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Cutler, E.M.; Albert, M.R., and White, K.D., 2019. A low-cost shoreline dynamic simulation model for proposed beach nourishment and dune construction: Introducing a new feasibility analysis tool. Journal of Coastal Research, 35(4), 907–919. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Beach nourishment and dune construction are common coastal risk-management strategies for shoreline erosion in the United States. Federal involvement with such projects relies on cost–benefit analyses, which in turn rely on life-cycle models of shoreline processes, such as the Army Corps of Engineers' Beach-fx event-driven physical and economic coastal model. However, use of these models can be computationally and data intensive. Costs associated with conducting a feasibility analysis for beach nourishment and dune construction may leave a community with few resources to explore other risk-management options. This paper, therefore, presents a first-order, screening-level, low-cost dynamic model that delivers results approximately comparable with those from life-cycle models. Applying the model to three locations in Florida shows that simulated nourishment intervals are within 5 years of those predicted by Beach-fx, leading to a similar number of nourishments over a 50-year project life span. A discussion on how one could apply the model to other areas is also included. It is intended that this model could serve as a first-pass screening tool for communities considering beach nourishment and dune construction before they decide to invest in the more thorough, but costly and data-intensive, life-cycle model simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As food demand increases, it is critical to develop effective strategies and evaluate their potential in reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and other environmental footprints of large-scale agricultural systems. This study addresses the challenge by developing a dynamic system modeling framework integrating Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Agent-Based Modeling (ABM), and Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA). LCA and TEA were coupled with dynamic simulation models of crop yields, costs, and prices, allowing for the estimation of life-cycle environmental impacts and profitability of crop planting activities under changing climate and economic conditions. The framework was demonstrated by a case study for an agricultural system, including 1,000 farms in the United States over a 30-year time frame. The results indicated that information exchange among farmers, farmers' environmental awareness, access to environmental information, and farm size are key factors driving the system's environmental impacts. The results can provide a broad range of stakeholders (e.g., policymakers, nonprofits, agriculture companies) with insightful information to tailor their strategies for effectively managing the environmental footprints of large-scale agricultural systems. The integrated modeling framework has the potential to address sustainability challenges in other systems that are dynamic, involve human behaviors, and have complex interactions among human and nature systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]