Vulnerability Assessment of the Central Gulf of Mexico Coast Using a Multi-Dimensional Index Approach

The coastal communities of the central Gulf of Mexico (GOM) form a highly productive and complex human, physical, and natural environment that interact in ways unique compared to other coastal areas of the globe. Past studies on understanding coastal resiliency and developing vulnerability indices for this region have mainly focused on climate change and sea-level rise, with more recent research directed towards recognizing socio-economic and demographic factors. The interactions of climate change and non-climatic drivers of the coastal ecosystem such as economy and infrastructure concentration are often overlooked. To support the development of policies relating to coastal management and climate change, it is vital to integrate all the relevant parameters. This paper presents a relative vulnerability assessment of the central GOM coast by incorporating climatic, geological, socio-economic, demographic and economic variables. A multi-dimensional Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI) developed from these parameters is used to rate coastal segments into different classes based on their range of vulnerability. We study the relationship between energy infrastructure and the physical and human aspects of communities to identify and prioritize communities, and the proximate infrastructure most at risk from coastal climate change. Spatial analysis will be a component part of this index-based approach to characterize, organize, and analyze data for assessing coastal community vulnerability in areas supporting critical energy infrastructure. Special focus is directed towards the concentration of pipeline and transportation infrastructure in this region.