Open dataset · Habitat

Global database of Coastal Characteristics (GCC) [contains saltmarsh/mangrove presence derived from van Zelst et al. 2021]

Global database of Coastal Characteristics (GCC) [contains saltmarsh/mangrove presence derived from van Zelst et al. 2021] is an open dataset, under CC BY 4.0 (GCC). It describes coastal saltmarshes. Coverage: global ice-free coastline.

CC BY 4.0 (GCC)Published 2024Free download

About this dataset

This dataset present a Global database of Coastal Characteristics (GCC) with 80 indicators spanning the

geophysical,

hydrometeorological and

socioeconomic

environment, at a high alongshore resolution of 1 km and provided at ~730,000 points along the global ice-free coastline. The latest freely available global datasets and a global high-resolution transect system are used to derive these indicators.

The geophysical indicators include coastal slopes and elevation maxima, land-use, presence of vegetation or sandy beaches.The hydro-meteorological indicators involve water level, wave conditions and meteorological conditions (rain and temperature). Additionally, the socioeconomic indices are related to population, GDP and presence of critical infrastructure (roads, railways, ports and airports).

The indicators are provided in three comma-separated values (CSV) files, one for each group:

GCC_geophysical.csv

GCC_hydrometeorological.csv

GCC_socioeconomic.csv

Information for each individual indicator, including its name, long name (description), units and type, are provided in the meta_data.yml file.

The authors' description, from the dataset's DataCite record (10.5281/zenodo.11072020, CC0).

What it describes

Habitat
Coastal saltmarshes
Variables
Distribution (presence/absence)

Get the data

Option A (what the spreadsheet URL points to): download GCC_geophysical.csv from Zenodo 11072020 (GCC v1.1, CC BY 4.0); it carries a mangrove/saltmarsh presence indicator at ~1 km coastal transects derived from van Zelst et al. Option B (van Zelst et al. 2021 own data): Zenodo 10.5281/zenodo.5120632 holds transectdata_version_July2021.nc (19.1 MB NetCDF: vegetated transects with vegetation width and type, waves, water levels) and levee_crest_height_reduction_per_country_version_July2021.nc, CC BY 4.0. The 10 m FAST vegetation presence map and 20 m intertidal elevation map are restricted: free on reasonable request to the corresponding author.

How to cite it

van Zelst, V.T.M. et al. (2021). Cutting the costs of coastal protection by integrating vegetation in flood defences. Nat. Commun. 12, 6533. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26887-4

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