Search Results (177)

As they are home to numerous significant ecosystems, natural resources, and a growing population, coastal regions are among the most vital locations on Earth. This study, pertaining to the east coast of the UAE, integrates nine distinct characteristics to provide a thorough methodology for assessing integrated coastal vulnerability. Land use and land cover (LULC), nearshore bathymetry, coastal geomorphology, coastal slope, shoreline erosion and deposition, population density, wave and tide, and nearshore benthic features are important parameters that are examined. For the first time, coastal benthic features are included to assess coastal vulnerability in this region. By combining the variably weighted rank values of the nine variables, an Integrated Coastal Vulnerability Index was created, which divides the coastline into low-, moderate-, and high-risk categories. The methodology improves the precision of regional risk assessments by combining these factors with data from real-time coastal surveillance. Approximately 26.4% of the UAE’s 178 km east coast (or 47.1 km) is at high risk, followed by 17.3% (or 30.9 km) at moderate risk and 56.3% (or 100.2 km) at low risk. The offshore areas of the east coast of the UAE are prone to shoaling and tunneling effects from incoming high waves at certain areas due to the concave-shaped bathymetry and medium-range canyons present, which exacerbate storm surges or tsunamis due to the shoaling effect. For a 3 m rise in sea level, most significantly, 5.58 km² of plantation and 14.39 km² of residential areas will be damaged in the Kalba and Fujairah regions. Additional commercial spaces totaling 1.07 km² will also have an impact, adding to the existing 2.59 km² of oil bunkers in Fujairah. More than 40,000 people who live within 3.0 m of the UAE’s east coast in six separate districts—Kalba, Fujairah City, Mirbah and Qidfa, Khorfakkan, Dadna and Bidya, and Dibba—will be impacted if a tsunami wave or storm surge of three meters strikes the east coast. Our results are intended to assist government agencies, coastal planners, and policymakers in the Northeast Emirates (Fujairah and Sharjah) in creating sustainable and successful adaptation and mitigation plans for areas most vulnerable to coastal hazards. In addition to enhancing scientific knowledge of coastal vulnerabilities, this integrative method is a useful tool for making well-informed decisions in the face of shifting socio-economic and climatic situations. Full article

Cities are artificial ecosystems that suffer most from environmental issues and climate change. Urban Heat Island (UHI) effects represent an increasing challenge, especially for compact Mediterranean cities characterized by high population density and extensive impervious surfaces. This study assessed localized microclimatic conditions within the small Maltese coastal town of Isla through a 15-day summer field monitoring campaign. Air temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed were measured across urban locations characterized by different levels of vegetation coverage and thermal vulnerability. The analysis combined descriptive statistics, Mann–Whitney U testing, and Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) models. In addition, site-specific Nature-based Solutions (NbS) scenarios were proposed as context-sensitive strategies to support urban heat mitigation and climate resilience. The results highlighted distinct microclimatic responses between the sites investigated. In particular, the MLR analysis suggested that non-vegetated areas were more sensitive to short-term atmospheric variability associated with wind speed and relative humidity fluctuations. These findings suggest that urban vegetation may contribute not only to localized cooling, but also to increased microclimatic stability within compact Mediterranean urban environments. Full article

Against the backdrop of intensifying climate change and deepening digital governance, public service systems in large cities face increasingly severe and complex challenges. Based on multi-source heterogeneous data from large cities in China, this study empirically examines the relationship between climate risk and public service provision and its underlying mechanisms using two-way fixed effects models, mediation models, and threshold regression models. Findings indicate that, first, both physical and transition climate risks are significantly and negatively associated with public service provision. Second, the mediation analysis suggests that physical climate risk is linked to public service provision mainly through entrepreneurial vitality, whereas transition climate risk is linked to public service provision through knowledge spillovers and industrial upgrading. Third, this negative association is more pronounced in coastal cities and cities with larger population scales. Finally, open public data and AI-related development are associated with a partial attenuation of these negative relationships. Therefore, urban policymakers should closely monitor multiple climate-risk pathways, strengthen climate-adaptive governance with data resources and AI technologies, and incorporate differentiated climate vulnerabilities into land-use zoning, green infrastructure planning, and the spatial distribution of critical public services so as to enhance urban resilience. Full article

Remote sensing enables building-level flood vulnerability assessment without field surveys, yet existing approaches require site-specific calibration or produce categorical outputs without physical interpretability. We present the Global Flood Vulnerability Model (GFVM), integrating six remotely sensed components (elevation, slope, topographic position index, distance to water, building height, and basement depth) through geographic context classification to quantify vulnerability from terrain and structural characteristics across coastal, fluvial, and pluvial settings. Building heights are extracted primarily from the Global Building Atlas, with gaps filled using a ConvNeXt neural network trained on high-resolution Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) ground truth from four cities (within-city MAE 1.35–1.91 m, cross-city MAE 2.05–3.47 m). Terrain metrics are derived from a combination of hierarchical digital elevation models (DEM) (USGS 3DEP 10 m, AHN LiDAR 0.5 m, UK Environment Agency DTM 1 m, Australia 5 m) and global datasets (NASADEM 30 m, Copernicus GLO-30). Hydrographic networks are sourced from OpenStreetMap and Natural Earth. Implementation through Google Earth Engine requires only coordinates as input, returning a five-level vulnerability index with multi-hazard decomposition (fluvial, coastal, pluvial) and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP)-based attribution identifying dominant drivers. Validation across 183 independent locations in Germany, UK, and USA demonstrates robust performance: Area Under Curve 0.855 for separating flooded from non-flooded sites, weighted Cohen’s kappa 0.493 across regulatory zones, and Spearman ρ 0.746 against Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) classifications. Sensitivity analysis across 625 parameter configurations confirms stability, and DEM resolution experiments show that global 30 m elevation data produces category reclassification in only 5.3–8.6% of locations compared to high-resolution sources. Application to the 2024 Kazakhstan floods identifies 118 high-vulnerability locations across 581 assessment points, with vulnerability patterns matching documented inundation. GFVM advances remote sensing applications for disaster risk assessment by demonstrating that multi-source geospatial data fusion enables building-level vulnerability screening without local calibration or field surveys. Full article

This paper explores the behavioural change process initiated within the Gdańsk Coastal City Living Lab (CCLL)—a site-based effort, initiated under the H2020 SCORE project and significantly deepened through the Horizon Europe PRO-CLIMATE project—through the lens of transforming human–nature relationships for sustainable urban biodiversity conservation. While SCORE established the technical baseline for Nature-based Solutions (NbSs), PRO-CLIMATE provides the critical behavioural framework to ensure these solutions are socially adopted and sustained. Located in a flood-prone coastal city, the Gdańsk CCLL addresses the critical need for nature-based solutions (NbSs) in minimizing the negative impacts of climate change, particularly pluvial flooding. At the heart of this initiative is a participatory change process facilitated by local Change Agents in collaboration with key stakeholders across water management, local government, academia, and civil society. Drawing on interdisciplinary insights from social science, the paper uses the Nature Futures Framework to analyse how conservation actions are influenced by the relational, intrinsic, and instrumental values that stakeholders and residents attach to nature. The paper situates these values in the Gdańsk context and examines how they shape motivations and willingness to engage in urban NbS, such as green roofs, retention parks, and rainwater gardens. The study presents qualitative findings from stakeholder engagement workshops, Change Agents’ reflections, and support mechanisms from behavioural change experts. It evaluates how behavioural change was facilitated through shared vision building, feedback loops, and trust-based relationships, and how barriers were negotiated. A key contribution of the paper is the exploration of how bottom-up and top-down processes intersect in urban adaptation strategies and how behavioural change frameworks can be designed to institutionalise sustainable human–nature interactions in urban governance. The Gdańsk case offers transferable insights for other cities facing climate vulnerabilities while striving to embed biodiversity conservation into everyday practice. Full article

Groundwater resources are critical in sustaining rapidly growing coastal urban regions like Dili City, Timor-Leste, where aquifers are prone to contamination. To inform groundwater pollution prevention and control in the Quaternary intergranular aquifer, a GIS-based groundwater vulnerability assessment was carried out using DRASTIC, modified DRASTIC, and modified DRASTIC–AHP methodologies. It confirmed that the central to northern urban area was the most vulnerable, while the southern part was the least vulnerable to contamination. Model performance was validated by correlating vulnerability indices with measured groundwater quality parameters, showing that the modified DRASTIC–AHP was the most accurate. The areas classified as having very low, low, moderate, high and very high vulnerability were 23.1%, 23.1%, 20.6%, 12.8%, and 19.2%, respectively, with high vulnerability along the northern coastline and Comoro River alluvial channel. Sensitivity analysis supports model robustness and identifies recharge, aquifer media, and hydraulic conductivity as the dominant controlling factors. The integrated modeling and sensitivity framework provides an efficient basis for prioritizing protection measures and infrastructure upgrades (e.g., sewerage) to reduce contamination risks. A key management implication is that centralized wastewater management is preferable to current practices for mitigating ongoing groundwater degradation. Full article

This study presents a city-scale physical coastal vulnerability assessment of the 21 km Monrovia coastline (Liberia) using a multi-parameter coastal vulnerability index (CVI). Nine physical parameters—geology/geomorphology, shoreline change rate, elevation, slope, bathymetry, wave height, tidal range, relative sea level rise, and coastal landform characteristics—were integrated within an equal-weight ranking framework. The results identify spatially concentrated high vulnerability segments associated with low elevation, sandy geomorphology, and persistent shoreline retreat. The CVI represents a relative exposure screening rather than a predictive risk model. Limitations related to parameter weighting, classification dependency, and temporal heterogeneity are acknowledged. The findings support preliminary spatial prioritization for coastal adaptation planning Full article

Quantifying dynamic urban resilience is critical for climate adaptation. This study assesses the spatiotemporal resilience of 6838 flood-affected communities across 39 Chinese cities using high-resolution human activity data. By establishing a multi-phase framework, we extract six metrics characterizing resistance and recovery trajectories. Results reveal a distinct resilience paradox: coastal cities, despite suffering deeper instantaneous shocks from typhoons, exhibit superior adaptive capacity compared to inland cities, which face chronic recovery deficits under rainstorm stress. Unsupervised clustering identifies 12 distinct resilience phenotypes, ranging from brittle collapse to adaptive growth. Structural analysis confirms a Matthew Effect where functional diversity and economic vitality enable resource-rich communities to bounce forward, while peripheral areas remain trapped in vulnerability. These findings underscore the need for resilience-based regeneration policies that prioritize spatial justice and resource optimization over static engineering standards. Full article

Land subsidence has emerged as a critical geohazard affecting major urban centers worldwide, particularly in coastal and deltaic regions where intensive groundwater extraction and rapid urbanization are prevalent. It is estimated that subsidence threatens more than 1.6 billion people globally, with reported subsidence rates exceeding 100 mm/year in several rapidly urbanizing cities and cumulative ground lowering exceeding 10 m in extreme cases such as Mexico City. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of the hydrogeological drivers, impacts, and sustainable mitigation pathways of land subsidence based on a systematic literature review of 167 peer-reviewed studies following the PRISMA framework and bibliometric network analysis. The findings confirm that groundwater extraction is the dominant driver, causing pore pressure decline and irreversible consolidation of compressible aquitards, while geological conditions, recharge imbalance, and climate variability strongly influence subsidence magnitude and persistence. The consequences are severe and multidimensional, including increased flood risk, infrastructure damage, groundwater storage loss, ecosystem degradation, and significant socio-economic impacts. Global case studies from major subsiding cities demonstrate that subsidence often contributes more to relative sea-level rise and urban flood vulnerability than climate-driven ocean rise alone. Mitigation strategies, including groundwater regulation, managed aquifer recharge, water-sensitive urban design, geotechnical stabilization, and satellite-based monitoring, have shown effectiveness but remain limited when implemented independently. This study proposes an integrated management framework combining continuous monitoring, hydrogeological assessment, sustainable groundwater management, engineering and nature-based solutions, and governance integration. The findings highlight that early intervention, groundwater sustainability, and coordinated policy actions are essential to reduce subsidence and enhance long-term urban resilience. These insights support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), particularly in strengthening disaster risk reduction and climate resilience in subsidence-prone urban areas. Full article

Urban flood resilience has emerged as a holistic citywide approach for mitigating flood hazards and navigating the impacts of extreme weather patterns induced by climate change. This is particularly pertinent for high-risk, low-elevation coastal cities like Georgetown, Guyana. However, while the literature on Georgetown includes assessments, analyses, modeling, vulnerability, and the socio-political history of flooding, we found no evidence of flood resilience assessment for the city. Therefore, this study presents a data-driven evaluation of flood resilience at the sub-district level in Georgetown. To accomplish this, we constructed flood resilience indices (FRIs) using the aggregated weighted mean index approach and census-based indicators across physical, social, and economic dimensions. Principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to generate these weights and, subsequently, to perform dimensionality reduction and determine a linear regression model for the FRI values. To evaluate the stability of the constructed indices, robustness tests were conducted using alternative normalization and weighting schemes to demonstrate the consistency of resilience rankings across specifications. The results show that (a) economic resilience is lowest, (b) there is notable clustering and sharp disparities in the physical and social dimensions, and (c) the social dimension has the strongest correlation with the total FRI, which is generally heterogeneous. PCA-derived principal components explained 77.347% of the variation in the FRI values, enabling dimensionality reduction and three-dimensional graphical presentations. Our findings provide urban planners with insights into the distribution of flood resilience needs across the city. This study enables informed decision-making, serving as a pathway to achieve equitable resource allocation and build the city’s resilience. Full article

The Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect represents a major barrier to sustainable urban development, amplifying energy demand, public health risks, and climate vulnerability. This study provides an advanced geospatial assessment of UHI dynamics in Southampton, UK, using Landsat 8 and 9 imagery (2017–2023) to evaluate seasonal and interannual variations relevant to climate-resilient urban planning. This study integrates spatial techniques, including Land Surface Temperature estimation, NDVI-based emissivity modelling, hotspot analysis, and urban–rural gradient profiling, to identify persistent UHI hotspots concentrated in high-density commercial and industrial zones, with intensities reaching 2–3 °C above the citywide mean. It combines seasonal UHI mapping, hotspot analysis, and urban–rural gradient profiling to provide a comprehensive assessment of Southampton’s thermal landscape. The findings reveal persistent UHI hotspots in the city centre and industrial zones, with intensity peaks of 2–3 °C above the mean. Temporal analysis reveals winter-intensified UHI patterns, consistent with climate-sensitive processes observed in temperate coastal environments. Green spaces demonstrate measurable cooling benefits (up to ~1 °C), underscoring their role as sustainable nature-based mitigation strategies. By delivering a replicable, data-driven framework for continuous environmental monitoring, the research directly supports sustainable urban design, targeted greening interventions, and climate-adaptation policies. The findings provide practical tools for reducing heat stress, enhancing energy efficiency, and strengthening long-term urban resilience in medium-sized coastal cities. Full article

Egypt generally experiences a hot and arid climate, with rainfall primarily confined to the northern coast during winter season. However, on 31 May 2025, Alexandria experienced an unusual late-spring convective storm that was associated with heavy rainfall, strong winds, intense lightning, and localized hail. This rare event caused temporary disruptions to urban life and underscored the growing vulnerability of coastal cities to short-duration, high-intensity precipitation events occurring outside the climatological rainy season. This study investigates the atmospheric mechanisms underlying this event through a comprehensive synoptic and dynamic analysis of pressure systems, wind fields, and temperature structures extending from the surface to the 200 hPa level. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of moisture convergence and upper-level dynamical forcing in triggering the rapid development of deep convection. Furthermore, the influence of anomalous large-scale circulation patterns on storm initiation and intensification is systematically examined. Improved understanding of these processes provides valuable insight into off-season convective activity over the southeastern Mediterranean and enhances forecasting capability, risk assessment, and early warning strategies for similar extreme events in the region. Furthermore, the influence of anomalous large-scale circulation patterns on storm initiation and intensification is quantitatively assessed to clarify their contribution to the event’s development. A deeper understanding of these processes offers critical insight into the mechanisms governing off-season convective activity over the southeastern Mediterranean and strengthens forecasting skill, risk assessment frameworks, and early warning systems for comparable extreme events in the region. Full article

Sea-level rise (SLR) and coastal flooding are among the most pressing climate-related challenges facing coastal regions worldwide, and their impacts are further intensified by rapid urbanization. These processes pose serious socioeconomic and environmental risks, including increased flood exposure, threats to public health, and damage to critical infrastructure. In Saudi Arabia, more than 3100 km² of coastal land lies at elevations of 1 m or lower; however, reliable assessments of future sea-level rise and its potential impacts remain limited, creating significant uncertainty for long-term planning. This study addresses this knowledge gap by identifying areas vulnerable to sea-level rise and coastal flooding through the development of inundation maps for the Dammam Metropolitan Area (DMA) as a case study, while also outlining potential adaptation measures. Using satellite imagery and geospatial datasets, changes in the DMA shoreline between 2014 and 2024 were analyzed, and sea-level rise scenarios were simulated based on projections from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The results indicate that under a 0.6 m sea-level rise scenario, flooding would be limited to a small area of approximately 0.2 km² in the Half-Moon residential district. In contrast, a 1.1 m sea-level rise scenario reveals a substantial increase in risk, with nearly 83 km² of the DMA potentially exposed to coastal flooding. Based on these findings, targeted disaster management and adaptation strategies are recommended for areas most vulnerable to sea-level rise. The study highlights the need for policies regulating coastal reclamation and other climate-sensitive developments to minimize future flood risks. It supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 13 (Climate Action) by enhancing urban flood risk assessment and improving understanding of climate-driven sea-level rise impacts. Full article

Coastal societies face increasing health risks from climate change, such as weather-related extreme conditions, environmental destruction, and the occurrence of epidemics, posing significant challenges to sustainable development. There is a need to accurately measure the risks in place through integrating the climate variability with socio-economic exposure and health components to support long-term resilience and sustainable adaptation. This study conceptualized and validated a composite index-based method to assess climate–health risks across three Indonesian coastal cities: Banda Aceh, Mataram, and Ambon. This validation process was conducted by checking for face validity and consistency between sub-indices, as well as conformity to existing frameworks in the literature. Using satellite-derived climate data, national socio-economic statistics, and public health records, we identified the key parameters (hazard, sensitivity, exposure, and adaptive capacity) and quantified the risk levels for 190 villages. The results show that over 92% of villages fall into the high or very high risk categories, with universal high sensitivity and low adaptive capacity (78.95%). This points towards structural inequalities that hinder sustainable development. Spatial and quadrant analyses revealed region-specific vulnerabilities where Ambon showed higher hazard exposure (56% high and 42% very high). The findings provide policymakers and stakeholders with priority areas for targeted interventions and actionable suggestions to support public health planning, equitable resource allocation, and long-term sustainable coastal development. Full article

Mangrove ecosystems along Taiwan’s southwest coast have been increasingly stressed by climate change, subsidence, and sea level rise. Between 1897 and 2024, the mean annual temperature rose by 2.0 °C, and rainfall declined by 56.5 mm. Severe subsidence occurred in Taixi Township, Yunlin County (−283.0 cm, 1975–2023), where the gray/white mangrove (Avicennia marina) exhibited reduced growth and mortality. Long-term mangrove area (MA) was reconstructed using quadratic polynomials: Tougang Ditch, MA_TG(t) = −0.0084(t − 21.0)² + 2.8 peaking in 1995 (R² = 0.7274), and Budai Lagoon, MA_BD(t) = −0.0468(t − 12.3)² + 26.1 peaking in 1986 (R² = 0.782). Both sites yielded moderate fits indicating partial but less reliable reconstruction. In contrast, Jishui Estuary subsites displayed distinct maxima with stronger fits (R² > 0.85): JS-C, MA_JS-C(t) = −0.0201(t − 14.3)² + 7.0 peaking in 1996; JS-D, MA_JS-D(t) = −0.0093(t − 15.8)² + 2.2 peaking in 1998; and JS-G, and MA_JS-G(t) = −0.0077(t − 11.6)² + 4.3 peaking in 1994. SPOT-6 satellite imagery (22 February 2025) identified 281.9 ha of mangrove and windbreak forests in Chiayi County and 896.3 ha in Tainan City. By integrating climate records, subsidence data, sea level rise, polynomial modeling, and satellite observations, this study provides a robust framework for anticipating mangrove trajectories, assessing carbon sink potential, and refining carbon credit estimates in vulnerable coastal landscapes. Full article