Natural and human systems can move in response to external stressors, albeit at a different pace. Natural coastal systems can move in response to water submergence, salt stress, and erosion. People can choose to move based on a complex assessment of personal and community-based factors, which are often difficult to measure and model due to their dynamically changing nature. The suitable accommodation space available for landward/upslope migration of natural coastal habitats is increasingly limited by urban development and coastal protection, resulting in a phenomenon called “Coastal Squeeze.”
Coastal squeeze was measured using geospatial analysis, wetland modeling, and environmental data. Various mapping and modeling tools help to identify how wetlands respond to sea level rise (SLR) and assess whether they have room to migrate inland or face obstruction from built environments. Coastal urbanization, infrastructure, and impervious surfaces can restrict wetland movement. Land cover datasets and impervious surface maps were used to assess how much room exists for wetlands to expand inland. Building footprint datasets and shoreline structures were analyzed to determine where natural migration corridors are blocked, contributing to coastal squeeze.
Coastal flooding is becoming a pressing societal problem considering the density of urbanization, population, and assets in the coastal zone. Coastal wetlands play a vital role in flood risk mitigation and offer many other benefits to coastal communities, such as shore stabilization, animal and plant species habitat, and water filtration. This study provides new qualitative and quantitative knowledge on attributes in the socio-ecological system that contributes to coastal squeeze and strategies for management approaches focused on the mobility of people and wetlands based on different SLR scenarios.