Threats to sandy beach ecosystems: A review

We provide a brief synopsis of the unique physical and ecological attributes of sandy beach ecosystems and review the main anthropogenic pressures acting on the world's single largest type of open shoreline. Threats to beaches arise from a range of stressors which span a spectrum of impact scales from localised effects (e.g. trampling) to a truly global reach (e.g. sea-level rise). These pressures act at multiple temporal and spatial scales, translating into ecological impacts that are manifested across several dimensions in time and space so that today almost every beach on every coastline is threatened by human activities. Press disturbances (whatever the impact source involved) are becoming increasingly common, operating on time scales of years to decades. However, long-term data sets that describe either the natural dynamics of beach systems or the human impacts on beaches are scarce and fragmentary. A top priority is to implement long-term field experiments and monitoring programmes that quantify the dynamics of key ecological attributes on sandy beaches. Because of the inertia associated with global climate change and human population growth, no realistic management scenario will alleviate these threats in the short term. The immediate priority is to avoid further development of coastal areas likely to be directly impacted by retreating shorelines. There is also scope for improvement in experimental design to better distinguish natural variability from anthropogenic impacts. Sea-level rise and other effects of global warming are expected to intensify other anthropogenic pressures, and could cause unprecedented ecological impacts. The definition of the relevant scales of analysis, which will vary according to the magnitude of the impact and the organisational level under analysis, and the recognition of a physical–biological coupling at different scales, should be included in approaches to quantify impacts. Zoning strategies and marine reserves, which have not been widely implemented in sandy beaches, could be a key tool for biodiversity conservation and should also facilitate spillover effects into adjacent beach habitats. Setback and zoning strategies need to be enforced through legislation, and all relevant stakeholders should be included in the design, implementation and institutionalisation of these initiatives. New perspectives for rational management of sandy beaches require paradigm shifts, by including not only basic ecosystem principles, but also incentives for effective governance and sharing of management roles between government and local stakeholders.     

Assessing the response of sandy-beach macrobenthos to recreation and the ecological status of the beach ecosystem at Liandao,China

Sandy beaches, prime recreational assets that attract more people than other types of shorelines, are the main assets underpinning many coastal economies and developments. However, the intense stressors to the ecology of sandy beaches caused by recreational activities are generally underestimated or ignored. This study was the first to emphasize the ecological characteristics of recreational beaches in China and assess the response of macrobenthos at Liandao Beach, a typical sandy beach in the central part of China. Using the Before/During/After/Control/Impact (BDACI) method, differences in multiple variables (species richness, mean density, diversity) between a heavily recreationally impacted transect (TrH/Impact) and a less-impacted transect (TrL/Control) in different impact periods (Before, During & After) were applied to assess the response of sandy-beach macrobenthos to recreation and tourism. Meanwhile, a comparison between the macrobenthos conditions of the studied beach and reference conditions calculating from historical data of similar beaches with little recreation and tourism disturbances was carried out. Furthermore, the quality control chart approach was used to detect in detail the macrobenthos stable state and yearly response to recreational activities. The results showed that recreation and tourism posed a serious threat to the beach ecosystem; macrobenthos on the studied beach were seriously disturbed by recreational activities, and their variations were highly negatively related to the human recreational level. After monthly recreational impacts, the macrobenthos decreased sharply and recovered with difficulty during 1 year. Over the long-term, the macrobenthos had a sharp decreasing trend, which indicated that the ecological environment of the beach was highly disturbed. Conservation measures for recreational beaches are very challenging because of the economic value and popularity of sandy beaches as recreational sites. However, practicable conservation measures could be implemented that prevent or slow ecological degradation. A number of management and conservation suggestions are put forward, such as the establishment of the ecological carrying capacity of Liandao Beach in terms of direct recreational use, creation of themed exhibitions related to the beach macrobenthos and beach ecosystem and dissemination of this knowledge to visitors, implementation of spatial zoning of beach use, visitor management and environmental education.     

Mapping beach morphodynamics remotely: A novel application tested on South African sandy shores

Sandy beaches have been identified as threatened ecosystems but despite the need to conserve them, they have been generally overlooked. Systematic conservation planning (SCP) has emerged as an efficient method of selecting areas for conservation priority. However, SCP analyses require digital shapefiles of habitat and species diversity. Mapping these attributes for beaches from field data can take years and requires exhaustive resources. This study thus sought to derive a methodology to classify and map beach morphodynamic types from satellite imagery. Since beach morphodynamics is a strong predictor of macrofauna diversity, they could be considered a good surrogate for mapping beach biodiversity. A dataset was generated for 45 microtidal beaches (of known morphodynamic type) by measuring or coding for several physical characteristics from imagery acquired from Google Earth. Conditional inference trees revealed beach width to be the only factor that significantly predicted beach morphodynamic type, giving four categories: dissipative, dissipative-intermediate, intermediate and reflective. The derived model was tested by using it to predict the morphodynamic type of 28 other beaches of known classification. Model performance was good (75% prediction accuracy) but misclassifications occurred at the three breaks between the four categories. For beaches around these breaks, consideration of surf zone characteristics in addition to beach width ameliorated the misclassifications. The final methodology yielded a 93% prediction accuracy of beach morphodynamic type. Overlaying other considerations on this classification scheme could provide additional value to the layer, such that it also describes species’ spatial patterns. These could include: biogeographic regions, estuarine versus sandy beaches and short versus long beaches. The classification scheme was applied to the South African shoreline as a case study. The distribution of the beach morphodynamic types was partly influenced by geography. Most of the long, dissipative beaches are found along the west coast of the country, the south coast beaches are mostly dissipative-intermediate, and the east coast beaches range from short, estuarine pocket and embayed beaches in the former Transkei (south east), to longer intermediate and reflective beaches in KwaZulu-Natal (in the north east). Once combined with the three biogeographic regions, and distinguishing between estuarine and sandy shores, the South African coast comprised 24 different beach types. Representing shorelines in this form opens up potential for numerous spatial analyses that can not only further our understanding of sandy beach ecology at large spatial scales but also aid in deriving conservation strategies for this threatened ecosystem.     

台风季节朱家尖岛砂、砾质岬湾海滩的不同沉积地貌动态变化

岬湾砂、砾质海岸是海岛、海岸带重要的旅游资源, 具有较高的社会经济和生态价值, 长期以来备受关注。本文以浙江朱家尖岛东岸的5个代表性岬湾海滩为例, 基于2019年台风季节早期、中期及晚期测量获得的海滩地形和沉积物数据, 结合海滩近岸的水动力数据, 分析了砂质海滩和砾石海滩这两种不同类型岬湾海滩的沉积地貌动态变化。结果表明, 朱家尖岛东岸5个海滩在台风季节出现了不同的体积变化, 大沙里、东沙、千沙、乌石塘和小乌石塘海滩的单宽体积变化分别为11.93m³·m^-1、-54.41m³·m^-1、-19.75m³·m^-1、2.19m³·m^-1和-1.96m³·m^-1。砾石滩较砂质海滩更为稳定, 无人类活动干扰的砂质海滩在台风季节侵蚀更少、变化更小。台风季节大沙里、东沙、千沙、乌石塘和小乌石塘海滩表层沉积物的平均粒径分别为2.47Փ、2.24Փ、2.64Փ、-5.96Փ和-6.03Փ, 粒径粗化和离岸输运是5个海滩表层沉积物在台风季节的主要表现, 砂质海滩的沉积物粒度特征变化比砾石海滩要大。沉积物粒径、台风强度及台风期间的主要波向与海滩走向之间的关系、海岸工程这3种因素都可能对海滩在台风季节的沉积地貌动态变化产生影响。本文研究结果可为台风季节的海滩管理提供参考。     

Ecological effects of coastal armoring on sandy beaches

Use of coastal armoring is expected to escalate in response to the combination of expanding human populations, beach erosion, and sea level rise along the coasts. To provide a conceptual framework, we developed hypotheses concerning the ecological effects of beach habitat loss associated with coastal armoring. As beaches narrow in response to armoring, dry upper intertidal zones should be lost disproportionately, reducing the habitat types available and the diversity and abundance of macroinvertebrates. Predators, such as shorebirds, could respond to a combination of (i) habitat loss; (ii) decreased accessibility at high tides; and (iii) reduced prey availability on armored beaches. To examine those predictions, zone widths and the distribution and abundance of macroinvertebrates and birds were compared on paired armored and unarmored segments of narrow bluff-backed beaches in southern California. Our results supported the predictions and revealed some unexpected effects of armoring on birds. Dry upper beach zones were lacking and mid-beach zones were narrower (>2 times) year-round on armored segments compared to adjacent unarmored segments. The abundance, biomass and size of upper intertidal macroinvertebrates were also significantly lower on armored segments. Shorebirds, most of which were foraging, responded predictably with significantly lower species richness (two times) and abundance (>3 times) on armored segments. Gulls and other birds (including seabirds), which use beaches primarily for roosting, were also significantly lower in abundance (>4 times and >7 times respectively) on armored segments, an important unexpected result. Given the accelerating pressures on sandy beaches from coastal development, erosion and rising sea levels, our results indicate that further investigation of ecological responses to coastal armoring is needed for the management and conservation of these ecosystems.     

2010—2020及影响因素分析年青岛海滩剖面稳定性

海滩的稳定性及其演变是砂质海滩研究的重要内容。在全球砂质海滩普遍遭受侵蚀的背景下,分析部分稳定海滩的特征和原因可以为海滩维护和科学管理提供重要参考。本文基于近 11 年 （2010—2020 年） 青岛第一、第三和石老人海水浴场共 8 条典型剖面的实地监测高程数据,对海滩滩肩宽度和单宽体积进行计算对比,研究表明,除石老人海水浴场一个剖面变化较大外,其他剖面的滩肩宽度只变化了 0~14 m,是 11 年前的 0%~23.3%;单宽体积变化了 8.5~46.5 m3,是 11 年前的1.0%~9.4%;海滩剖面垂向扰动范围一般在 30~60 cm 范围内。海滩存在局部小尺度淤积或侵蚀,剖面形态总体较为稳定。海平面变化、台风和风暴潮等自然因素是海岸轻微侵蚀或调整的重要影响因素,但对海滩的优化管理 （包括定期监测海滩、适度展开养护、制定完善的管理政策和加强执行力度等人为因素） 可以应对这些海滩变化,并且已成为近年来该研究海滩保持稳定的关键因素。     

福建滨海沙滩保护和利用的建议

据调查,福建沿海分布有143处主要滨海沙滩,其中已开发利用28处,可合理利用81处,需加强生态保护修复的有21处,被严重破坏已不适宜做海滩资源的有13处。本文在介绍福建滨海沙滩分布及其资源特点基础上,阐述了沿海各地海滩资源的保护与利用现状,分析了主要的资源环境问题及成因,提出了制度建设、资源管控、优化岸滩工程、污染治理、公众宣传、资金保障等有针对性的对策措施。     

Multicausal environmental severity: A flexible framework for microtidal sandy beaches and the role of polychaetes as an indicator taxon

The aim of this paper is to study the macrofaunal community dynamics and the biological–environmental interactions in the mid- and sublittoral ecosystems of the microtidal Mediterranean sandy shores. Four sandy beaches, three on the island of Crete and one on the northwest coast of Italy were selected to investigate the spatial and temporal changes in the community structure and the associated environmental variables. The littoral zone, which has not been adequately studied in the Eastern Mediterranean, presents special interest not only from the scientific point of view but also for practical reasons of ecological management. The multivariate techniques revealed that the community pattern of the sandy beach macrofauna is mainly spatial rather than temporal. There are pronounced differences in species composition and abundance of the macrofaunal assemblages of the mid- and sublittoral zone. The multicausal environmental severity hypothesis appears to be valid for the sandy beach macrofaunal communities of the Mediterranean. The abundance and composition of the macrofaunal assemblages are highly variable and are affected by the synergistic effects of many environmental variables. The polychaete taxonomic assemblage structure closely follows the macrofaunal community pattern. Differences between the two patterns may arise from the different responses that polychaetes may show to the environmental stress.     

岬湾海滩沉积动力地貌研究

岬湾海滩是砂质海岸稳定性及其演变的重要内容.介绍了岬间海湾平面形态平衡模型、海滩平衡剖面模式、海滩剖面主要类型的判别以及海岸泥沙运动,其中着重评述了现今岬间海湾平面形态平衡模型和海滩平衡剖面模式.通过它们的优缺点分析,认为人工神经网络模型是未来新型平面形态模型改进的方向;海滩平衡剖面模式分段使用,亦或2种或多种模式配合...     

The ecology of sandy beaches of the Benguela ecosystem

Sandy beaches constitute nearly 46 per cent of the coastline between the Cape of Good Hope and the Orange River along the west coast of South Africa. In addition, shores of mixed sand and rock make up a further 24 per cent although these are not considered here. Sandy beaches are therefore the dominant shore type along the coastline, and most are subject to high wave energy. There are two main ecological beach types along the study coastline: those that receive a high input of organic matter in the form of stranded kelp and those that do not. Neither type appears to support large stocks of surf-zone phytoplankton, but despite this, even beaches receiving no stranded kelp bear high standing stocks of infauna. This fact may be related to the location of the beaches alongside a highly productive upwelling region. Existing ecological information on sandy beaches along the Benguela coastline is reviewed and integrated to form a composite picture of present understanding of these beaches. The definition of a sandy beach includes not only the sandy intertidal zone but also the surf zone and sand dunes associated with it. Sandy beaches are characterized by the absence of attached primary producers, although in some parts of the world primary production by surf-zone phytoplankton has been found to be important. Secondary production by the infauna usually depends on matter imported into the system, except on beaches supporting important stocks of surf-zone phytoplankton. Imported organic matter is retained by beach sediments which act as a physical sieve, filtering large quantities of water with each wave and tide.     

The effect of human use of sandy beaches on developmental stability of Talitrus saltator (Montagu, 1808) (Crustacea, Amphipoda). A study on fluctuating asymmetry

In recent years, there has been an increasing intensity of human use of coastal areas in Galicia (NW Spain). Actually, there is great concern about rapid and unplanned urban and industrial development on certain locations, as this can generate adverse impacts on those areas. In this study, we selected three sandy beaches along the Galician coast (Chanteiro, Insuela and Valieros) facing different levels of anthropic pressure, and we analysed Talitrus saltator individuals with the aim of elucidating whether anthropogenic pressures on beaches such as tourism or pollution have an influence on the incidence of morphological developmental alterations in sandhoppers in the field. Specifically, levels of fluctuating asymmetry were selected as indicators of environmental stress. Results of two sampling dates (May and September) show that individuals collected at the most touristy and polluted beach were those showing the highest asymmetry values, although results were only statistically significant for samples collected during spring. Results are in accordance with the hypothesis that beach management and pollution reduce symmetry in sandhoppers living in altered beaches.     

山东省滨海沙滩现状调查

为了揭示山东滨海沙滩现状,为合理开发、利用和保护沙滩资源提供科学依据,项目组与2019年6月—8月,通过现场观测沙滩现状,收集沙滩的生态环境和其开发状态的资料,利用RTK-GPS高程仪获取沙丘-海滩剖面数据,并结合卫星遥感资料调查分析可知：滨海沙滩总个数为148个,沙滩岸线总长度约335 km,主要分布在烟台、威海、青岛和日照。74%的沙滩受人工干预,干预的方式主要以旅游型开发和渔业性开发为主,其中旅游型开发占比61.5%,渔业性开发占比35.6%。26%的沙滩保持自然状态,主要分布在乡村。在现场调查中发现,沙滩侵蚀较严重的大多为自然形态的沙滩渔业性开发的沙滩。多数沙滩的沙丘以及植被带上已经被建起养殖厂房、度假场所、娱乐设施及抛石护岸等,建筑垃圾、生活垃圾、养殖垃圾、微塑料垃圾等在滩面上屡见不鲜。结合数据及现场调查结果来看,山东省多数滨海沙滩已经处于开发状态,但是由于缺乏科学合理的规划,滨海沙滩的平衡系统已经受到严重威胁,沙滩面临消失的危险,严重影响了滨海沙滩的持续利用与发展。     

Shifting sands? Coastal protection by sand banks,beaches and dunes

In a closely integrated system, (sub-) littoral sandy sediments, sandy beaches, and sand dunes offer natural coastal protection for a host of environmentally and economically important areas and activities inland. Flooding and coastal erosion pose a serious threat to these environments, a situation likely to be exacerbated by factors associated with climate change. Despite their importance, these sandy ‘soft’ defences have been lost from many European coasts through the proliferation of coastal development and associated hard-engineering and face further losses due to sea-level rise, subsidence, storm surge events, and coastal squeeze. As part of the EU-funded THESEUS project we investigated the critical drivers that determine the persistence and maintenance of sandy coastal habitats around Europe's coastline, taking particular interest in their close link with the biological communities that inhabit them. The successful management of sandy beaches to restore and sustain sand budgets (e.g. via nourishment), depends on the kind of mitigation undertaken, local beach characteristics, and on the source of ‘borrowed’ sediment. We found that inter-tidal invertebrates were good indicators of changes linked to different mitigation options. For sand dunes, field observations and manipulative experiments investigated different approaches to create new dune systems, in addition to measures employed to improve dune stabilisation. THESEUS provides a ‘toolbox’ of management strategies to aid the management, restoration, and creation of sandy habitats along our coastlines, but we note that future management must consider the connectivity of sub-littoral and supra-littoral sandy habitats in order to use this natural shoreline defence more effectively.     

中国砂质海滩区域差异分布的构造成因及其堆积地貌研究

砂质海滩的形成与发育是联系地壳深部过程和地表过程的综合体现．本文根据中国沿岸砂质海滩分布状况调查结果,通过分析其分布规律与中国东部沿海中新生代构造地质分区不同海洋沉积环境的内在联系,探讨了砂质海滩区域性差异分布和堆积地貌的成因特点,从而为我国海岸资源利用的宏观配置和管理提供科学依据．研究得出：（1）中国沿岸砂质海滩的形成与发育受中新生代地质构造带控制,尤其受新构造期地壳断块升降活动差异性的影响,呈现出区域性富集的格局．（2）中国砂质海滩基本形成在构造隆起带岬湾沿岸,并且富集在其中新构造期处于上升区的海岸,这主要在于其区域性海岸环境具有形成砂质沉积的物质基础．（3）构造隆起带滨海泥沙的输沙途径及其再分配形式复杂多样,从而产生了各种不同的砂质海滩堆积地貌类型．（4）根据海岸地貌和沉积成因模式,将中国沿岸砂质海滩划分为岬湾海岸叠置沙体沉积形式、滨外坝沙体连续沉积形式和浪控三角洲平原岸改造沉积形式等3种基本模型．（5）沿海晚第四世纪古夷平地貌面与现代海平面相对高程分布的分析表明,山丘岬湾岸型砂质海滩主要形成在新构造运动下沉区段或构造相对稳定区段,而台地岬湾岸型和泻湖一沙坝岸型形成在上升区段,浪控三角洲平原岸型则分布在断块盆地．     

Exposed sandy beaches as semi-closed ecosystems

On the basis of various lines of evidence, mostly coming from exposed sandy beaches in Southern Africa, it is postulated that under certain conditions high energy sandy beaches and their adjacent surf zones may function as viable ecosystems. Where surf zones are reasonably broad and shallow, cellular circulation patterns predominate and these tend to retain nutrients generated by the macrofauna and interstitial fauna of the beach. These nutrients may then cause blooms of surf zone phytoplankton which in turn serve as food for macrofauna filter feeders. With the perimeter of the circulation cells of the surf zone forming its marine boundary, the beach and surf zone may together be considered an ecosystem with surf phytoplankton the primary producers, beach macrofauna the consumers and interstitial fauna the decomposers.     

海洋生态修复研究进展与热点分析

海洋生态修复是遏制海洋生态系统退化的重要途径,受到全球越来越多学者的关注。本研究以科学引文索引(Science Citation Index Expanded,SCIE)数据库为数据源,采用文献计量统计分析方法,结合VOSviewer知识图谱可视化分析软件,定量分析了1980—2019年国际上在海洋生态修复领域发表的相关文献,梳理了近40年来该领域研究的发展脉络、前沿热点和未来方向。结果表明,近40年间,海洋生态修复领域的发文数量随时间呈上升趋势,尤其2000年后增长速度加快,以北美洲、大洋洲、欧洲国家居多,其中美国占绝对领先地位。海洋生态修复领域涉及的学科主要有环境科学、生态学、海洋及淡水生物学等,Journal of Coastal Research、Restoration Ecology、Ecological Engineering和Estuarine,Coastal and Shelf Science是该领域的主要发文期刊。当前海洋生态修复研究热点主要包括植被恢复、海洋生物种群恢复、滨海湿地修复与生物地球化学、气候变化与生态系统管理等主题,其中关于缓解和适应气候变化、生态系统的自然恢复途径、生态系统服务功能提升等方面的研究愈来愈受到关注,是未来一段时间内海洋生态修复领域的研究热点。随着我国《国民经济和社会发展第十四个五年规划》拉开序幕以及海洋生态文明建设不断深化,我国海洋生态修复研究将驶入快车道,建议在应对气候变化的海洋生态修复、区域性海洋生态系统修复规划、海洋生态退化机理与修复关键技术、适应性管理等方面加强研究和探索。     

Synergistic effect of extreme climatic events and urbanization on population density of the ghost crab Ocypode quadrata (Fabricius, 1787)

The combined effects of urbanization and extreme climatic events were examined on the ghost crab Ocypode quadrata, a well‐recognized ecological indicator in sandy beaches. The effect of storm waves was assessed before and after these climate events in beaches with different levels of urbanization in the coast of Brazil, Tropical Atlantic Ocean. The number of burrows was used as a metric for the population size of O. quadrata and the number of humans along the beaches as a proxy for the urbanization level. Significant differences were recorded in this species’ population density according to the human pressure. Our core modelling approach showed that the number of O. quadrata burrows was lower after storm waves in urbanized zones, compared to non‐urbanized ones. The interaction between storm waves and urbanization impacted the number of O. quadrata burrows negatively, and suggest that species’ populations are more vulnerable to the combined effects of extreme climatic events and urbanization. Extreme events are predicted to increase in frequency in the next few decades, and may modify or impair ecosystem functioning in sandy beaches by reducing populations of the O. quadrata, an important beach scavenger, which markedly contribute to the flux of energy in coastal trophic webs.     

Seasonal variation of bivalve larvae on an exposed sandy beach on Kashima-nada: Tips for the sandy beach recruitment process

Bivalves are often the dominant macrobenthos species in exposed sandy beach environments. However, our understanding of their recruitment processes before post-settlement stages on sandy beaches with highly energetic environments is incomplete. To clarify the characteristics of the free-swimming planktonic stage that affects recruitment efficiency in sandy shore ecosystems, we investigated the temporal (weekly–biweekly) variation of bivalve planktonic larval concentration coupled with oceanographic conditions on an exposed sandy shore on the sea of Kashima-nada, Japan, from summer 2003 to autumn 2005. Larvae were observed throughout the year, but the surge of larval concentration composed of sandy beach and sessile bivalves occurred most prominently in summer, from August to September. The peak concentration of larvae during this season was more than 1000 times higher than in other seasons. The larval concentration was positively correlated with water temperature and northward wind velocity and negatively correlated with each of the nutrient concentrations. On the other hand, chlorophyll a concentration and salinity seemed to have little effect on the larval concentration. Based on this fundamental knowledge, further investigations about planktonic larvae in sandy beaches are needed.