Innovations in Coastal Erosion Risk Assessment and Mitigation

In order to protect and manage coastal areas, it is necessary to consider all the natural and anthropogenic factors that influence coastal and river dynamics and to estimate shoreline changes. For this purpose, various coastal risk assessment methodologies have been defined. Actually, various coastal risk assessment methodologies have been defined. These methodologies differ from each other not solely on the coastal regions in question, but also because of the great variety and differences of factors that are taken into consideration. These methodologies can belong to four different categories: index-based methods; GIS-based decision support systems; methods based on dynamic calculation models; visualization tools. Also, many of these methodologies lead to the definition of a priority index of coastal intervention, which is especially useful for budget management.

The issue of coastal erosion currently affects most of the world’s coastal areas. This erosion is caused by the alteration of coastal and river dynamics both due to the action of natural factors and to the increase in anthropogenic pressure which characterized the second half of the last century. The main natural factors are the wave climate and the coastal sedimentary balance, which is mainly related to longshore and river transport. The main anthropogenic factors are the construction of hydraulic structures such as dams and weirs, the withdrawal of river sediment, and the construction of ports and coastal structures. Furthermore, anthropogenic pressure causes an increase in impermeable surfaces with negative consequences on the vulnerability of the territory under the action of natural events such as floods and sea storms. Climate change can also contribute to erosive phenomena by the increasing sea levels and the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. So, to protect and manage coastal areas it is necessary to consider all the natural and anthropogenic factors that influence coastal and river dynamics.

This Research Topic aims to analyze the innovations in coastal erosion risk assessment methodologies and the innovations in mitigation measures through research papers and case studies on the following topics:

• Coastal erosion risk.
• Shoreline changes.
• Sediment balance.
• Impact of sea storms.
• Impact of hydrogeological instability phenomena.
• Impact of climate change.
• Impact of sea-level rise.
• Impact of anthropogenic pressure.
• Importance of modeling.
• Model calibration and validation strategies.
• Uncertainty quantification.
• Integration of remote sensing.
• Risk mapping.
• Innovations on coastal erosion risk assessment methodologies.
• Innovations on coastal management.
• Innovations on mitigation measures.
• Sustainable mitigation measures.
• Application of modeling to support decision making.