Humboldt Bay Shoreline Inventory, Mapping and Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment Addendum: Shoreline Vulnerability Ratings
Abstract
The Humboldt Bay shoreline vulnerability rating is a quantitative measure of vulnerability that was developed as an addendum to the Humboldt Bay Shoreline Inventory, Mapping, and Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment (Laird 2013). The vulnerability rating uses combinations of shoreline attributes (cover type and relative elevation to modeled mean monthly maximum high water) to rank a shoreline segment’s vulnerability to erosion and/or overtopping due to extreme tides, storm surges, and future sea level rise. Shoreline segments were given a rating between 2 and 10, 2 being the least vulnerable and 10 being highly vulnerable. Ranking shoreline vulnerability will assist in identifying assets at risk of flooding in the near-term from existing coastal hazards of shoreline erosion or overtopping.