Assessment of urban community resilience to sea level rise using integrated remote sensing and GIS techniques

Abstract EN

Sea level rise (SLR) is closely linked to increasing global temperatures.

Rising temperatures are warming ocean waters, which expand as the temperature increases.

This thermal expansion was the main driver of global sea level rise for 75 - 100 years after the start of the Industrial Revolution, though its relative contribution has declined as the shrinking of land ice has accelerated.

Alexandria is vulnerable to sea level rise risks, especially with its current high-density coastal communities and the rapidly increasing population rates.

Most of the ‟s inhabitants are living in low-lying land and some are even below sea level.

Moreover, Alexandria has been identified as one of the „Mediterranean vulnerable cites‟.

This paper assessed the resilience of Alexandria to sea level rise risk, focusing on hazard assessment (inundation) as one of the most significant physical impacts.

Resilience index to SLR for the ten-urban district in the study area is developed using vulnerable built-up areas, vulnerable population and socioeconomic conditions (represented in unemployment rate, annual population growth and Human Development Index (HDI).

The results revealed that the resilience index ranged from “0” for low resilience and “1” for high resilience.

The calculated resilience index indicated that urban districts in Alexandria had different levels of resilience to SLR impacts.

Sharq district had the highest resilience that may be attributed to the relatively high HDI, availability of high levels of infrastructure and services in addition to the improved environmental and demographic conditions