Remote sensing and GIS application in assessment of coastal vulnerability and shoreline changes: a review

Abstract

Coastal zones are the transition between the land and sea. With the advancements in the technology in past few decades lead to the increase in the need for the transportation in turn leading to the construction of harbors, roads, industries, settlements and recreational activities making the coastal environment a fragile one. Spite of overexploitation and unsustainable use of the resources leads the researchers to assess the rate of change and the vulnerability of the coast. In this review two aspects, shoreline changes and the coastal vulnerability index (CVI), had been reviewed and discussed in detail. Authors refined the set of parameters to determine the vulnerability, depending on the physical and socio-economic condition of the coast. Finally, an attempt is made to review the research work carried out in the vulnerability assessment and shoreline change studies that were reported from different coastal zones at different time-spans and methodologies helping the researchers to frame their parameters required for the particular study depending on the nature of the study region. Thus, providing the insight knowledge for the authors to determine the critical parameter that influences the coast to a greater extent for a particular study. © 2019 Indian Society for Hydraulics.