Coastal flooding on Camano Island. Photo by Joan Schrammek.
Vulnerability can be defined in different ways, but fundamentally requires that the interaction between three separate concepts – exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity – be considered.
Exposure defines the characteristics and severity of a climate event, and is often measured by the scale or spatial extent of impact. Sensitivity refers to the degree to which an asset will be impacted if exposed to a damaging climate event. And adaptive capacity is “the ability of systems, individuals, institutions, and ecosystems to adjust to climate change, to moderate potential damages, to take advantage of opportunities, or to respond to consequences” (Coastal Adaptation Planning Essentials, NOAA). These concepts are particularly useful when planning for sea level rise, and a vulnerability assessment can help to provide a sense for what is at risk along the shoreline.
Vulnerability can also be evaluated in a variety of ways, from qualitative assessments informed by the expertise of residents and local practitioners (like this example from Hawaii) to data-driven quantitative approaches (like this one from Pensacola, Florida) in which scores are derived from data sets assembled by a project team, and to hybrids that fall somewhere in between (like this example from Newport Beach, CA).
A collaborative team from Washington Sea Grant and Coastal Geologic Services developed a quantitative approach for calculating sea level rise vulnerability for parcels in the Puget Sound region using publicly available data. The team developed a technical report and user guide, vulnerability assessment maps for each Puget Sound county, and two geodatabase packages for users looking to conduct further analyses.
