Exploring the relationships between coastal vulnerability and socio-economic variables in the context of climate change using geoinformatics for the region of Longyearbyen, Svalbard

The continuous monitoring of coastline vulnerability is of major importance, due to the significant human activity and vital ecosystems, like, permafrost wetlands, and sea ice- habitats in these areas. The Arctic Circle, in particular - where climate change effects are more pronounced - faces accelerated sea ice melting and permafrost thawing, increasing coastal erosion. . One widely applied method for monitoring coastal vulnerability is the Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI). Another index that assesses the socio-economic impact on these areas is the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). Combined, they form the Integrated Coastal Vulnerability Index (ICVI), identifying the most vulnerable areas. This study explores the use of the above indices for the area of Longyearbyen, a town on Svalbard located in the Arctic Circle. In particular, two methods were applied to calculate the indices: the classical approach, using established equations and equal weighting to all factors, and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) which calculates statistical weights for variables involved in the assessment. Since research linked to integrating socio-economic factors into coastal vulnerability assessments remains limited, particularly in the Arctic, the results of this study provide an important contribution to filling this gap and to better understand the impacts of climate change in relation to the socio-economic variables for Arctic coastal regions. Also, by integrating the ICVI, this study contributes to efforts to develop informed and more robust coastal management strategies, which in turn facilitate sustainable adaptation to climate change impacts in the Arctic. It also aims to provide support towards more informed coastal management strategies to foster climate change adaptation in vulnerable coastal areas of the Arctic cycle.