Application of Geo-Processing Model for a Quantitative Assessment of Coastal Exposure and Sensitivity to Sea Level Rise in the Sultanate of Oman

Salim Al-Hatrushi; Elnazir Ramadan; Yassine Charabi

doi:10.4236/ajcc.2015.44030

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American Journal of Climate Change > Vol.4 No.4, September 2015

Application of Geo-Processing Model for a Quantitative Assessment of Coastal Exposure and Sensitivity to Sea Level Rise in the Sultanate of Oman ()

Salim Al-Hatrushi^*, Elnazir Ramadan, Yassine Charabi

Department of Geography, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.

DOI: 10.4236/ajcc.2015.44030 PDF HTML XML 4,187 Downloads 4,776 Views Citations

Abstract

The Sultanate of Oman has a long coastline extending for about 3165 km including a number of bays and islands. Oman’s coastline borders the Arabian Gulf, the Sea of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Most of this coastline is soft and low laying shore subject to the dynamics of sediment transport and the landward retreat of the shoreline, caused by anthropogenic factors and sea level rise associated with climate change. This paper aims to assess the vulnerability of the entire Omani coastal zone to the expected sea level rise and storm surge. Methodology is based on applying Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI) to identify clusters of high vulnerability areas according to their sensitivity and dynamic nature and increased risk resulted from seal level rise, erosion and extreme weather events. The coastal line of the governorates of Al Batinah, Muscat and Al-Wusta has scored highly due to possessing similar physical attributes. Based on that assessment a coastal vulnerability database utilizing GIS was created to help stakeholders involved in the coastal management to make better decisions.

Keywords

Sea Level Rise, CVI, Coastal Vulnerability, Sultanate of Oman

Share and Cite:

Al-Hatrushi, S. , Ramadan, E. and Charabi, Y. (2015) Application of Geo-Processing Model for a Quantitative Assessment of Coastal Exposure and Sensitivity to Sea Level Rise in the Sultanate of Oman. American Journal of Climate Change, 4, 379-384. doi: 10.4236/ajcc.2015.44030.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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