A revised coastal sensitivity index for Canada's marine coasts calculated using nonparametric statistics
Data and Resources
Additional Info
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Creator | S.V. Hatcher and G.K. Manson |
| Summary | In this study, we applied an alternative nonparametric method of calculation, known as μ-statistics, to Canada's marine coasts to provide an improved measure of coastal sensitivity. μ-statistics, which offer a mathematically sound method of aggregating ordinal indicators, have a number of theoretical advantages over the classic and geometric mean methods. In practice, when applied to Canada’s marine coasts, we find that the μ-statistics method (1) compresses the mid-range variability in the resulting sensitivity index, (2) accentuates positive and negative distribution tails, and (3) minimizes propagated errors by 190% and 50%, respectively, compared with the classic and geometric mean methods. Additionally, the μ-statistics method has a theoretical foundation that relieves the necessity to empirically validate the aggregating assumptions and relies only on the assumptions inherent in the scoring method. μ-statistics thus provide a new, rigorous method for the calculation of coastal sensitivity indices when the underlying variables have ordinal scores. |
| Local Relevance | This study provides a revised coastal sensitivity index for Canada's marine coasts, which has implications for our understanding of the sensitivity of coastlines and vunlerability of coastal communities in the NWT. |
| Notes | |
| Tags | Marine,Coast,Coastal Sensitivity Index |
| Geographic Region | Beaufort Delta |
| Release Date | 2021-06-30 |
| Last Modified Date | 2021-06-30 |
| Funding Program |