An Integrated Approach to Assess Wave Exposure in Coastal Areas for Vulnerability Analysis

Assessing the vulnerability to storm surges requires amongst other things to identify the degree of coastal exposure to active waves. This paper proposes an integrated analytical approach that involves: 1) the degree of coastal exposure to different wave directions of incidence, 2) the extent of human structures at risk, and 3) the maximum wave height determination for each identified direction based on local wave climate analysis. It contributes to the development of a method for assessing vulnerability of existing built coastal assets to storm surge damages. Results provide a diagnostic of constructions? vulnerability, which is essential for adaptation and mitigation planning. This approach was applied to beaches of Santa Catarina Island on the Brazilian southern coast. The northeast wave direction endangers most of the area due to the existing occupation pattern close to the sea toward that quadrant. Extreme events are more frequently associated with south and southeast wave directions. Integrating all variables, northeast wave direction was confirmed as the most dangerous in the area, followed by southern, eastern and southeastern directions, respectively. These results differ from usual estimations that tend to consider the most frequent wave directions and higher intensities, without considering the potentially affected developed surfaces.