Relative Coastal Vulnerability Assessment of National Park Units to Sea-Level Rise Completed
The National Park Service (NPS) is responsible for managing nearly 12,000 km (7,500 miles) of shoreline along oceans and lakes. In 2001 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in partnership with the NPS Geologic Resources Division, began conducting hazard assessments of future sea-level change by creating maps to assist NPS in managing its valuable resources. This website contains results of the coastal vulnerability index (CVI) assessment for several national park units, highlighting areas that are likely to be most affected by future sea-level or lake-level change.
Through the use of a CVI, the likelihood that physical changes will occur as sea-level rises is quantified based on the following criteria: tidal range, wave height, coastal slope, shoreline change, geomorphology, and historical rate of relative sea-level rise. This approach combines a coastal system's susceptibility to change with its natural ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions, and yields a relative measure of the system's natural vulnerability to the effects of sea-level or lake-level change. National Park Service staff are using the CVI data for long-term resource management plans, park facilities planning such as relocating building or roads, and assessing long-term threats to resources.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards
Sea-Level Rise Hazards and Decision Support
Long-Term Coastal Change
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Relative Coastal Change-Potential Assessment of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Importance of coastal change variables in determining vulnerability to sea- and lake-level change
Coastal change-potential assessment of Sleeping Bear Dunes, Indiana Dunes, and Apostle Islands National Lakeshores to lake-level changes
Coastal vulnerability assessment of Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park to sea-level rise
Relative coastal change-potential assessment of Kenai Fjords National Park
Coastal vulnerability assessment of Point Reyes National Seashore (PORE) to sea-level rise
Coastal vulnerability assessment of Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CAHA) to sea-level rise
Coastal vulnerability assessment of War in the Pacific National Historical Park to sea-level rise
Coastal vulnerability assessment of National Park of American Samoa (NPSA) to sea-level rise
Coastal vulnerability assessment of Gateway National Recreation Area (GATE) to sea-level rise
Coastal vulnerability assessment of Dry Tortugas National Park (DRTO) to sea-level rise
Coastal vulnerability assessment of Virgin Islands National Park (VIIS) to sea-level rise
Coastal vulnerability assessment of Channel Islands National Park (CHIS) to sea-level rise
- Overview
The National Park Service (NPS) is responsible for managing nearly 12,000 km (7,500 miles) of shoreline along oceans and lakes. In 2001 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in partnership with the NPS Geologic Resources Division, began conducting hazard assessments of future sea-level change by creating maps to assist NPS in managing its valuable resources. This website contains results of the coastal vulnerability index (CVI) assessment for several national park units, highlighting areas that are likely to be most affected by future sea-level or lake-level change.
Through the use of a CVI, the likelihood that physical changes will occur as sea-level rises is quantified based on the following criteria: tidal range, wave height, coastal slope, shoreline change, geomorphology, and historical rate of relative sea-level rise. This approach combines a coastal system's susceptibility to change with its natural ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions, and yields a relative measure of the system's natural vulnerability to the effects of sea-level or lake-level change. National Park Service staff are using the CVI data for long-term resource management plans, park facilities planning such as relocating building or roads, and assessing long-term threats to resources.
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards
Research to identify areas that are most vulnerable to coastal change hazards including beach and dune erosion, long-term shoreline change, and sea-level rise.ByNatural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Jose, Hurricane Maria, Hurricane Matthew, Hurricane SandySea-Level Rise Hazards and Decision Support
The Sea-Level Rise Hazards and Decision-Support project assesses present and future coastal vulnerability to provide actionable information for management of our Nation’s coasts. Through multidisciplinary research and collaborative partnerships with decision-makers, physical, biological, and social factors that describe landscape and habitat changes are incorporated in a probabilistic modeling...Long-Term Coastal Change
Goals of this task include developing and improving coastal-change assessments and supporting long-term planning and decision making to ensure sustainable coastal economies, infrastructure, and ecosystems. - Multimedia
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Relative Coastal Change-Potential Assessment of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
A change-potential index (CPI) was used to map the relative coastal change-potential of the shoreline to future sea-level fluctuation within Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (GBNPP) in southeastern Alaska. The CPI ranks the following in terms of their physical contribution to coastal change: geomorphology, regional coastal slope, rate of relative sea-level change, historical shoreline changeAuthorsElizabeth A. Pendleton, E. Robert Thieler, S. Jeffress WilliamsFilter Total Items: 20Importance of coastal change variables in determining vulnerability to sea- and lake-level change
In 2001, the U.S. Geological Survey began conducting scientific assessments of coastal vulnerability to potential future sea- and lake-level changes in 22 National Park Service sea- and lakeshore units. Coastal park units chosen for the assessment included a variety of geological and physical settings along the U.S. Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of Alaska, Caribbean, and Great Lakes shorAuthorsE.A. Pendleton, E. R. Thieler, S. J. WilliamsCoastal change-potential assessment of Sleeping Bear Dunes, Indiana Dunes, and Apostle Islands National Lakeshores to lake-level changes
A change-potential index (CPI) was used to map the susceptibility of the shoreline to future lake-level change within Apostle Islands, Indiana Dunes, and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshores (NL) along Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. The CPI in the Great Lakes setting ranks the following in terms of their physical contribution to lake-level related coastal change: geomorphology, regional coastAuthorsElizabeth A. Pendleton, E. Robert Thieler, S. Jeffress WilliamsCoastal vulnerability assessment of Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park to sea-level rise
A coastal vulnerability index (CVI) was used to map the relative vulnerability of the coast to future sea-level rise within Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park in Hawaii. The CVI ranks the following in terms of their physical contribution to sea-level rise-related coastal change: geomorphology, regional coastal slope, rate of relative sea-level rise, historical shoreline change rates, mean tAuthorsElizabeth A. Pendleton, E. Robert Thieler, S. Jeffress WilliamsRelative coastal change-potential assessment of Kenai Fjords National Park
A change-potential index (CPI) was used to map the relative coastal change-potential of the shoreline to future sea-level changes within Kenai Fjords National Park (KEFJ) in south-central Alaska. The CPI ranks the following parameters in terms of their physical contribution to coastal change: geomorphology, regional coastal slope, rate of relative sea-level change, historical shoreline change rateAuthorsElizabeth A. Pendleton, E. Robert Thieler, S. Jeffress WilliamsCoastal vulnerability assessment of Point Reyes National Seashore (PORE) to sea-level rise
A coastal vulnerability index (CVI) was used to map the relative vulnerability of the coast to future sea-level rise within Point Reyes National Seashore in Northern California. The CVI ranks the following in terms of their physical contribution to sea-level rise-related coastal change: geomorphology, regional coastal slope, rate of relative sea-level rise, historical shoreline change rates, meanAuthorsElizabeth A. Pendleton, E. Robert Thieler, S. Jeffress WilliamsCoastal vulnerability assessment of Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CAHA) to sea-level rise
A coastal vulnerability index (CVI) was used to map the relative vulnerability of the coast to future sea-level rise within Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CAHA) in North Carolina. The CVI ranks the following in terms of their physical contribution to sea-level rise-related coastal change: geomorphology, regional coastal slope, rate of relative sea-level rise, historical shoreline change rates, mAuthorsElizabeth A. Pendleton, E. Robert Theiler, S. Jeffress WilliamsCoastal vulnerability assessment of War in the Pacific National Historical Park to sea-level rise
A coastal vulnerability index (CVI) was used to map the relative vulnerability of the coast to future sea-level rise within War in the Pacific National Historical Park (NHP) on the island of Guam. The CVI ranks the following in terms of their physical contribution to sea-level rise-related coastal change: geomorphology, regional coastal slope, rate of relative sea-level rise, historical shorelineAuthorsElizabeth A. Pendleton, E. Robert Thieler, S. Jeffress WilliamsCoastal vulnerability assessment of National Park of American Samoa (NPSA) to sea-level rise
A coastal vulnerability index (CVI) was used to map the relative vulnerability of the coast to future sea-level rise within National Park of American Samoa. The CVI ranks the following in terms of their physical contribution to sea-level rise-related coastal change: geomorphology, regional coastal slope, rate of relative sea-level rise, historical shoreline change rates, mean tidal range and meanAuthorsElizabeth A. Pendleton, E. Robert Thieler, S. Jeffress WilliamsCoastal vulnerability assessment of Gateway National Recreation Area (GATE) to sea-level rise
A coastal vulnerability index (CVI) was used to map the relative vulnerability of the coast to future sea-level rise within Gateway National Recreation Area in New York and New Jersey. The CVI ranks the following in terms of their physical contribution to sea-level rise-related coastal change: geomorphology, regional coastal slope, rate of relative sea-level rise, historical shoreline change ratesAuthorsElizabeth A. Pendleton, E. Robert Thieler, S. Jeffress WilliamsCoastal vulnerability assessment of Dry Tortugas National Park (DRTO) to sea-level rise
A coastal vulnerability index (CVI) was used to map the relative vulnerability of the coast to future sea-level rise within Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida. The CVI ranks the following in terms of their physical contribution to sea-level rise-related coastal change: geomorphology, regional coastal slope, rate of relative sea-level rise, historical shoreline change rates, mean tidal range andAuthorsElizabeth A. Pendleton, E. Robert Thieler, S. Jeffress WilliamsCoastal vulnerability assessment of Virgin Islands National Park (VIIS) to sea-level rise
A coastal vulnerability index (CVI) was used to map the relative vulnerability of the coast to future sea-level rise within Virgin Islands National Park on St. John in the US Virgin Islands. The CVI ranks the following in terms of their physical contribution to sea-level rise-related coastal change: geomorphology, regional coastal slope, rate of relative sea-level rise, historical shoreline changeAuthorsElizabeth A. Pendleton, E. Robert Thieler, S. Jeffress WilliamsCoastal vulnerability assessment of Channel Islands National Park (CHIS) to sea-level rise
A coastal vulnerability index (CVI) was used to map the relative vulnerability of the coast to future sea-level rise within Channel Islands National Park off the coast of California. The CVI ranks the following in terms of their physical contribution to sea-level rise-related coastal change: geomorphology, regional coastal slope, rate of relative sea-level rise, historical shoreline change rates,AuthorsElizabeth A. Pendleton, E. Robert Thieler, S. Jeffress Williams