Potential implications of global warming and barrier island degradation on future hurricane inundation,property damages,and population impacted

Hurricane flooding is a leading natural threat to coastal communities. Recent evidence of sea level rise coupled with potential future global warming indicate that sea level rise will accelerate and hurricanes may intensify over the coming decades. In regions fronted by barrier islands, the protective capacity of these islands may diminish as they are degraded by rising sea level. Here we present a hydrodynamic and geospatial analysis of the relative role of barrier island degradation on potential future hurricane flooding. For the City of Corpus Christi, Texas, USA, hurricane flooding is projected to rise between 20% and 70% by the 2030s, resulting in an increase in property damages and impacted population. These findings indicate that adaptive management strategies should be developed and adopted for mitigating loss of natural barrier islands when these islands act as protective features for populated bayside communities. Finally, this study illustrates a method for applying models to forecast future storm protection benefits of barrier island restoration projects.     

Hurricane impact and recovery shoreline change analysis of the Chandeleur Islands,Louisiana, USA: 1855 to 2005

Results from historical (1855–2005) shoreline change analysis conducted along the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana demonstrate that tropical cyclone frequency dominates the long-term evolution of this barrier island chain. Island area decreased at a rate of −0.16 km²/year for the relatively quiescent time period up until 1996, when an increase in tropical cyclone frequency accelerated this island area reduction to a rate of −1.01 km²/year. More frequent hurricanes also affected shoreline retreat rates, which increased from −11.4 m/year between 1922 and 1996 to −41.9 m/year between 1982 and 2005. The erosional impact caused by the passage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was unprecedented. Between 2004 and 2005, the shoreline of the northern islands retreated −201.5 m/year, compared with an average retreat rate of −38.4 m/year between 1922 and 2004. A linear regression analysis of shoreline change predicts that, as early as 2013, the backbarrier marsh that serves to stabilize the barrier island chain will be completely destroyed if storm frequency observed during the past decade persists. If storm frequency decreases to pre-1996 recurrence intervals, the backbarrier marsh is predicted to remain until 2037. Southern portions of the barrier island chain where backbarrier marsh is now absent behave as ephemeral islands that are destroyed after storm impacts and reemerge during extended periods of calm weather, a coastal behavior that will eventually characterize the entire island chain.     

Experimental study of cohesive sediment consolidation and resuspension identifies approaches for coastal restoration: Lake Lery,Louisiana

The purpose of this study was to evaluate related processes of sediment consolidation and resuspension in a coastal basin and how these processes influence retention of fine sediment delivered by a river diversion. Sediment samples were collected from Lake Lery, a coastal receiving basin of the Caernarvon Diversion from the Mississippi River, Louisiana. Consolidation was tested for six initial sediment concentrations (14.0–105 kg m^–3) in a settling column over 15-day periods. Mud erodibility was tested at seven shear stress regimes (0.01–0.60 Pa) using a dual-core Gust erosion microcosm system, on cores containing suspensions that consolidated for 1, 2, and 4 weeks. Consolidation rates were found to be inversely and exponentially related to initial suspension concentration, over concentrations ranging from fluid mud (10–200 kg m^–3) to hydraulic dredge effluent. Consolidation is best predicted by a function consisting of two exponential terms and one asymptotic constant, describing rates of rapid initial and slower subsequent settling. Coupled resuspension and consolidation tests (concentrations of 20–21 kg m^–3) show that shear stresses generating the highest turbidity peaks increase from ≤0.30 Pa after 2 weeks of consolidation to ≥0.45 Pa after 4 weeks, and this strengthening cannot be attributed solely to increasing sediment concentration over time. Comparison of measured erosion shear stresses with bed shear stresses typical of coastal lakes and bays suggests that this degree of strengthening, if given time to occur, could increase the overall retention of fine sediments deposited on lake and bay floors.     

Hydrodynamics and sedimentation induced by large-scale coastal developments in the Keum River Estuary, Korea

The macro-tidal Keum River Estuary located in the eastern Yellow Sea has been suffering siltation and morphological change since 1994. To understand the effects of the large-scale coastal developments on the sedimentation processes in the estuary, hydrodynamic and sedimentary data collected from 1985 to 2002 were analyzed and numerical experiments of hydrodynamics were performed. The sedimentation rate in the estuary increased by a factor of 1.9, from 3.5 × 10⁶ to 6.7 × 10⁶ m³ y⁻¹, after the construction of a dam in the upper reaches of the estuary in 1994. Large part of the estuary is veneered by the muddy sediments noticeably, which were rarely found before dam construction. Since then, siltation has concentrated in the upper estuary rather than the lower. The upstream transport and accumulation of fine-grained sediments is due to: (1) the change to flood-dominance in the main channel, i.e. the relative intensification of flood current and the flood-directed residual current; and (2) the decrease in transport capacity in the upper estuary, i.e. the marked decrease in current velocity, which was induced by dam construction. The former has resulted in the ebb-dominance of the Gaeya channel, a distributary in the north of the main channel. The tidal pumping of fine sediments was reinforced not by the freshwater/saltwater interaction but by the residual tidal circulation. The sediment fluxes observed in 2001–2002 demonstrate year-round net inflow both at the entrance of the jetties and at the Gaeya channel, which implies that the sediments delivered by the Keum River are entirely confined to the estuary, incapable of escaping to the sea. The net inward transport of fine sediments may accumulate pollutants adsorbed to or absorbed in the sediment grains in the estuary, thus deteriorating the benthic environment gradually and the water quality eventually.     

Physical impacts of four-wheel drive related tourism and recreation in a semi-arid,natural coastal environment

The aim of the research was to assess the physical impacts of four-wheel drive related nature-based tourism in the Central Coast Region of Western Australia. This coast is 271 km long, in a natural and largely undeveloped state, but coastal recreation impacts due to four-wheel drive use has increased significantly since the 1960s. Research methods included interpretation of aerial photographs for 1965 and 1998 for a 1 km zone, measured immediately landward from the shoreline. Features associated with recreation use, such as off-road tracks and access points to beaches were digitised and analysed using Geographic Information System. For 1965, 516.5 km of four-wheel drive tracks were measured, compared to 812.9 km in 1998. Access points to the coast also increased from 421 to 908 during the same period. Results were analysed within 25 biophysical and five local authority units. Results within biophysical units were related to physiographic setting, beach and dune type.     

Bacterioplanktonic abundance,productivity and petroleum hydrocarbon biodegradation in marinas and other coastal waters in North Carolina,USA

The purpose of this study was to assess the differences in the abundance and activity of the bacterioplankton at sites with varied boating activity, and to determine the response of the communities to additional petroleum pollution. Three sites, including two marinas and a site on Bogue Sound in coastal North Carolina, were selected for monthly experiments. Seasonal patterns of bacterioplanktonic abundance and diesel fuel biodegradation for each site were examined, and possible correlations with intensity of boating activities were explored. Bacterioplanktonic communities at the three sites in this study were more similar in their structure and biodegradation potential than would have been expected from previous studies. We found no differences in the abundance and biodegradation potential of theses communities at the three sites, and only a slightly elevated number of hydrocarbon degraders at one of the marinas. Patterns of biodegradation were more closely related to total bacterial abundance, rather than number of petroleum hydrocarbon degraders. There was a strong seasonal pattern in bacterial abundance and biodegradation at all three sites. The bacterioplanktonic Community at all sites responded similarly to additions of diesel fuel. Bacterial abundance and productivity were both elevated to some extent, and number of petroleum hydrocarbon degraders changed relatively little. These data indicate that marinas may not profoundly after the bacterioplankton and that coastal waters often have resident bacterial communities capable of degrading petroleum hydrocarbon pollution.     

Salmon aquaculture and coastal ecosystem health in Chile: Analysis of regulations,environmental impacts and bioremediation systems

In 2007 salmon, mollusk and seaweed aquaculture production in Chile totaled 904 thousand tonnes, making the nation the leading marine aquaculture producer in the western world. Salmonids grown in open cage net pens account for over 73% of the production. This review summarizes the current status of Chilean aquaculture and proposes the establishment of new regulations and monitoring programmes that encourage and accommodate emerging bioremediation technologies. In contrast to a rapidly expanding, well-financed and technologically advanced industry, the regulatory structure in Chile is outdated and based on insufficient science. The number of publications on the environmental impacts of salmon aquaculture in Chile is low relative to its production level. Nevertheless, the impacts of organic and inorganic waste on benthic communities, pelagic organisms and bird populations are documented. The technology to reduce these impacts using integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) strategies exists, but has not been implemented at commercial scales. We call on the government and industry to support the creation of a well-financed and politically independent agency responsible for developing and enforcing science-based environmental regulations in Chile. The agency's immediate goal should be to fund research required to develop a transparent, ecosystem-based regulatory framework that promotes IMTA. Monitoring programs and licensing procedures must consider the impacts of individual sites and the cumulative impacts from multiple sites across a wide range of spatial scales. Before such changes are realized, environmental threats and human health risks will remain unacceptably high and salmon farming in Chile will not meet any reasonable definition of sustainability.     

Remote sensing and GIS-based integrated analysis of coastal changes and their environmental impacts in Lingding Bay,Pearl River Estuary,South China

Substantial changes are taking place in the coastal landscape as a result of rapid urbanization. A series of environmental and resource problems have emerged owing to rapid urban development, including encroachment of agricultural land, land reclamation, silt deposition in rivers, and severe flooding. These problems have had a significant impact on sustainable development in Lingding Bay, the largest estuary of the Pearl River. This paper demonstrates that remote sensing can be effective in monitoring the dynamics of coastal zones, such as coastline movement, urban expansion, land-use changes, and migration of shoals and deep-water channels. Remote sensing data from 1978 to 1998 were used to detect the accelerating changes that have taken place in the study area. A hybrid approach has proved to be an effective way of improving remote sensing image classification, with multi-temporal compound imaging, for coastal change analysis. Geographic information system (Intergraph's modular GIS environment, MGE) software was used to assist planners in the analysis of such changes, by combining the maps from 1974, 1989 to 1997 and integrating the multiple (spatial and attribute) databases. The result demonstrates that: (1) the Pearl River estuary is being reclaimed, estuarine waterways are getting narrower; the area of water near Humen town has narrowed by 4–6 km; (2) shoals in Lingding Bay have reduced the area of water by 114 km² over the past 23 years; the area of deep-water channels has declined by ∼24 km², even with dredging; on average, the area of water has decreased by 5.9 km² annually; western channels migrated eastwards 0.8 and 1.1 km during the first and second 10-year period, respectively; according to this scenario, the western channel will disappear from Lingding Bay in approximately 183 years; (3) land-use changes: 92% of shoal reclamation occurred in the 1980s and 80% of waterway reclamation happened during the 1990s; Panyu District of Guangzhou city leads the table in land reclamation, Zhongshan city is second, and Zhuhai city third; the area of reclamation in the last 10 years is slightly more (1.18 times) than in the previous 10 years, in particular, there was a 1.6- and 1.8-fold increase, respectively, for the Zhongshan and Zhuhai coastal regions; at the current rate of reclamation, Tangjia Bay in Zhuhai and Jiaoyi Bay in Dongwan will vanish in approximately 25 and 70 years, respectively; the decline of the bays will cause large-scale destruction of the aquatic environment—the consequences should not be ignored. The impact of such changes on flood control and prevention, and coastal planning, are also discussed. We stress the importance of regulating and controlling the long-term development of coastal areas in the Pearl River Delta.     

Changing structure of benthic foraminiferal communities: implications from experimentally grown assemblages from coastal Georgia and Florida,USA

Environmental changes such as ocean warming or sea‐level rise have a profound impact on shallow‐water coastal environments. Benthic foraminifera have long been successfully used as indicators for ecologic responses. The propagule method is a useful tool to evaluate the reactions of entire assemblages of foraminifera when exposed to different environmental conditions. Here we present results from growth experiments of foraminiferal assemblages from three sites in coastal Georgia and Florida (USA) under different temperatures (18, 24 and 30 °C) and salinities (15 and 35). Results show that assemblages grown at the higher temperatures had greater abundances of foraminifera, whereas salinity was the primary factor in shaping the composition of the experimentally grown assemblages from the three sites. We also show that experimentally grown assemblages contain high numbers of ‘exotic’ species that result from successful propagule recruitment from outside of the original environments (e.g. the open shelf). Overall, opportunistic and previously termed ‘pioneer species’ proved to be the most successful constituents of the experimental assemblages, showing that reactions of foraminiferal assemblages to environmental changes can appear remarkably quickly (e.g. in the course of several weeks). Our observations on the faunal reactions to different temperatures and salinities indicate that ongoing environmental alterations of coastal areas will likely result in significant changes in the shallow‐water foraminiferal assemblages of the coasts of Georgia and Florida. As such, our study provides general insights into the ecologic effects of current climate change.     

珠江口淇澳岛滨海湿地沉积环境演化及其对人类活动的响应

滨海湿地作为人类活动和全球变化反应最为敏感的区域,其沉积记录可以反映出周边地区环境变化及人类活动信息。珠江口淇澳岛滨海湿地钻孔分析结果表明,在中全新世期间淇澳岛附近海域为河口湾环境,在风化层以上开始出现淤积,但在4 200 a BP前后受极冷气候的影响,沉积物粗化;自2 500 a BP以来,沉积环境相对稳定,在小冰期期间略有变化。沉积速率计算结果显示:淇澳岛附近海域自中全新世高海面以来的平均沉积速率为0.29 cm/a,4 160~2 500 a BP、2 500 a BP-1488年、1488-1893年、1893-1986年、1990-2007年期间的平均沉积速率分别为:0.17 cm/a、0.23 cm/a、0.35 cm/a、1.37 cm/a和5.94 cm/a,沉积速率逐渐增大,反映了珠江三角洲演化过程中沉积相与沉积环境的变化;1986-1990年期间的海堤建造极大地扰动了该钻孔上部的沉积过程,在工程施工期间共沉积了厚度约112 cm的沉积层,而在海堤建成后,沉积速率也显著增大。沉积物总有机碳、总氮和C/N值的垂向分布表明,在4 160~2 500 a BP期间受海洋环境影响较大,沉积物中有机碳以海源为主,2 500 a BP以来沉积物中碳、氮含量明显增大,C/N也相应变大,有机碳主要来源于陆源输入,但在小冰期期间海源有机碳贡献略有所增大;近百年来由于受人类活动影响显著,陆源有机碳的贡献快速增加。     

Clam community composition and prey shell size impacts moon snail (Gastropod: Naticidae) drilling frequencies in South Carolina,USA

Moon snail predation on clams is a common model system of predator–prey interactions. In this system, the predator bores through the shell of its prey, leaving a distinct and identifiable hole. Some paleoecological and behavioral research on moon snails suggests a trend in predation preference directed toward clams with small shells. Rarely, however, have studies tested relative drilling frequencies across species and size ranges in natural assemblages of clam communities. We examined the clam community composition at two beaches in South Carolina, USA, and we then tested moon snail predator preferences for (a) clam prey species and (b) whether their selection is related to prey shell size. We collected a total of 1,879 clam shells, identified each shell to species and recorded their anteroposterior length. The species composition of clams differed significantly between the two beaches; Anadara ovalis was dominant at both sites, but three of ten total species were only collected at one beach. Folly Beach had nearly a 60% higher the overall drilling frequency (34.6%) versus Edisto Beach (21.8%), and this may be linked to the differences in clam community compositions at the sites. For A. ovalis and Mulinia lateralis, shells with larger lengths have lower probabilities of being bored by a moon snail. Anadara brasiliana, which generally is a thinner‐shelled clam species, had the highest total drilling frequency (77.2%), and Noetia ponderosa, a thicker‐shelled clam, had a considerably lower drilling frequency (12.0%). We conclude that both community level factors (species composition) and population characteristics (shell size distributions) may influence the local drilling frequency by moon snails.     

Increasing nutrient concentrations and the rise and fall of a coastal fishery; a review of data from the Nile Delta,Egypt

There is a conceptual basis, and some empirical evidence, that increasing nutrient loads to coastal waterbodies will initially increase ecosystem productivity up to a threshold, beyond which secondary productivity and fishery yields will decline. Here we have compiled data from the Egyptian and international literature for fish landings and inorganic nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) data from four large coastal lagoons (63–500 km²) on Egypt's Nile Delta to provide evidence for the initially positive, but then negative, response of fishery yields to increased nutrient supply across a very wide range of enrichment (up to 1 mM dissolved organic nitrogen, DIN). Taking the data from the four lagoons as an aggregate, fish landings increase with increased nutrients up to a peak in landings at approximately 100 μM DIN, beyond which there was an exponential decline in landings. It appears that pesticide and heavy metal contamination and overfishing played only minor roles in the lowered fishery yield at highest DIN concentrations. We do not have sufficient evidence about the specific mechanisms that led to the decline of the fishery, but suspect that some feature of eutrophication—low oxygen, for example, may have been involved.     

Regional scenarios of sea level rise and impacts on Basque (Bay of Biscay) coastal habitats,throughout the 21st century

Global climate models have predicted a rise on mean sea level of between 0.18 m and 0.59 m by the end of the 21st Century, with high regional variability. The objectives of this study are to estimate sea level changes in the Bay of Biscay during this century, and to assess the impacts of any change on Basque coastal habitats and infrastructures. Hence, ocean temperature projections for three climate scenarios, provided by several atmosphere–ocean coupled general climate models, have been extracted for the Bay of Biscay; these are used to estimate thermosteric sea level variations. The results show that, from 2001 to 2099, sea level within the Bay of Biscay will increase by between 28.5 and 48.7 cm, as a result of regional thermal expansion and global ice-melting, under scenarios A1B and A2 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. A high-resolution digital terrain model, extracted from LiDAR, data was used to evaluate the potential impact of the estimated sea level rise to 9 coastal and estuarine habitats: sandy beaches and muds, vegetated dunes, shingle beaches, sea cliffs and supralittoral rock, wetlands and saltmarshes, terrestrial habitats, artificial land, piers, and water surfaces. The projected sea level rise of 48.7 cm was added to the high tide level of the coast studied, to generate a flood risk map of the coastal and estuarine areas. The results indicate that 110.8 ha of the supralittoral area will be affected by the end of the 21st Century; these are concentrated within the estuaries, with terrestrial and artificial habitats being the most affected. Sandy beaches are expected to undergo mean shoreline retreats of between 25% and 40%, of their width. The risk assessment of the areas and habitats that will be affected, as a consequence of the sea level rise, is potentially useful for local management to adopt adaptation measures to global climate change.     

The behavior of Al,Mn, Ba,Sr, REE and Th isotopes during in vitro degradation of large marine particles

The extent and the time constant of dissolution of a set of inorganic tracers during the decomposition of large marine particles are estimated through in vitro experiments. Large marine particles were collected with in situ pumps at 30 m and 200 m in the Ligurian Sea at the end of summer. They were subsequently incubated under laboratory conditions with their own bacterial assemblage for 20 days in batches under oxic conditions in the dark. Some samples were initially sterilized in order to observe possible differences between biotic and abiotic samples. Particulate (>0.2 μm) and dissolved (<0.2 μm) concentrations of Al, Sr, Ba, Mn, Rare Earth Elements (REE) and Th isotopes were determined over time. We obtain percentages of dissolution in agreement with the general knowledge about the solubility of these tracers: Th≈Al<Heavy REE<Light REE<Mn<Ba<Sr. For Mn and Ce, precipitation/adsorption occurs at the end of the experiment probably due to their oxidation as insoluble oxides. Particulate residence time of the tracers ranged from less than 1 day to 10–14 days. During the experiment, biological activity has a control on the dissolution process through the remineralization of particulate organic carbon. In the 30 m experiment, the observed dissolution of aragonite indicates that the pH of the incubation solution significantly decreases in response to the CO₂ respiration. Speciation calculations suggest that this pH shift leads to a decrease of the complexation of dissolved REE by carbonate ions. Th isotope data are consistent with an irreversible dissolution of Th and they do not support a rapid particle–solution chemical equilibrium.     

春季长江口及其邻近海域溶解有机物的分布、组成及降解行为研究

2021年3月对长江口及其邻近海域9个断面溶解氨基酸(THAA)、溶解有机碳(DOC)和溶解有机氮(DON)的分布和组成进行了调查研究。结果表明:THAA的浓度范围为1.24~4.71μmol/L,平均浓度为(2.61±0.85)μmol/L;DOC的浓度范围为118.17~450.58μmol/L,平均浓度为(149.73±33.34)μmol/L;DON的浓度范围为10.48~24.45μmol/L,平均浓度为(13.80±1.81)μmol/L。THAA、DOC和DON的水平分布表现出近岸高于远岸的特点,表明陆源输入对调查区域的THAA等分布有重要影响。而THAA与D-天门冬氨酸、D-谷氨酸、D-丝氨酸和D-丙氨酸的D/L比均呈显著负相关,与天门冬氨酸/β-丙氨酸(Asp/β-Ala)呈正相关,表明细菌活动是影响THAA浓度变化的重要因素。长江口及邻近海域的优势氨基酸为L型氨基酸,D型氨基酸和非蛋白型氨基酸的占比仅为7.34%。基于C/N比值分析,长江口及其邻近海域溶解有机物(DOM)的来源受到长江冲淡水和台湾暖流的共同影响。THAA-C%、THAA-N%、降解因子和反应活性指数表明:水平方向上盐度接近于0的淡水区域和盐度高于34的远海区域降解程度较高;垂直方向上随着深度的增加,有机物的降解程度逐渐升高。调查区域有机物的降解程度主要受到陆源输入和细菌活动的影响。     

Organic matter features, degradation and remineralisation at two coastal sites in the Ligurian Sea (NW Mediterranean) differently influenced by anthropogenic forcing

Organic matter (OM) features, degradation and remineralisation were studied in the seawater of a natural coastal site (Marine Protected Area of Portofino) and at an urbanised coastal site (Quarto, Genoa city) of the Ligurian Sea. The accumulation of low trophic value OM and the persistence of phytoplanktonic biomass throughout the year were observed only at the urbanised site. Efficient OM degradation and remineralisation via high-activity (two times higher than at the Portofino site) hydrolytic enzymatic activities (alkaline phosphatase and leucine aminopeptidase) were recorded. This active degradation indicated a generally good resistance of the Quarto system to environmental pressures (coastal inputs and anthropogenic influence). However, the high potential release of recycled inorganic nutrients and the favourable environmental conditions (i.e. higher seawater temperature at the Quarto site and allochthonous inputs), could encourage unpredictable development of the autotrophic fraction, including an already observed dystrophic blooming of toxic microalgae.