Vulnerability assessment of coastal plant communities from flooding caused by unusual storms: A case study of Kabakum beach, Varna (Northeastern Bulgaria) for 2018 year

Stoyan Vergiev; Mariana Filipova-Marinova; Ekaterina Trifonova; Iliyan Kotsev

doi:10.30574/gscbps.2019.9.3.0239

Authors

Stoyan Vergiev Department of Ecology and Environmental Protection, Technical University of Varna, Varna, Bulgaria.
Mariana Filipova-Marinova Institute of Oceanology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Varna, Bulgaria.
Ekaterina Trifonova Institute of Oceanology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Varna, Bulgaria.
Iliyan Kotsev Institute of Oceanology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Varna, Bulgaria.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30574/gscbps.2019.9.3.0239

Keywords:

Vulnerability assessment, Plant communities, GIS, Floods, The Black Sea coast

Abstract

The present paper proposed a rapid method for vulnerability assessment of coastal plant communities from flooding caused by unusual storms over the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. The model was tested and applied on Kabakum beach, Varna (Northeastern Bulgaria) for 2018 year. In order to create a dynamic GIS model, data from experimental results and detailed GIS mapping on the Kabakum beach (Varna) were incorporated. As a result of a simulated flooding experiment, Critical Decomposition Time (CDT) was obtained. Linking flood duration with CDT and altitudinal spreading of plants determines that Аrtemisia vulgaris L., Eryngium maritimum L. and Crambe maritima L. are vulnerable to storms. The plant communities in Kabakum beach are not threatened by complete destruction even during a storm with a return period of 100 years. Habitat recovery is likely within a season and does not require human intervention.

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