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This textbook on Coastal Dynamics focuses on the interrelation between physical wave, flow and sediment transport phenomena and the resulting morphodynamics of a wide variety of coastal systems. The textbook is unique in that it explicitly connects the dynamics of open coasts and tidal basins; not only is the interaction between open coasts and tidal basins of basic importance for the evolution of most coastal systems, but describing the similarities between their physical processes is highly instructive as well. This textbook emphasizes these similarities to the benefit of understanding shared processes such as nonlinearities in flow and sediment transport. Some prior knowledge with respect to the dynamics of flow, waves and sediment transport is recommended. The authors would like to track the reach and use of this Open Textbook. Therefore, they would be very pleased if you could fill out a form to provide information on your intended use of this book. The form also provides options to subscribe for update notifications and give feedback.

Nowadays coastal zones are densely populated areas all over the world and, consequently, part of the coasts’ changes can be attributable to humans. The Spanish coast is a clear example of the previous theory as it constitutes a very popular touristic destination in Europe due to the presence of ecologically valuable areas and for offering the demanded three “s”: Sun, sea and sand. However, the large number of people inhabiting the coast increases the pressure on coastal systems and their resources. Climate change and its subsequent sea-level rise put these zones and their living communities at risk, as several studies have predicted potential impacts of erosion and retreat of coastlines. In view of the situation, the increasing awareness of the future situation of the coasts has motivated a large number of vulnerability assessments over the world. These assessments are an essential tool to provide an efficient management, a part from being crucial when optimising the available resources. The actual situation of economic crisis reduces the availability of resources and therefore, a proper optimisation is very important. In this work a vulnerability assessment is carried out along the Spanish coastline. An adaptation of the Coastal Vulnerability Index is applied for the first time at a large (national) scale. Other applications in Spain have been at a regional scale, and this one has the aim to provide a general overview for future management and adaptation. The quantification of the index consists of the evaluation of six variables according to their vulnerability degree that is quantified in a 1 to 5 scale (from very low vulnerability to very high vulnerability). The proposed modification of the index suggest new methodologies to assess certain variables in order to better characterise its contribution to vulnerability and adapt to local conditions. When it comes to the variable sea-level rise, it has been widely predicted and the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Cl, La costa és un sistema molt dinàmic sotmès a un gran varietat de factors geomorfològics i oceanogràfics que hi provoquen canvis a diferents escales. A l’actualitat, les zones costaneres concentren gran part de la població mundial i, en conseqüència, també hi exerceixen canvis significants. La costa espanyola és un clar exemple d’aquest fenomen ja que constitueix un destí turístic de referència a nivell europeu per l’oferta de zones de gran valor ecològic i les tres “s” sol· licitades pels estiuejants: “sun, sea and sand”. No obstant, l’afluència de turistes accentua el creixement urbanístic a la costa i, en conseqüència, incrementa la pressió sobre els sistemes costaners i els seus recursos. El canvi climàtic i la seva lligada pujada del nivell del mar posen en alerta aquests sistemes i les comunitats que els ocupen, ja que les prediccions deixen entreveure impactes potencials d’erosió i inundació, entre d’altres. Davant d’aquestes previsions, la creixent preocupació pel futur de les costes d’arreu del món està causant un increment en el nombre d’estudis de vulnerabilitat costanera. L’elaboració d’aquests estudis és una eina fonamental per garantir una eficient gestió i planificació de les costes, a part de ser decisiva a l’hora de optimitzar els recursos disponibles. Aquest últim punt constitueix un factor bàsic avui en dia ja que l’actual crisi econòmica restringeix la disponibilitat de recursos de forma considerable i, per tant, aquests s’han de prioritzar i optimitzar el màxim possible. En aquesta tesina es duu a terme un estudi de vulnerabilitat al llarg de la costa espanyola per mitjà de l’aplicació de l’Índex de Vulnerabilitat Costanera. Aquest índex ha estat aplicat prèviament a nivell regional dins l’estat espanyol, però és en aquest document quan s’aplica per primera vegada a nivell de tot l’estat. Com s’ha esmentat, aquest estudi és essencial per a gestionar els recursos de l’estat a nivell administratiu. La quantificació d’aquest índex consisteix en l’av