The role of coastal setbacks in the context of coastal erosion and climate change

Coastal erosion and storms represent a source of risk for settlements and infrastructure along the coast. At the same time, coastal natural assets, including landscape, are threatened by increasing development mainly driven by tourism. The Mediterranean coast is especially vulnerable to these processes, considering its high biological and cultural diversity. An additional challenge is represented by climate change, as it will force coastal communities to apply more or less drastic adaptation strategies. Coastal setbacks, used to protect coastal communities and infrastructure from storms and erosion, and to preserve coastal habitats and landscapes from degradation, is one of the main instruments suggested by the Protocol on Integrated Coastal Zone Management of the Barcelona Convention, entered into force on the 24 of March 2011. Its implementation has the potential to influence coastal policies in other regions, such as the neighbouring Black Sea.The CONSCIENCE project has formalized concepts and conducted specific studies to provide new tools for coastal erosion management practice. The objective of this paper is to present a synthesis of the research conducted into coastal setbacks for coastal erosion management and climate change adaptation. This is done by analysing the requirement of the Protocol, current processes and management practices in two case study areas (Costa Brava Bays in Spain and Danube Delta, in Romania) and the new challenges posed by climate change.     

Effects of shoreline and bedrock irregularities on the morphodynamics of the Alexandria coast littoral cell,Egypt

Beach-nearshore profiles combined with beach and surficial sediment samples were analyzed in conjunction with wave, current, littoral drift and sea-level data to determine the effect of bedrock on morphodynamic processes within the littoral zone of Alexandria on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. This 14.5-km-long littoral cell is bounded by pronounced embayments and pocket beaches separated by headlands which prevent bypassing of beach sands, in effect making this cell a large, semi-closed basin. The compartmented nature of this cell acts together with the rough irregularity of the rocky seafloor to trap a thin veneer of sediment (<3 m thick), showing proportional mixing between two sedimentary provinces. A modern fine-grained sediment facies consisting of mixed carbonate/siliciclastic sand flanks most of the nearshore zone down to a depth of 8–10 m. Beyond this depth, considered to be the depth of closure, a relict late Pleistocene to mid-Holocene coarse-grained facies composed of biogenic carbonate sand is found. Along a short section of the coastline (km 3–6), the coarser sediment also occupies the nearshore zone. Over most of the study area the two sediment types are mixed in various proportions, largest mixing coinciding with poorest sorting. Profile analyses revealed seasonal changes in sediment volume along the coast which closely follow the cyclicity of seasonal changes in wave climate. The present shoreline orientation, headlands and rough, irregular rocky seabed are reflected in the erosion/accretion pattern, sediment characteristics, and the reversibility of longshore currents and littoral drift. Although there is a marked deficiency in the sediment balance, the sand budget for this cell, including artificial material (2.339*10⁶ m³) has increased slightly by 0.041*10⁶ m³ year^–1 as a result of engineering works carried out to widen the coastal road (Corniche). In addition to the physical properties of the bedrock (degree of induration), the accelerating sea-level rise during the Holocene and human influences, the modern morphology of the coast, the erosional seabed features in the nearshore zone, and the texture of seabed sediments are all controlled by the original geometry of the coast which consisted of an elevated subaerial ridge.     

Trends in the spatial and temporal distribution of metals (Cd,Cu, Zn and Pb) and organic compounds (PCBs and PAHs) in Dutch coastal zone sediments from 1981 to 1996: a model case study for Cd and PCBs

The spatial and temporal distribution of trace metals (Cd, Pb, Zn and Cu), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was studied to assess trends in the sediment of the Dutch coastal zone (<63-μm fraction) from 1981 to 1996. In general, the distributions showed a distinct zonation, with highest concentrations close to the coast near freshwater outlets and where dredged material had been dumped. Over time, the zone with high concentrations narrowed and moved towards the coast. The median of the percentage of the <63-μm fraction in the surface sediments did not change significantly in the Dutch coastal zone between 1981 and 1996. In that period, the median concentrations of Cd, Cu, Zn and Pb fell by 71, 38, 49 and 53%, respectively, in the area close to the coast (<20 km) north of the outlet of the Rhine. South of this outlet the median Cd, Cu and Zn concentrations fell by 45, 29 and 17%, respectively, and in the open sea area (>20 km offshore) the median concentrations for Cu and Zn fell by 35 and 18%, respectively. The largest reduction (80%) of the median concentration of PCBs occurred in the surface sediment in the open sea area (>20 km offshore) between 1986 and 1996. During this period the median PCBs concentration fell by nearly 70% close to the coast. The median PAH concentration fell by only 26% north of the outlet of the Rhine (<20 km from the coast) between 1986 and 1996. In the other areas there was no significant change. Possible reasons are that the main sources of PAHs are in the North Sea itself and that the load of PAHs from dredged material dumped in the Dutch coastal zone increased during the period studied. The reduction of the concentrations of metals and organic micropollutants in the surface sediments of the Dutch coastal zone is explained by a conservative physical mixing model, in which the previously polluted silt fraction in the surface sediments is replaced by less polluted suspended matter. There is a time lag of several years between the trend in the load of Cd and PCBs and the observed field concentration. The half life of the silt fraction and associated substances in the surface sediments is 1.9. Taking the uncertainties in the loads into account, the calculated surface sediment concentrations for Cd and PCBs agree fairly well with the field measurements. It is concluded that there are three main reasons for the decline in the metal, PCB and PAH concentrations in the highly dynamic surface sediments of the Dutch coastal zone: (1) the decrease in the load from various sources; (2) the sedimentation and mixing of less polluted suspended matter into the active sediment layer; and (3) the washing out of previously deposited more heavily polluted particles.     

Budget of sediments and forecast of long-term coastal changes

A method for predicting the coast evolution based on the calculated estimates of the components of the sediment budget is discussed. The approaches outlined in a series of previous publications of the author [9, 10, 11] are further developed. The prerequisites and concepts used as the basis of the suggested method for forecasting are characterized. The sediment budget parameters under typical conditions are presented. The contributions of natural processes and the anthropogenic impact are compared. Different approaches for calculating the principal sediment budget components, including the cross-shore flux through the lower boundary of the coastal zone, the eolian flux of sand material through the upper limit of the coastal zone, and the alongshore sediment flux gradients, are considered. The examples of forecasting the development of coasts in the Baltic and Kara seas and the Sea of Okhotsk are given for the period from 100 to 500 years. The results obtained show that, in the case of a balanced budget of the sediments, the future behavior of the coast would be mainly governed by the variations in the sea level. This factor is capable of determining the changes in the coastline, whose recession and advancing would depend on the rate of the sea level rise. Under specific conditions, an enhanced sea level rise can trigger destructive processes (for example, the erosion of a coastal bar or the thermal abrasion of a cliff). In the case of a strong imbalance in the sediment budget, sea-level changes play a subordinate role.     

中国近岸海区沿岸流和海岸流对沉积物的搬运

中国近岸海区存在两种海流:沿岸流和海岸流。前者是波浪产生的,主要搬运破波带以内的沉积物。后者是中国边缘海环流系统的一部分,位于破波带外,主要搬运粉砂和黏土细粒沉积物。在一些中文文献中两者都称作"沿岸流"。这容易形成概念上的混乱和分析问题上的错误。为了避免混淆,属于边缘海环流系统一部分的"沿岸流"应该称作海岸流,对于具体的"沿岸流"如"渤莱沿岸流"可以直接称呼为渤莱海流。两种海流的方向可以相同、相反或者呈一定角度。山东北部海岸沉积物的空间分布明显地受波浪、近岸环流系统(沿岸流、裂流)及海岸流控制。     

径流量和海平面变化对河口最大浑浊带的影响

应用改进的ECOM模式,耦合泥沙输运方程,研究径流量和海平面变化对河口最大浑浊带的影响.河口最大浑浊带位于滞流点处,底层上下游余流均向该处输运泥沙,造成该处泥沙汇合,而由流场辐合产生的上升流又使该处的泥沙不易落淤.由于盐水入侵带来的高盐水位于北岸的底层,其斜压效应使底层的横向环流由北向南流动,把底层高浓度的泥沙向南岸平流,使得最大浑浊带位于南岸.研究河口最大浑浊带现象必须使用三维泥沙输运模式.在径流量增大的情况下,与控制试验相比底层向陆的密度流减弱,滞流点下移,导致最大浑浊带也下移;因上游来沙量增加,在最大浑浊带中心和河口拦门沙处悬浮泥沙浓度趋于增加.在径流量减少的情况下,最大浑浊带的变化趋势与径流量增大情况的结果相反.在海平面上升的情况下,拦门沙区域底层向陆的密度流趋于增强,滞流点上移,最大浑浊带也相应向上游移动;最大浑浊带中心处泥沙浓度趋于增大,但口门拦门沙处泥沙浓度趋于减小.径流量和海平面变化对最大浑浊带影响明显.     

河口最大浑浊带形成的动力模式和数值试验

应用改进的ECOM模式,耦合泥沙输运模型,研究理想河口最大浑浊带形成的动力机制。河口最大浑浊带位于滞流点处,上下游余流均向该处输运泥沙,造成该处泥沙汇合,而由流场辐合产生的上升流又使该处的泥沙不易落淤。南岸(河口东向)的泥沙浓度比北岸高,最大浑浊带位于南岸,这是由于盐水入侵带来的高盐水位于北岸的底层,其斜压效应使底层的环流由北向南流动,把底层高浓度的泥沙向南岸平流,聚集于南岸底层。除上游河流泥沙来源外,强大的涨落潮流冲刷床面,使沉降于床面的泥沙再次悬浮,成为余流输运泥沙的来源之一。     

Marine Sand Resources Offshore Israel

The continental margin of northern Sinai and Israel, up to Haifa Bay, is the northeastern limb of the submarine Nile Delta Cone. It is made up predominantly of clastics from the Nile and its predecessors. The continental shelf and coastal plain of Israel are built of a series of shore-parallel ridges composed of carbonate-cemented quartz sandstone (locally named kurkar), a lithification product of windblown sands that were piled up into dunes during the Pleistocene. The drop in global sea level and regression during the last glacial period exposed the continental shelf to subaerial erosion and created a widespread regional erosional unconformity which is expressed as a prominent seismic reflector at the top of the kurkar layers. The subsequent Holocene transgression abraded much of the westernmost kurkar ridges, drowned their cores, and covered the previous lowstand deposits with marine sands, which were in turn covered by a sequence of sub-Recent clayey silts. The Mediterranean coasts of Sinai and Israel are part of the Nile littoral cell. Since the building of the Aswan dams the sand supplied to Israel's coastal system is derived mainly from erosion of the Nile Delta and from sands offshore Egypt that are stirred up by storm waves. The sands are transported by longshore and offshore currents along the coasts of northern Sinai and Israel. Their volume gradually declines northward with distance from their Nile source. The longshore transport terminates in Haifa Bay where some sand is trapped, and the test escapes to deeper water by bottom currents and through submarine canyons, thus denying Nile-derived sand supply to the 40-km-long 'Akko-Rosh Haniqra shelf. The sand balance along Israel's coastal zone is a product of natural processes and human intervention. Losses due to the outgoing longshore transport, seaward escape, and landward wind transport exceed the natural gains from the incoming longshore transport and the abrasion of the coastal cliffs. The deficit is aggravated by the construction of (1) seaward-projecting structures that trap sands on the upstream side and (2) offshore detached breakwaters that trap sands between themselves and the coast. The negative sand balance is manifested by the removal of sand from the seabed and the consequent exposure of archaeological remains that were hitherto protected by it. The sediments that escape seaward from the longshore transport system form a 2.5- to 4-km-wide sandy apron adjacent to the shore that extends to where the water is 30 - 40 m deep. The apron's slope (0.5 - 0.8) is steeper than the theoretical equilibrium slope for the median grain-size diameter in this zone (0.1 - 0.3 mm). The beach sands and the apron's surficial sands are well sorted. Their grain size decreases with distance from shore, from 0.2 - 0.3 mm nearshore to 0.11 - 0.16 mm by the drowned ridge. The coarse-grained fraction consists of skeletal debris (commonly 5 - 12% carbonate matter) and wave-milled kurkar grains (locally named zifzif). In deeper water, the basal sands underlying the fine-grained sediment cover consist of 1- to 30-cm layers whose composition ranges from silty sands to various types of sands (fine, medium, coarse, and gravelly) to zifzif. For the most part, they contain large amounts of skeletal debris (20 - 60%) and small fragments of kurkar. Two types of kurkar rock were encountered offshore: a well-sorted, fine- to medium-grained (0.074 - 0.300 mm) lithified dune sand with variable amounts of carbonate cement, ranging from hard rock of low permeability to loose sand; and a porous sandstone made up predominantly of algal grains and skeletal debris (calcarenite).     

黄河三角洲飞雁滩海岸的侵蚀及机理

飞雁滩海域是1964－1976年黄河刁口河流路入海区域。根据地形和断面水深监测资料，阐述了该岸段流路废弃后的岸滩侵蚀特征和地貌变化。研究结果表明，刁口河流路废弃后飞雁滩海岸向海凸出的地形特征，是造成该岸段强烈侵蚀的重要原因。进一步结合波、流动力的对应分析认为，波浪以掀沙为主，潮流以输沙为主，波浪和潮流的联合作用是飞雁滩海岸侵蚀的主要动力机制，其中潮流主要通过余流携沙外榆，造成近岸泥沙亏损。     

中国海岸带环境水文地质问题及防治

由于地质和地理条件的特殊性,海岸带地区生态环境极其脆弱和敏感。当今,城市化进程中的人类工程活动对滨海城市地质环境改造不断加剧,区域地下水下降漏斗、水资源短缺、水环境污染、地面沉降、地表塌陷、海水入侵、生态环境退化等环境水文地质问题突出,已严重制约我国海岸带地区实现可持续发展战略。如何有效地进行海岸带地区环境水文地质问题的防治,以保持地下水资源和环境的协调发展,已成为我国滨海城市实现可持续发展战略的一项重要任务。     

Appraisal and evolution of the littoral ‘sediment cell’ concept in applied coastal management: Experiences from England and Wales

This paper reviews the historic approach to coastal management and the reasons behind the introduction of the littoral ‘sediment cell’ concept to shoreline management planning in England and Wales. It then reviews the strengths and limitations of the approach and makes practical recommendations on how the approach can be further improved to ensure that a robust methodology exists for assessing coastal evolution; thereby providing a foundation for enabling sustainable future management decisions. Such decisions can relate to both the selection of shoreline management practices, and the identification of appropriate land use planning and development control responses. Both of these items need to take account of natural coastal processes and the interactions that occur within coastal systems at various temporal and spatial scales.     

Shallow-water longshore drift-fed submarine fan deposition (Moisie River Delta, Eastern Canada)

Submarine canyons and associated submarine fans are in some cases located at the end of a littoral cell where they act as conduits for the transfer of eroded terrigenous sediments to the marine environment. Such fans are generally found in deep-water settings at >500 m water depth. Offshore the Moisie River Delta (NW Gulf of St. Lawrence, Eastern Canada), high-resolution multibeam bathymetry and seismic data led to the discovery of an unusually shallow submarine fan (≤60 m) located at the end of a littoral cell. Sediment is transported westward on the shallow coastal shelf, as demonstrated by the downcurrent displacement of oblique nearshore sandbars where the shelf narrows to less than 1 km. The steep slope near the end of the littoral cell is incised by a channel that feeds a submarine fan composed of smaller channels and depositional lobes. According to existing Holocene evolution models for the region, the fan formed within the last 5,000 years. Its evolution is largely due to the transport of sediment by longshore drift. Multibeam echosounder and seismic data also reveal that the gravity-driven accretion of the submarine fan is characterized mainly by two processes, i.e., frequent small-scale, downslope migration of sandwaves on the slope, and more episodic slumping/turbidity-current activity in the deeper part of the fan. This study documents that, besides their common deep-water location, smaller-scale submarine fans can occur also in very shallow water, implying that they could be more frequent than previously thought both in modern environments and in the rock record.     

山东半岛东北部滨浅海区表层沉积物粒度及矿物成分

对山东半岛东北部滨浅海区海底表层沉积物的粒度和矿物组分进行了分析,探讨了其物源及其粒度分布特征与沉积动力条件的关系。结果表明,本区表层沉积物主要来源于现代黄河物质,底质类型主要有黏土质粉砂、砂质粉砂和粉砂质砂3种类型,其中黏土质粉砂约占该区沉积物分布面积的60%以上,呈“Y”形由西北向东南展布。研究区沉积作用的主控因素是黄海沿岸流,各粒级组分的分布和粒度参数特征与海流的方向和强弱有明显的相关性。     

布容法则及其在中国海岸上的应用

布容（Ｂｒｕｕｎ）法则是预测海平面上升引起海岸侵蚀最早的方法也是最简单的方法。根据中国砂质和淤泥质海岸的情况,布容法则可定性地解释海平面上升与海岸侵蚀的关系,在满足它要求条件的海岸地段和发育时期,用它预测海岸侵蚀或许是可能的。但是,若不严格审查海岸环境和条件,把它作为海平面上升情况预测海岸侵蚀的普遍模式,有待更多的研究加以证明。     

江苏滨海北部近岸海域海洋环境现状调查及风险评价

本文对2019年秋季江苏滨海北部近岸海域水质和沉积物环境进行了调查,分析研究结果表明：水质主要超标因子为化学需氧量、无机氮、活性磷酸盐、Cu、Pb和Cd;沉积物中As和硫化物超过第一类沉积物质量标准,但满足第二类海洋质量标准,其他指标均符合第一类沉积物质量标准。采用地累积指数法和潜在生态风险指数法进行评价,沉积物重金属除Cd外,潜在生态风险整体为低风险,单因子生态风险由高到低为Cd>Hg>As>Pb>Cu>Cr>Zn。     

Organic carbon stable isotope ratios of continental margin sediments

Stable isotope ratios (δ¹³C) of total organic carbon were measured in surface sediments from the continental margins of the northern and western Gulf of Mexico, the north coast of Alaska and the Niger Delta. Gulf of Mexico outer-shelf isotope ratios were in the same range as has been reported for Atlantic coastal shelf sediments, ?21.5 to ?20‰. Off large rivers including the Mississippi, Niger and Atchafalaya (Louisiana), δ¹³C values increased from terrigenous-influenced (around ?24‰) to typically marine ($\text{～?20‰}$) within a few tens of kilometers from shore. This change was accompanied by a decrease in the amount of woody terrigenous plant remains in the sediment. Alaskan continental margin samples from the cold Beaufort Sea had isotopically more negative carbon (?25.5 to ?22.6‰) than did warmer-water sediments. The data indicate that the bulk of organic carbon in Recent sediments from nearshore to outer continental shelves is marine derived.     

秦皇岛地区滨海湿地类型及其生态脆弱性

泰皇岛地区滨海湿地是我国最具代表性的沙质海岸湿地分布区,主要湿地类型为沙质海岸湿地、岩石性海岸湿地、河口湿地、泻湖湿地、浅海水域和人工湿地．受自然和人为因素的综合影响,滨海湿地生态束皖具有明显的脆弱性,主要表现为湿地植被自然演变缓慢、淡水供蛤量严重不足、海岸侵蚀日趋严重、人工围垦导致大面积自然湿地消失以及环境污染等几个方面．滨海湿地生态脆弱性与人类活动密切相关,合理调控人类干扰活动是促使湿地脆弱生态束皖向良性和狍定方向发展的关键．     

Seabed Morphology and Pollution Along the Bagnoli Coast (Naples, Italy): a Hypothesis for Environmental Restoration

Abstract. The interaction of coastal and submarine morphology with the hydrodynamic regimes exerts a control on coastal dynamic processes, conditioning the dispersion of sediments and potential pollutants existing in the area. Thus, the study of such parameters is useful in order to define environmental threats. Within the submerged sector of the Bagnoli coast and particularly in the southern part of the investigated area, there are sediment groups composed of very fine sands located in low-energy zones due to wave refraction and diffraction; they can also be found on the sea bottom and on the man-made structures typical of this zone. These areas show high pollutant levels of N, P, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cd, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated bi-phenyls (PCBs). The northern area, a place of high-energy hydrodynamic processes, also shows high concentration levels of pollutants due to the presence of secondary cell circulation.
Morphological research and analysis of textural characteristics of bottom sediments along the Bagnoli coast allowed the actual processes and their evolution in space and time to be defined. It has also been possible to correlate such processes to the seabed morphology system, the wave formations which affect the coast, the complex system of sediment transport, as well as to the man-made interventions in the area. The results of recent chemical analyses of beach sediments and bottom sediments off the Bagnoli coast were also incorporated. They prove the presence of heavy metals, PAHs and PCBs in high and sometimes very high concentrations. Finally, based on the results of research and analyses, a hypothesis for an intervention for environmental restoration has been formulated in order to renaturalise the coast through dredging and treatment of the sand, both on the seabed and on the emerged beach.     

Metal binding by humic acids in recent sediments from the SW Iberian coastal area

The concentrations of Cu, Zn, Cr, Ni, Pb, As, Mn and Co were determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometry both in recent sediments from different locations of the Huelva littoral (SW Iberian Peninsula) and in their humic acid (HA) fractions in order to evaluate distribution and binding capacity of those trace elements to HAs. In addition, elemental composition (C, N, S) and δ¹³C values were determined to appraise the sources of organic matter in the area. This study involved the comparison of selected samples taken from different environments including the estuary of the Guadiana River, the main fluvial system of the region, the Tinto and Odiel estuary system and the proximal shelf. Significant positive correlations were found among Cu, Zn, As and Pb in bulk sediments, suggesting a common origin of all of those elements: the mining activities and pyrite deposits located hinterland. On the other hand, results for Cr, Co and Ni pointed to the basic rocks from the low basin of the Guadiana River as their main source. Elemental (C, N) and isotopic (δ¹³C) composition of sediments indicated a significant contribution of autochthonous plankton in coastal shelf sediments, whereas estuarine and riverine sediments showed a major contribution of terrestrial biomass. Geochemical values for their corresponding HAs suggested a greater terrestrial contribution in the sedimentary OM of the coastal shelf sediments than in bulk sediments, which evidenced the influence of coastal currents and sediment fluxes. Humic acids sequester considerable amounts of Cu and Zn contributing to reduce the bioavailability of these contaminants.     

海南岛东南浅海表层沉积物粒度特征及沉积环境

对海南岛东南浅海377组表层沉积物样品(平均水深112.3 m)开展粒度测定及沉积物类型划分,并运用统计规律及沉积输运趋势分析,探讨了底质沉积物分布格局与物质来源及沉积动力环境关系.结果表明,海南岛东南浅海沉积物类型复杂,共分布13种沉积物类型,粒度组成以粉砂和砂为主,平均粒径均值为5.73Φ,优势粒级为细粉砂级(6～...