Marin_coastal_exposure.zip

This shapefile (.shp) layer represents coastal vulnerability along the coast of Marin County, California and is the result of a collaborative project between the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions and the Natural Capital Project. With support from the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment's Realizing Environmental Innovation Program (REIP), the project integrates coastal vulnerability modeling into land-use planning strategies using the InVEST Coastal Vulnerability model. One of the main outcomes from our project is a spatial data layer that represent coastal exposure along the California coast. In addition, the layer provides the relative role each natural habitat type plays in coastal protection. Understanding the contributing factors to coastal exposure and the protective services offered by natural habitats can help coastal managers, planners, landowners and other stakeholders identify regions of greater risk to coastal hazards, which can, in turn, better inform development strategies and permitting. This layer was used during the Marin County Local Coast Program update process.
Detailed DescriptionThis layer differentiates areas along the Marin County coast with relatively high or low exposure to sea level rise and storm impacts using the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs) Coastal Vulnerability model. The model produces a qualitative estimate of storm-induced erosion and flooding exposure in terms of a Vulnerability Index. By coupling these results with population information, the model can show areas along a given coastline where humans are most vulnerable to storm surge and erosion. Outputs can be used to better understand the relative contributions of different variables of complex shoreline process to coastal exposure and highlight the protective services offered by natural habitats to coastal populations. This information can help coastal managers, planners, landowners and other stakeholders identify regions of greater risk to coastal hazards, which can in turn better inform development strategies and permitting.The results provide a qualitative representation of erosion and inundation risks rather than quantifying shoreline retreat or inundation limits. The model does not take into account coastal processes that are unique to the region, nor does it predict long- or short-term changes in shoreline position or configuration.This layer only applies to the Marin County coastline. A more recent version of this data is available as part of the COS coastal exposure maps for the entire California coast. Please visit the COS Coastal Adaptation web page and online viewer for this data.The attribute table of the shapefile contains columns with shortened names, which are explained below:x: The x-coordinate of each point in the original projected coordinate system, “WGS_1984_UTM_Zone_10N”y: The y-coordinate of each point in the original projected coordinate system, “WGS_1984_UTM_Zone_10N”geomorphol: Rank (integer) of relative contribution of shoreline geomorphology to Exposure Indexrelief: Rank (integer) of relative contribution of coastal relief to Exposure IndexWaveExp: Rank (integer) of relative contribution of wave exposure to Exposure Indexsea_level_: Rank (integer) of relative contribution of the rate of sea level rise to Exposure Indexnatural_ha: Rank (continuous) of relative contribution of natural habitat to Exposure Index. Where multiple protective habitats are present along the coastline, individual habitat ranks (integer) are combined to compute overall habitat rank.Rank: Exposure Index (continuous) for a given point of coastline when natural habitats are present in the modelRank_NoHab: Exposure Index (continuous) for a given point of coastline when natural habitats are not present in the model (habitat rank set to maximum rank)Hab_Role: Difference (continuous) between Exposure Index without habitats and Exposure Index with habitats present (EIwithout – EIwith)
USE LIMITATIONSThis layer should not be for formal planning purposes. Because of the limitations of the InVEST model, this layer cannot be used to quantify the exposure to erosion and inundation of a specific coastal location; the model produces qualitative outputs and is designed to be used at a relatively large scale. More importantly, the model does not predict the response of a region to specific storms or wave field and does not take into account any large-scale sediment transport pathways that may exist in a region of interest. The data, metadata, and analysis results are for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal, policy, or planning advice.