Dimension 1: Exposure

Introduction

As defined above, exposure is the degree to which people and the things they value could be affected or "touched" by coastal hazards. Another way to think about exposure is as a combination of all aspects of the natural and built environment that affect the likelihood that people or things they value will feel the impacts of a natural hazard. (In contrast, sensitivity is the likelihood that these impacts will cause harm.) The level of exposure to a coastal hazard is generally defined by several components and measures, including: the physical characteristics of the hazard (such as its frequency and intensity); the presence or absence of landforms and human structures that could amplify or dampen the severity of the hazard; the location of people or things they value relative to the hazard; and the density of the people or things at these locations. You have already considered many of these factors earlier in the course, but they are reviewed below to help you understand how they contribute to exposure within our model of vulnerability.

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Figure 10.8: The location of the Perch Rock Lighthouse in the stormy Irish Sea makes it particularly exposed to coastal hazards.
Credit: Mike Pennigton, via Wikimedia Commons

• Hazard Frequency and Intensity
• Location and landscape
• Density of People and Property
• Density of People and Property (Continued)
• Density of People and Property Exercise
• Learning Check Point
• University Park ONLY: Formative Assessment
• Exposure Summary