessment of coastal vulnerability to future sea-level rise. US Geological Survey 076–00
Thom BG, Short AD (2006) Introduction: Australian coastal geomorphology, 1984–2004. J Coast Res 22:1–10
United Nations Conference on Environment, Development (UNCED) (1993) Agenda 21: programme of action for sustainable development. United Nations Dept of Public Information, New York
United Nations framework convention on climate change (1992) United Nations, New York
Voice M, Harvey N, Walsh K (2006) (eds) Vulnerability to climate change of Australia’s coastal zone: analysis of gaps in methods, data and system thresholds. The Australian Greenhouse Office, Canberra. http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/impacts/publications/coastal-vulnerability.html
Wachenfeld D, Johnson J, Skeat A, Kenchington R, Marshall P, Innes J (2007) Introduction to the Great Barrier Reef and Climate Change. In: Johnson JE, Marshall PA (eds) Climate change and the Great Barrier Reef. A vulnerability assessment. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and Australian Greenhouse Office, Australia, pp 1–13
Walsh KJE, Betts H, Church J, Pittock AB, McInnes KL, Jackett DR, McDougall TJ (2004) Using sea level rise projections for urban planning in Australia. J Coast Res 20:586–598
Waterman P (1996) Australian coastal vulnerability assessment project report. Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories, Canberra
Williams MJR, Coles R, Primavera JH (2007) A lesson from cyclone Larry: an untold story of the success of good coastal planning. Estuar Coast Shelf S 71:364–367
Winn KO, Saynor MJ, Eliot MJ, Eliot I (2006) Saltwater intrusion and morphological change at the mouth of the East Alligator River, Northern Territory. J Coast Res 22:137–149
Woodroffe CD (2007) Critical thresholds and the vulnerability of Australian tropical coastal ecosystems to the impacts of climate change. J Coast Res (special issue) 50:469–473
Woodroffe CD, McLean RF (1992) Kiribati and sea-level rise; preliminary vulnerability assessment. Climate change and Environmental Liaison Branch, Department of Arts, Sport, the Environment, Territories and Tourism, Canberra
Woodroffe CD, McLean RF (1993) Cocos (Keeling) Islands: vulnerability to sea-level rise. Climate change and Environmental Liaison Branch, Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories, Commonwealth Government of Australia, Canberra
Zann LP (1995) Our Sea, our future, major findings of the state of the marine environment report for Australia. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority for the Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories, Canberra
Acknowledgments
We thank Chris Sharples and Kris James for constructive comments on the paper, and Chris Crothers for cartographic assistance. We acknowledge the recent initiatives of the Australian Greenhouse Office (renamed Department of Climate Change, December 2007) in conducting a number of workshops and commissioning background papers which have enabled us to interact with a series of colleagues in relation to coastal vulnerability in addition providing useful material for the latter part of this paper.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Harvey, N., Woodroffe, C.D. Australian approaches to coastal vulnerability assessment. Sustain Sci 3, 67–87 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-008-0041-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-008-0041-5