Coastal Vulnerability Assessment of Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CAHA) 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 Cape Hatteras National Seashore
(CAHA) in North Carolina. 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 variable were combined and an index value was 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. Cape Hatteras National
Seashore consists of stable and washover dominated segments of barrier beach
backed by wetland and marsh. The areas within Cape Hatteras that are likely to
be most vulnerable to sea-level rise are those with the highest occurrence of
overwash and the highest rates of shoreline change.

[Summary provided by the USGS.]