Assessing coastal composite vulnerability indices on seasonal change in Phetchaburi, Thailand

Abstract

© 2015 Thai Society of Higher Eduation Institutes on Environment The aims of this study were to apply the Geo-information technology for coastal vulnerability assessment of Phetchaburi coast, which depended on seasonal changed (by influence of Southwest monsoon and Northeast monsoon). The assessment uses a coastal vulnerability index (CVI), consists of a physical environment vulnerability index (PVI) and the socio-economic vulnerability index (SVI) with 9 variables; coastal slope, mean tidal ranges, average wave height, rates of coastal erosion, population density, land use, built-up, transportation and coastal protection measures. The results showed, the different during monsoon had an indecisive difference effect on mean tidal ranges, average wave height, and changes in the coastline. However, the monsoon had effected to sand sediment of the beach. That increased in the Southwest monsoon and decreased in the Northeast monsoon. The level of vulnerability of the coastal area was shown by a map of CVI, with high coastal vulnerability areas having a size of 4.6 square kilometers (10.89% of the coastal surveillance area), mainly in Pak-Thale, Bang-Keaw and Chao-Samran. The moderate and the low coastal vulnerability areas have size of 31.29 square kilometers and 6.97 square kilometers, respectively. The variables that influence the vulnerability are land use, slope, erosion rate and population density.