PhD position: Coastal Vulnerability (CVI) assessment for present and future

Coastal zones are among the most densely populated areas in the world, with about 40% of the global population living within 100 km of the coast in the present, which is expected to grow further over the 21st century. This dynamic area is very vulnerable to sea level rise (SLR) and is especially under great threat of coastal hazards like erosion and flooding.

Many parts in the world have already been eroding and this may accelerate under climate change. Recent studies have shown that climate change will also result in an increase in the frequency of episodic flooding. However, how vulnerable the coastal zone is under these hazards remains unknown.

To assess coastal vulnerability due to erosion and/or inundation, the Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI) is one of the simplest and most commonly used methods (Koroglu et al., 2019). An assessment of vulnerability can contribute to the decision-making process for coastal planning and management.

This PhD project aims to perform a state-of-the-art coastal vulnerability assessment for both present time and future scenarios, identify temporal pathways of CVI changes and potentially extend to detailed coastal impact assessment and reduction investigation for some hotspots using sophisticated numerical modelling approaches (e.g. Delft3D FM, PCR model, G-SMIC model) and explore ways to increase resilience at selected hotspots.