Chapter 16 Spatial and Numerical Methodologies on Coastal Erosion and Flooding Risk Assessment Jarbas Bonetti, Antonio Henrique da Fontoura Klein, Mariela Muler, Clarissa Brelinger De Luca, Guilherme Vieira da Silva, Elı ´rio E. Toldo Jr., and Mauricio Gonza ´lez Abstract In the last decades the combination of an increasing human occupation along the coast combined with an anticipated intensification in the frequency of meteorological extreme events stimulated the development of different methodo- logical alternatives to assess and predict coastal risk. Conceptually, a global risk analysis may involve susceptibility and vulnerability, in both temporal and spatial scales, with the goal of identifying critical hazard areas. In this work, two different analytical approaches are presented within the perspective of their future integra- tion: spatial analysis based on Geographic Information Systems and numerical modeling. In the first approach, individual information layers associated with various themes (e.g. backshore landforms, backshore altitude, shoreline displace- ment, shoreline exposure to wave incidence and man-made structures at risk) were integrated and allowed the development of a numerical index of coastal vulnerabil- ity. In order to define inundation levels, a wave run-up study integrated numerical modeling and in situ measurements, allowing the recognition of sensible variations J. Bonetti (*) • A.H. da Fontoura Klein • M. Muler Coastal Oceanography Laboratory, Department of Geosciences, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Floriano ´polis, SC CEP 88040-900, Brazil e-mail: jarbas.bonetti@ufsc.br; antonio.klein@ufsc.br; muler.mariela@gmail.com C.B. De Luca Coastal & Port Engineering Master Program, University of Cantabria, 39005 Santander, Cantabria, Spain e-mail: clarissabdeluca@gmail.com G.V. da Silva • E.E. Toldo Jr. Centro de Estudos de Geologia Costeira e Ocea ˆnica – CECO, Instituto de Geocie ˆncias – IG, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul – UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS CEP 91509 900, Brazil e-mail: oc.guilhermevs@gmail.com; toldo@ufrgs.br M. Gonza ´lez Instituto de Hidra ´ulica Ambiental “IH Cantabria”, Universidad de Cantabria, C/Isabel Torres No. 15, Parque Cientı ´fico y Tecnolo ´gico de Cantabria, 39011 Santander, Spain e-mail: gonzalere@unican.es C.W. Finkl (ed.), Coastal Hazards, Coastal Research Library 6, DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-5234-4_16, # Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013 423