Hypotheses

The Spanish Mediterranean coast is frequently subjected to the impact of different types of extreme compound events that present an uneven spatial distribution, and that are generated under characteristics weather patterns. This results in the existence of high-sensitive areas prone to be impacted by these events.

The impact of these compound extreme events is more intense than the simple sum of the impact associated with each component. This impact reflects the influence of the physical and societal characteristics along the coast, which will produce a different risk pattern for each type of compound event.

Current risk management strategies in the Spanish coastal zone underestimate the importance of these events. Their presence and their associated impacts usually cause civil protection services to be overwhelmed.

The Spanish Mediterranean coast is a highly sensitive area due to the great probability of occurrence of these events and the level of occupation of the coastal fringe. The intensity and occurrence of these events may be affected by climate change, which would result in change in the risk profile of the coastal zone and in management requirements and needs.