| The work presented in this PhD thesis has not been carried out within a single, well-defined project. Instead, it integrates the results of a number of studies conducted from 1994 onwards, each of which had different clients and objectives. The common theme of the studies has been the description and analysis of elements that determine how coastal systems and communities would and could respond to climate change and, in particular, how this response may be assessed as part of coastal vulnerability studies. Coastal zones are amongst the most dynamic natural environments on earth, providing a range of goods and services that are essential to human social and economic well-being. Coastal zones represent the narrow transitional zone between the world’s land... |
