Modelling and mapping coastal protection: adapting an EU-wide model to national specificities

In this paper we explore the requirements for adapting coastal protection EU-wide indicators at national levels. The aim of this research is threefold: a) to map coastal protection at the national level; (b) to assess the congruence between the regional and national coastal protection estimates; and c) to qualitatively assess the congruence of our findings with sub-national estimates. We assessed coastal protection capacity, exposure and demand and adapted them for the coastal zone of Greece. We quantitatively (using RMSE) compared our findings with the results of the EU model. Through visual interpretation, we compared our findings with estimates of the coastal zone of Peloponnese. We found that most islands have lower protection capacity than the mainland areas. The coastal zone of southern Greece is more exposed to natural hazards compared to the northern one. Higher coastal protection demand was detected in the country’s largest cities (Athens, Thessaloniki). We observed significant discrepancies in coastal protection capacity and a lower one in coastal protection exposure and demand. The differences observed are attributed to the differences in the demarcation process of the coastal zone, or the additional variables considered. The findings of the national and the local study were in general agreement, indicating that national adaptations, if done systematically, could be informative also locally.

HASAN Mahbub Ul;  DRAKOU Evangelia G.;  KARYMBALIS Efthymios;  TRAGAKI Alexandra;  GALLOUSI Christina;  LIQUETE GARCIA Maria Del Camino; 

2023-01-11

MDPI

JRC132001

2071-1050 (online),   

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/1/260,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC132001,   

10.3390/su15010260 (online),