GCSD: A comprehensive coastal indicators database for global coastal sustainable development assessment

Coastal areas host 40% of humanity and critical biodiversity, confront synergistic pressures from climate change and human activities that represent a significant challenge for coastal sustainability. While global initiatives like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Land-ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone (LOICZ) emphasize coastal sustainability, existing assessments remain limited by data fragmentation, inconsistent spatial scales, and unintegrated indicators. To address these gaps, we present the Global Coastal Sustainable Development (GCSD) Indicators Database-a standardized, high-resolution (1 km) framework. Derived from open-access datasets, it uniquely bridges coastal pressures, socioeconomic exposure, and ecological thresholds at process-relevant scales, embedding SDG nexus dynamics. By overcoming scale mismatches in traditional national-level assessments and resolving issues of heterogeneous data standards, inconsistent quality control and semantic interoperability across multiple databases, GCSD harmonizes scattered data into a replicable framework. This advancement enhances the ability to track progress, inform adaptive management, and balance immediate needs with long-term coastal sustainability.