On Wednesday, 14th July 2021, an online lecture was held on the theme: The analysis of the vulnerability of the coastal area of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County due to rising sea levels, organised by the Scientific Council for Remote Sensing of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
Increasingly frequent and unpredictable problems are being caused by climate change, of which the most unfavourable consequence on the Croatian coast has to be the rise of sea level. Existing research shows that by the end of the 21st century a sea-level rise of 62 +/- 14 cm is expected, which will have significant consequences on the coasts of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County whose total length is 1.235 km. Harmful consequences will be evident through the flooding of parts of settlements located in the lowest coastal areas, damage to coastal infrastructure, the salinisation of karst aquifers, increased erosion of coasts and the like. The low zones of coastal settlements and towns will be the most endangered.
The rise in sea level will take place over a long period of time, which allows for a timely approach to spatial planning. Adaptations to existing spatial plans will be based on new findings based on the research of the coastal zone. Namely, the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy in the Republic of Croatia for the period until 2040 gives great importance to spatial planning for the purpose of environmental protection and adaptation to climate change.
This is precisely why the Institute began preparing The analysis of the vulnerability of the coastal area of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County due to rising sea levels in collaboration with the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Rijeka, so that the Analysis, as an expert basis, would provide guidelines for the needs of future spatial planning documentation.
The results of the scientific and professional analysis of the vulnerability of the coastal area of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County were presented at the lecture. Using it the degree of the vulnerability of the coasts of PGC via the commonly used Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI) for every 25 m of coastline was determined. The method is based on the determination of key variables that represent the processes that affect coastal vulnerability, their quantification and finally their integration into a single index (CVI). With regard to the natural characteristics of the coasts of PGC and the available documents, the coastal vulnerability index was defined on the basis of the analysis of the geological structure, coastal incline with regard to coastal flooding and the danger of landslides, the actions of waves and the presence of beaches. Maps of the vulnerability of the coasts of PGC to the scale of 1:25,000 were made for individual analysed sub-indices and a summary index.
The analysis of the vulnerability of the coastal area of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County due to rising sea levels project was presented by Vedrana Petrović (Institute for Physical Planning of PGC) and Docent Igor Ružić PhD (Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Rijeka).