**6. Conclusion**

158 Studies on Environmental and Applied Geomorphology

Figure 7 shows the influence graphs of Goksu, Turkey in addition to the impact and vulnerability scores. These graphs are important for local decision-making processes, while the comparison of different sites according to the overall vulnerability scores enables planning for the regional to national management of coastal areas. The histogram shows that although human influence on the geomorphologic processes is significant (scores for human influence parameters indicate moderate vulnerability), it is the physical properties of the region that governs the vulnerability. Many of the physical parameters are part of the geomorphologic mechanisms, either as driving forces or as affected attributes, and the scores of these parameters for the Goksu region signal a high vulnerability as reflected by the aggregated vulnerability of the whole region. On the other hand, the vulnerability of groundwater resources is human influence-driven, although the physical characteristics of the aquifers indicate the resilience to sea level rise. It is the establishment of the level of influence of different processes along the coastal area that enables us to generate a framework for the Goksu region in terms of ICZM planning. In terms of high vulnerability impacts where geomorphologic processes govern the dynamics, the understanding of local geomorphology dynamics and the impact of human activities over the long term represents the key areas that ICZM practice should be based on. The high score of flooding due to storm surges indicates that a short term temporal scale should be included in the modelling, underlining the necessity for numerical model studies for this site. Since the physical properties of the region dominate the vulnerability, management options need to be more structure-based, at least in terms of soft protection options such as nourishment or dune

Fig. 7. Influence Histogram for Goksu (red columns indicate the human inference system,

blue columns indicate the physical inference system).

planning (Ozyurt & Ergin, 2010).

Vulnerability Scores

For the sustainability of coastal areas, integrated coastal zone management has become the leading concept which requires the integration of many concepts studied by different disciplines, such as geology, geomorphology, coastal and marine sciences, sociology, etc. The study of the geomorphology of coastal areas - focusing on landforms and the processes that shape them - is one of the core disciplines required for successful and efficient ICZM practice. The information generated by geomorphologic studies acts as a foundation for other studies included in ICZM plans - such as vulnerability assessments by determining the scale of the assessments, the processes to be included and options to be assessed.

The results of the case study locations assessed by the FCVAM are used to discuss the role of geomorphology in the vulnerability of coastal areas. Additionally, the integration of spatial and temporal scales within the model, considering the different scales of geomorphology and the ICZM, are presented through these examples. The assessment methodology uses the concepts and theories of geomorphology (landform processes, drivers and factors) such that different processes (such as waves, tides) acting on the geomorphology are integrated and evaluated by using governing parameters which are not limited to spatial or temporal scales. Geomorphology in terms of coastal land forms is directly included in the FCVAM model. In addition, the site-specific application of the model is suggested to be performed by preparing the model database, determining coastal strips with respect to their geomorphological properties and focusing on landforms. The processes related to specific landforms are the main properties that also define the vulnerability of the coastal zone, and the relationships between these processes and landforms are the structural backbone of FCVAM model. The selection processes of the parameters to be included in site-specific assessments using the FCVAM model are dependent on the study of geomorphology and its theories of specific landforms, as presented in the discussion on the model's parameters.

The fuzzy coastal vulnerability assessment methodology (Ozyurt, 2010) was used to assess different coastal areas showing various physical and geomorphological properties as well as different levels of socio-economic development patterns. The regional application of the FCVAM is presented by comparing three different locations (Viveiro, Spain; B'Buga, Malta and Silifke, Turkey) at the LAU2 level using coarse resolution data. The data used for the

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regional application of the model needs to represent the properties of the region. However, the coarse resolution of the data used for the FCVAM's application is efficient enough to analyse the vulnerability of these regions and compare them to each other so as to determine regional policies on coastal zone management. On the other hand, the vulnerability scores of individual impacts and the histograms give the most information on the level of vulnerability and the influence of geomorphologic processes of a region. The degree of human intervention on these processes is also presented in the histogram provided in Figure 7. Both the scores and histogram shown in Figure 7 enable policy makers to develop ICZM plans in the long term by creating a framework of possible actions. However, in order to generate efficient histograms, the model needs to be run at a local level with high resolution data or for regions where geomorphology is homogeneous for the study area. Such a case is represented by the study on Goksu, Turkey. The site where geomorphology is dominated by delta formation enables the FCVAM model to analyse relationships between physical and human influence parameters as well as indicating possible adaptation measures for different impacts.

One of the recurring themes is the masking of variability of vulnerability along a shoreline as a result of the application of the model to a coarser spatial resolution. The use of aggregated data to define some of the parameters - especially parameters related to geomorphology - can mask higher or lower vulnerability zones, such as was the case with the pocket beaches in Viveiro. In that case, although the variability is lost in terms of geomorphologic processes, the impact vulnerability scores still help to understand the variability of vulnerability across different types of processes.

Finally - as was previously highlighted - geomorphologic processes are both derived and driven by many mechanisms, and a combination of these mechanisms is the goal of efficient ICZM practice. To achieve this objective, the models of different natures and complexities try to overcome many of the problems faced by geomorphology research and ICZM practice. The FCVAM model and case studies presented represents one of these models and tries to achieve the integration of different processes efficiently. In the end, the problems related to many of the concepts above mentioned are what drive many researchers from many disciplines to continue searching. As Malcolm Muggeridge (What I Believe) has put it in words "*IF I COULD UNDERSTAND A GRAIN OF SAND, I SHOULD UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING."* 
