Author(s): Miriam Garcia-Oliva; Jose Francisco Sanchez-Gonzalez; Jose Manuel De La Pena

Linked Author(s): José Francisco Sánchez González

Keywords: Climate change adaptation; Coastal management; Shoreline retreat; Coastal lagoon; River delt

Abstract: The big variety of coastal typologies existing along the Spanish coastline implies that the effects of Climate Change can be very different depending on the specific geographical area. Thus, it’s necessary to account for these singularities while designing the adaptation measures to mitigate such effects. The application of an integrative approach which considers the distinct features from different locations during the process of impact assessment contributes to the optimisation of the planned measures, bringing a clear benefit. The objective of this study is the presentation of a Methodology for the assessment of the effects of climate change on the coastline which offers versatility and flexibility in terms of the existing problems associated to the different areas. For this purpose, two areas of study have been analysed, corresponding to singular zones of great importance in the Spanish Mediterranean coastlines, the Mar Menor coastal lagoon and the Ebro River Delta, which present environmental and tourist values, among others, threatened by intense pressures apart from those derived from climate change. The aforementioned cases of study are described as well as the methodology applied, which consists on the acquisition of the most updated data about marine climate projections and their in detail analysis in order to identify the most relevant effects and impacts, as well as the classification of shoreline types and the choice of calculation techniques to be applied as a function of this classification. Last, a discussion of the results about the effects is presented through a comparison between existing studies in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the methodology and its ability to complement them. It is concluded that this methodology can be applied as a support in the decision making process by the agents in charge of the management of climate change adaptation measures in coastal areas. On the other hand, it is highlighted the importance of undertaking complementary studies to the existing ones with the aim of delimiting the effects adequately. The underestimation of the effects during the planning and design stages of the mitigation measures could lead to important consequences for the involved aspects, as, in some cases, measures like the modification of the land-maritime public domain are used, affecting the territorial planning and the diverse uses and existing activities.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3850/IAHR-39WC252171192022272

Year: 2022