Regionalizing Coastal Zones with Geospatial Tools for Integrated Coastal Zone Management

Integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) requires clearly defined geographical regions. Geospatial tools in geographic information software provide systematic approaches for defining coastal zones and the limits of a nested hierarchy of management zones or units. In this chapter, a comprehensive set of approaches and their implementation are presented using several tools and data such as proximity, topography/bathymetry, watershed analysis, ecotones, hidrogeological data, cultural and administrative features as well as climate, sea surface temperature, ocean color and biodiversity distributions and condition. A simple, illustrative example is provided for the coastal zone of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.