Coastal Vulnerability Assessment of Cumberland Island National Seashore (Cuis) To Sea-Level Rise

A coastal vulnerability index (CVI) was used to map the relative vulnerability
of the coast to future sea-level rise within Cumberland Island National
Seashore in Georgia. The CVI ranks the following in terms of their physical
contribution to sea-level rise-related coastal change: geomorphology, regional
coastal slope, rate of relative sea-level rise, historical shoreline change
rates, mean tidal range and mean significant wave height. The rankings for each
input variable were combined and an index value calculated for 1-minute grid
cells covering the park. The CVI highlights those regions where the physical
effects of sea-level rise might be the greatest. This approach combines the
coastal system's susceptibility to change with its natural ability to adapt to
changing environmental conditions, yielding a quantitative, although relative,
measure of the park's natural vulnerability to the effects of sea-level rise.
The CVI provides an objective technique for evaluation and long-term planning
by scientists and park managers. Cumberland Island National Seashore consists
of stable to washover-dominated portions of barrier beach backed by wetland,
marsh, mudflat and tidal creek. The areas within Cumberland that are likely to
be most vulnerable to sea-level rise are those with the lowest foredune ridge
and highest rates of shoreline erosion.

[Summary provided by the USGS.]