The goal of this project is to quantify, at the National scale, the relative susceptibility of the Nation's coast to sea- level rise through the use of a coastal vulnerability index (CVI). This initial classification is based upon the variables coastal geomorphology, regional coastal slope, tidal range, wave height, historical rates of relative sea-level rise and shoreline erosion and accretion rates. The combination of these variables furnishes a broad overview of regions where physical changes are likely to occur due to sea-level rise.