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In parallel with many other countries, the government of Japan has started to tackle coastal adaptations to climate change. In 2020, the national Basic Policy for Coastal Protection was revised to add the statement that coastal management should account for future changes in coastal hydrodynamic conditions due to climate change. Following this policy, the management body of each coast is requested to revise the Basic Plan for Coastal Protection by 2025. This paper first reviews the current legal frameworks and measures of coastal protection and conservation, such as disaster prevention and mitigation against stormy waves, storm surges and tsunamis, beach conservation, and maintenance of coastal protection facilities. Second, the paper outlines the recent actions taken for coastal adaptation to climate change. With example cases in Osaka and Tokyo bays, it is described how design conditions such as design waves and water levels should account for the influence of climate change. It is also described how adaptive beach management should be implemented accounting for projections of future beach changes. Finally, the paper discusses future challenges in coastal adaptation strategies to climate change in Japan, such as introduction of integrated coastal zone management and other potential options that have not been implemented in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Responding to current and future climate change demands urgent, transformative adaptation, yet in many policy systems inaction continues to prevail. This paper examines apparent resistance to policy change and the persistence of business-as-usual through a 'lock-in perspective', which means that attention is paid to how reinforcing mechanisms drive stabilisation and resistance in policy systems. Offering a fresh synthesis of known lock-in mechanisms in the literature, this paper explores the role of those mechanisms in two empirical cases of coastal adaptation: England (U.K.) and Schleswig-Holstein (Germany). While several known lock-mechanisms are observable, some are newly identified in this adaptation context. We offer a critical reflection on the added value of the lock-in perspective for understanding policy stability. In turn, the identification of self- and mutually reinforcing mechanisms provides a much-needed foundation for targeted policy interventions and efforts to 'unlock' climate adaptation pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores what happens when the ideal of sustainable development meets the real and pressing problems in coastal zone planning. Insights into how coastal zone planners understand environmental problems and navigate political visions, knowledge requirements, stakeholder involvement and local conditions, are key to understanding how to develop a holistic approach in line with sustainable development. The paper applies Q-methodology to identify the dominant discourses and explore planners' perceptions and practices for sustainable coastal zone management. The Q sorts were realized in 2018-2019 in Northern Norway with planners in 10 small municipalities and 8 county level representatives. It is argued that it provides new insights into the challenges that planners face in striking a balance between the overarching values and the practical tasks that planners face in everyday planning; and that the interpretation of factors using Q-methodology should focus on all statements to ensure holism and avoid overlooking important information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores what happens when the ideal of sustainable development meets the real and pressing problems in coastal zone planning. Insights into how coastal zone planners understand environmental problems and navigate political visions, knowledge requirements, stakeholder involvement and local conditions, are key to understanding how to develop a holistic approach in line with sustainable development. The paper applies Q-methodology to identify the dominant discourses and explore planners' perceptions and practices for sustainable coastal zone management. The Q sorts were realized in 2018–2019 in Northern Norway with planners in 10 small municipalities and 8 county level representatives. It is argued that it provides new insights into the challenges that planners face in striking a balance between the overarching values and the practical tasks that planners face in everyday planning; and that the interpretation of factors using Q-methodology should focus on all statements to ensure holism and avoid overlooking important information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses challenges and enablers for integrating a transboundary land-sea interaction (LSI) perspective into marine spatial planning (MSP) practice as experienced in the Baltic Sea Region. Collaborative research results from the Pan Baltic Scope project indicate that LSI remains an amorphous concept, particularly within a transboundary MSP context. Difficulty lies in bridging planning practices across land and sea and between varying uses, administrative settings and governance functions. Addressing LSI requires capacity, time, resources, awareness, reflection, and forums for collaborative learning across sectors and governance levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior to European Settlement in 1829, the Western Australian coast to the north of Perth, the state capital, had long been occupied by the Yued Nyungar Aboriginal group. However, much of this land had limited agricultural potential and, following Aboriginal dispossession, it remained as largely unoccupied Crown (public) Land for about a century. From the 1920s, farmers, crayfishers and Perth residents began to establish campsites and shacks for temporary use. However, since the 1960s, pressure has been growing: to develop better access routes and more formal (and legal) coastal/recreational settlements; to offer greater statutory protection to the natural coastal environment; and to acknowledge Aboriginal rights over some areas of Crown Land. This paper analyses the land use transitions experienced in this coastal area, with particular reference to the growing and diversifying external pressures that are being applied to this formerly isolated and currently vulnerable locality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we used the Global Inventory Modelling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) third-generation Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) (GIMMS NDVI3g) dataset. Based on GIMMS NDVI3g data over the global coastal zone from 1982 to 2014, the spatial–temporal characteristics of vegetation coverage were analysed by plotting the spatial pattern and monthly calendar of NDVI; furthermore, historical trends and future evolutions of vegetation coverage change at the pixel scale were studied by performing the Mann-Kendall trend test and calculating the trend slope (β) and Hurst index (H) of NDVI. The main findings are as follows: 1) Vegetation density exhibits dramatic differences in the global coastal zone. Specifically, desert belts mostly have perennial non-vegetation or low vegetation coverage, and tundra belts principally have moderate or high vegetation coverage; additionally, forest belts mainly have dense vegetation coverage. 2) In the global coastal zone, intra-annual variations in vegetation coverage show a '∩'-shaped curve with an obvious peak from June to September (maximum in July or August), while inter-annual variations show a fluctuating but generally slowly increasing trend over the entire study period; accordingly, variations in different subregions show significant differences. 3) At monthly, seasonal and annual scales, the overall vegetation coverage increases in the global coastal zone, while there are relatively few areas with decreasing vegetation coverage; furthermore, change trends of vegetation coverage in most areas will demonstrate relatively strong positive persistence in the future. 4) The increasing trend in high-latitude coastal tundra is extremely significant in the growing season because vegetation in the tundra belts is highly sensitive to climate change. 5) Areas with a decreasing trend of vegetation coverage exhibit spatial patterns of aggregation in the 'circum urban agglomeration' and 'nearby desert belt' regions, that is, the decreasing trend of vegetation coverage is relatively high in coastal urban agglomeration areas and desert belt peripheries. This paper is expected to provide knowledge to support vegetation conservation, ecosystem management, integrated coastal zone management and climate change adaptation in coastal areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a comprehensive cartographic product, this paper aims to illustrate the evolution of the urban geomorphological setting of the urban coastal belt of Cagliari (southern Sardinia, Italy, western Mediterranean Sea). The geomorphological map (1:14,000) presented herein summarizes different data (e.g. urban development, anthropogenic features, geomorphological elements, recent deposits, sedimentological distribution, hydrodynamics and ecological components) acquired through an integrated sea-land approach and a multidisciplinary-multitemporal investigation. The main significant environmental changes are linked to urbanization, the development of port infrastructures (embankments along the shoreline and the construction of the canal harbour), remediation work and filling activities, and the hardening of dune and beach systems and cliffs. These man-made interventions have increased the vulnerability of the shore zones to flood hazards and risks, which are linked to sea-level rises and global warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal communities, land covers, and intertidal habitats are vulnerable receptors of erosion, flooding or both in combination. This vulnerability is likely to increase with sea level rise and greater storminess over future decadal-scale time periods. The accurate, rapid, and wide-scale determination of shoreline position, and its migration, is therefore imperative for future coastal risk adaptation and management. This paper develops and applies an automated tool, VEdge_Detector, to extract the coastal vegetation line from high spatial resolution (Planet's 3 to 5 m) remote-sensing imagery, training a very deep convolutional neural network (holistically nested edge detection), to predict sequential vegetation line locations on annual to decadal timescales. Red, green, and near-infrared (RG-NIR) was found to be the optimum image spectral band combination during neural network training and validation. The VEdge_Detector outputs were compared with vegetation lines derived from ground-referenced positional measurements and manually digitized aerial photographs, which were used to ascertain a mean distance error of <6 m (two image pixels) and >84% producer accuracy (PA) at six out of the seven sites. Extracting vegetation lines from Planet imagery of the rapidly retreating cliffed coastline at Covehithe, Suffolk, United Kingdom, has identified a landward retreat rate >3 m year−1 (2010–2020). Plausible vegetation lines were successfully retrieved from images in The Netherlands and Australia, which were not used to train the neural network, although significant areas of exposed rocky coastline proved to be less well recovered by VEdge_Detector. The method therefore promises the possibility of generalizing to estimate retreat of sandy coastlines from Planet imagery in otherwise data-poor areas, which lack ground-referenced measurements. Vegetation line outputs derived from VEdge_Detector are produced rapidly and efficiently compared to more traditional non-automated methods. These outputs also have the potential to inform upon a range of future coastal risk management decisions, incorporating future shoreline change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even if the concepts of climate change, tourism and transport are strictly connected, the scientific literature has mostly considered their pairwise relations, linking tourism to climate change, transport to climate change, or tourism to transport. This paper aims at considering the three concepts as a whole, exploring the three-cornered interaction between climate change-tourism-transport, and highlighting both the effects of climate change on tourism travel demand and the contribution of tourism transport to CO2 emissions. To this aim, a heuristic method for assessing implications of climate change on future CO2 emissions in coastal destinations is presented and then tested on the Italian town of Misano Adriatico. The results reveal a variation in summer tourism demand under different climatic and socio-economic scenarios; accordingly, by 2035 total carbon emissions produced by tourism transport could decrease from 550.57 tCO2 (status quo) to 216.91 tCO2 (optimistic scenario) with the adoption of more sustainable transport means made by tourists. This result contributes to the achievement of the environmental targets expressed by the local sustainable urban mobility plan, thus making tourism transport an active driver in the achievement of its goals. With adequate modifications, the method can be applied to other types of tourist cities, thus helping local stakeholders and policymakers to understand the carbon effects of tourist modal choices and develop sustainable strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying populations and establishing the connectivity between neighbouring stocks are central issues for the assessment and management of coastal marine fish species. In this paper, we analysed the population structure of the demersal sciaenid argentine croaker Umbrina canosai, endemic in the warm, temperate southwestern Atantic between southeastern Brazil (SE) and Argentina, by combining two phenotypic techniques: otolith shape analysis and fish growth rate. Three otolith morphotypes were consistently identified, one in the northern latitudinal range in SE, and two in the southern range of the species from southern Brazil to Argentina. Two stocks with differences in growth rate were identified, one with a significantly smaller asymptotic length in the northern range (L∞ = 340.08; k = 0.267; t0 = −2.177) and the second in the southern range (L∞ = 425.08; k = 0.236; t0 = −2.46), where no growth differences were observed between fishes with the two otolith morphotypes. Although genetically U. canosai can be considered to form a single panmictic population, growth and otolith shape indicate that there are two different stocks, one in southeastern Brazil and another in the southern distribution, confirming previous parasitological studies. The difference in otolith morphotypes in the southern range suggests that two subpopulations share the same reproductive grounds, although probably feed in different locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change increases hazards for coastal cities where a large proportion of the world's population lives. Adaptation to its impacts ought to be a key focus for planning and policymaking in highly vulnerable countries like Australia. This responsibility, however, has been largely left to local councils with mixed results. This leaves substantial parts of the population at risk where adaptation plans are lacking. Even worse, since the impacts of climate change do not respect jurisdictional boundaries, there is a spill-over risk where good adaptation planning by one council may be undermined by the lack of action in an adjacent council. These risks can be reduced if state and federal governments provide more consistent support and guidance. This paper takes an integrated approach in comparing the relevant legislation, policies, plans, and strategies related to coastal management across the national and state/territory jurisdictions in Australia. The findings indicate that there are major differences, with some states (South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia, and Queensland) having more detailed policies and plans for addressing sea level rise and coastal flooding. The findings have implications beyond Australia, particularly for those countries with more devolved or federal systems of government, and provide key lessons for adaptation to climate change. Key policy insights In the absence of national guidance and leadership, climate adaptation responses will remain uneven across jurisdictions placing more of the population at risk and undermining what adaptation plans there are. National, state, and territory policies or plans are more effective if they are consistent over time, but they are undermined by reversals when governments change between political parties that have widely varying views on climate change. Effective long-term adaptation policymaking and planning therefore require a bipartisan commitment and consistent political will across the major political parties to prioritize the problem and commit significant public resources to a response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper litho-sedimentological and morphodynamic maps of the coastal sector belonging to the Pisa Province are presented as an example of how increasing the accessibility to data on lithology, sedimentology, and morphodynamics may lead to a better approach to coastal management. The database used to build the maps includes an original rendering of remote sensing data (aerial imagery) and new field data (geologic survey), as well as data retrieved from the scientific literature (grain-size and past coastline positions). The maps show that the geometry of beach ridges is an indication of the evolution of the Arno River delta in the last 3000 years, highlighting the relationships between geological aspects and morphodynamic features. The maps represent the synthesis of different data available in the database, and they may be a useful support to coastal management as they are more easily understandable and straightforward than the database from which are created. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we focus on coastal blue spaces and the ways in which they have been advocated as beneficial for health and wellbeing in the context of leisure practices. We offer a reassessment of some of the claims made in this growing body of literature, highlighting the diverse cultural practices at the coast across different geographical contexts, particularly for those communities that have experienced exclusion due to ethnicity, culture, and income. We then discuss conceptions of coastal blue space and wellbeing within the context of Aotearoa New Zealand, a bi-cultural nation in which indigenous knowledges connected to both wellbeing and leisure in the outdoor world are impacting dominant (white, colonial) discourses, policies and practices. We illustrate that a Māori world view embraces different practices and assumptions about what water means and how relationships with water are made including through leisure practices. Aotearoa New Zealand provides a revealing cultural context for re-assessing and indeed challenging Eurocentric assumptions about blue spaces as sites of wellbeing. More widely we suggest that it is timely to anchor blue space and wellbeing research to different 'worlds'; that looking in to reach out and expanding research agendas is a useful and important enterprise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change poses a formidable site management challenge to coastal archaeologists and heritage planners. To manage its impacts, multi-scalar assessments are being employed that incorporate spatial technologies such as GIS, LiDAR, and GPS. While these technologies provide a powerful means of identifying susceptibility and tracking impacts, their ability to direct site management is limited by the accuracy of their incorporated archaeological geospatial data. Without current information regarding the location, condition, and extent of sites, spatial analyses cannot readily adapt to changing site conditions or drive site-specific management. To address this issue, this paper sets out a methodology that combines field survey with GIS-based spatial analysis to track erosion and inundation's impact on coastal sites. This approach is applied to Blueskin Bay, New Zealand, where 26 sites were visited and had Differential GPS (DGPS) data collected of their visible archaeological features. The inclusion of this geospatial data into the GIS-based Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) tool and Sea Level Rise (SLR) model allowed sites to be considered on a scale much finer than conventional computer-based impact assessments. Ultimately, this fine scale approach has the capability of driving better, more informed site management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an innovative multi-thematic map (1:2500) that integrates morpho-sedimentological data, hydrodynamic processes, seasonal morphodynamic transitions and the distribution of the benthic habitat of a Mediterranean microtidal, wave-dominated gravel beach system. It is part of a larger cartography of coastal areas, and is based on an interdisciplinary sea-land approach that is applicable worldwide and aims to facilitate coastal management practices and future scientific research. The applications to coastal management include: the facilitation of coastal vulnerability assessments; easy-to-access, up-to-date digital geospatial data; and baseline studies for the future assessment and monitoring of environmental changes. The main environmental features that control the marine processes of this gravel beach appear to be linked to geological and morphological contexts such as the presence of the river mouth, the outcropping of a beach-rock along the coastline, the deposition of gravelly sediment in the beachface and the seagrass cover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Department of Geography and Environment at the University of Aberdeen has a long history of coastal and marine teaching and research from the 1960s to the present day. Beginning with the work of Walton and latterly Ritchie, the paper traces the coastal and marine studies in the Geography degree programme, the development of the Marine and Coastal Resource Management degree, and the introduction of more recent courses such as Managing Our Coasts and Seas, Hydrography, and Land and Marine Conservation. Establishment of the Centre for Marine and Coastal Zone Management (CMCZM), and later the Aberdeen Institute for Coastal Science and Management (AICSM), provided a clear focus for continuing academic research into integrated coastal management and marine spatial planning. This complemented long-term involvement with Shell, SOTEAG (Shetland Oil Terminal Environmental Advisory Group), the Association for Geographic Information (AGI), OceanLab, the EUCC, and several Scottish coastal fora. The creation of the Unmanned Airborne Vehicle (UAV)/Unmanned Airborne System (UAS) Centre for Environmental Monitoring and Mapping (UCEMM) in 2014 brought together the role of remote sensing, GIS and photogrammetry in monitoring, mapping and modelling the coastal environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Institutional work offers a promising lens for understanding institutional change, focusing on the efforts of actors in creating, maintaining or disrupting institutions. In this paper, we explore the capacity of a narrative approach to provide insights on institutional work, using a case study from the coast of Sweden. We identify four narratives that compete in the policy discourse regarding erosion and beach nourishment in the coastal province of Scania. The narratives reveal that actors hold different beliefs concerning the magnitude of the erosion problem, the division of responsibilities and the suitability of sand nourishment as a coastal protection measure. The narrative competition is considered reflective of past institutional discussions and ongoing institutional work in coastal management in Scania, confirming that narratives are used as sense-making and meaning-giving devices in institutional discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coastal zone of the Gulf of Kachchh (GoK) is well known for their large tidal range and a vast expanse of intertidal mudflats. Since monitoring of the intertidal mudflats with field observations is not feasible, the paper presents the utilization of microwave remote sensing technique with RISAT-1 dual polarized data for the geomorphological studies of intertidal mudflats. Radar measures backscattering coefficient, which depends on surface roughness parameters, where the surface roughness of intertidal mudflats are functions of sediment ripple height and space between consecutive ripples. Ripple’s height and the distance between ripples (its wavelength) are represented here as root-mean-square height (RMSH) and correlation length (CL) respectively. A semi-empirical model is used to derive RMSH using cross-polarized backscattering coefficient, and CL is calculated using inversion algorithm on a ratio of backscattering coefficient. A surface sediment type map is generated, based on the retrieved surface parameters, and validated with another sediment type map which is classified using an optical multispectral image. Error statistics are calculated for simulated and observed backscattering ratios, which indicate the general acceptability of the model in estimating the surface roughness parameters of tidal mudflats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a novel design of a web-based Safe City & Coastal Zone GIS (SCCZ-GIS). The system integrates data acquired from different remote sensing and geospatial data sources for the purpose monitoring the security of the coastal zone, its inhabitants and critical infrastructure. The system utilizes several innovative technologies and solutions and is capable of direct co-operation with different remote sensing data sources and services, including satellite ground station and ESA Service Support Environment. The system runs in operational mode, and the results of the analysis are ready in quasi real time, that is, immediately after receiving a new scene of satellite imagery. The system may be accessed by authorized users either through a web-based client or mobile device application. The paper describes the architecture of the system and presents several case studies where the software is applied to processing of earth observation satellite and spatial analysis of coastal zone infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent years have seen some leading examples of local coastal planning/management while regional-level efforts have also been considerable. This paper examines the usefulness of local and New South Wales (NSW) state planning mechanisms in light of contemporary land-use conflicts and coastal zone management. Coastal Planning tools from coastal local governments in NSW are reviewed to grasp what is occurring at a local government scale and to consider where regional information is assisting (or not) local planning, policy development and implementation. In the context of regionally dominating planning paradigms, regional understandings can be quite different from local realities. While regional efforts are made to understand impact of climate change on our coasts, 32% of councils examined in this study were not considered to have climate change planning provisions. Different capacities and planning approaches seen at local scales raises significant challenges under current planning practices. This paper aims to highlight some of these difficulties in implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A growing number of nations aim to design coastal plans to reduce conflicts in space and safeguard ecosystems that provide important benefits to people and economies. Critics of coastal and ocean planning point to a complicated process with many actors, objectives, and uncertain outcomes. This paper explores one such decision-making process in Belize, which combines ecosystem service modeling, stakeholder participation, and spatial planning to design the country’s first integrated coastal zone management plan, officially approved by the government in August 2016. We assessed risk to three coastal-marine habitats posed by eight human uses and quantified current and future delivery of three ecosystem services: protection from storms, catch and revenue from lobster fishing, and tourism expenditures to identify a preferred zoning scheme. We found that a highly adaptive team of planners, scientists, and analysts can overcome common planning obstacles, including a dearth of data describing the health of the coastal zone and the many uses it supports, complicated legal and political landscapes, and limited in-country technical capacity. Our work in Belize serves as an example for how to use science about the ways in which nature benefits people to effectively and transparently inform coastal and ocean planning decisions around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Economic and population growth have led to an unprecedented increase in the value at risk in coastal zones over the last century. To avoid excessive future losses, particularly in the light of projected climate change impacts, coastal zone managers have various instruments at their disposal. These primarily concern land-use planning (establishing buffer zones) and engineering solutions (beach nourishment and coastal protection). In this paper, we focus on risk mitigation through the implementation of buffer zones (setback lines). Foregoing land-use opportunities in coastal regions and protecting coasts is costly, but so is damage caused by inundation and storm erosion. Defining appropriate setback lines for land-use planning purposes is a balancing act. It is, however, unclear what level of protection is facilitated by current approaches for defining setback lines, and whether this is, at least from an economic perspective, sufficient. In this paper, we present an economic model to determine which setback lines would be optimal from an economic perspective. The outcomes of the model provide a useful reference point in the political debate about the acceptability of risk in coastal zones. The main conclusions are: (i) that it is useful to define setback lines on the basis of their exceedance probabilities; (ii) that the exceedance probability of an economically efficient setback line will typically be in the order of magnitude of 1/100 per year; (iii) that it is important to distinguish between situations in which morphological conditions are stationary and non-stationary; and (iv) that long-term uncertainties (eg. due to climate change) influence the exceedance probability of efficient setback lines but only to a limited extent. The economic model stresses the need for a probabilistic approach to beach erosion modelling. The recently-developed Probabilistic Coastal Setback Line was applied at Narrabeen beach, Sydney, Australia, to illustrate how economically optimal setback lines can be derived for specific sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goals and performance targets are commonly used as tools in the policy-implementation process. In Sweden, environmental policy is operationalized through a system of environmental quality objectives that were adopted by the Swedish Riksdag in the late 1990s. The objectives describe what level of environmental quality Sweden should aim for within a generation, and are designed to guide decision making in all sectors of society. However, to guide decision making toward improved environmental quality, these objectives should satisfy a set of rationality (functionality) criteria; they should be precise, evaluable, approachable, motivating and coherent. In this paper, five Swedish environmental quality objectives are investigated through an application of the suggested criteria: (1) a balanced marine environment, flourishing coastal areas and archipelagos; (2) a magnificent mountain landscape; (3) a non-toxic environment; (4) natural acidification only; and (5) a good built environment. The aim of the paper is to bring the rationality of the objectives up for discussion, and to illustrate the range of issues and difficulties that are involved in choosing and assessing environmental policy goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the combined use of satellite images and morphodynamic models is applied to assess the coastline changes of an erosion-prone deltaic zone in Northern Greece (Nestos River delta). Satellite images over the last 31 years were used to estimate the erosion rates at the eastern, central and western parts of the delta. The numerical model LITPACK, coupled with wave and hydrodynamic nearshore models, was calibrated based on these results, and was further utilized to predict the shoreline evolution with and without 'hard' protection works. Results show that the model underestimated erosion rates over all studied sub-sections, but showed fair agreement to remote sensing analysis when focusing on the zones of major erosion. 'Hard' coastal protection structures were tested to assess their mitigation efficiency in terms of longshore and cross-shore sediment transport reduction. LITPACK considered that the scenario of seven rubble-mound breakwaters with low seaward and lee-side slopes, positioned between 9m and 19m depicted the best results, even reversing coastline retreat process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines five representative sites on the California coast to illustrate a cost-effective methodology using tools and data that local decision makers can apply to analyse the economics of sea level rise (SLR) adaptation. We estimate the costs/benefits of selected responses (e.g. no action, nourishment, seawalls) to future flooding and erosion risks exacerbated by SLR. We estimate the economic value of changes to public/private property, recreational and habitat value, and beach related spending/tax revenues. Our findings indicate that the costs of SLR are significant but uneven across communities, and there is no single best strategy for adaptation. For example, Los Angeles's Venice Beach could lose $450 million in tourism revenue by 2100 with a 1.4 m SLR scenario while San Francisco's Ocean Beach would lose $80 million, but the impacts to structures could total nearly $560 million at Ocean Beach compared to $50 million at Venice Beach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a map describing the main geomorphological features of the coastal and marine area between the towns of Albenga and Savona (Ligurian Sea, NW Mediterranean) corresponding to a coastal stretch of ∼40 km. To produce this map, we collated data from the literature, orthophotos, perspective photos, multibeam and side scan sonar data, and undertook direct surveys to ground truth data obtained using indirect techniques. We divided the information into nine thematic layers, including bathymetry, natural coastal types, geomorphological elements, seafloor coverage (both geological and biological), coastal and nearshore dynamics, human influence on coastal and marine environments, coastal occupation and protected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North Sea coast is seriously threatened by storm surges. Climate change and its consequences, such as rising sea level, will have a serious impact on the safety of people and economic assets in coastal areas. The uncertainties resulting from these consequences necessitate new concepts for coastal protection, together with new extreme storm surge scenarios under current and future climate conditions. Extensive knowledge about extreme storm surge events is essential to strengthen the resilience of highly vulnerable coastal areas. Based on the knowledge about extreme events safety standards for coastal regions could be newly defined, improved or re-defined. This helps to strengthen the resilience by taking into account the natural extreme events as well as the costs for measures of coastal defense. This paper focuses on the results of subproject 1a of the XtremRisK project with the aim to determine the relevant extreme events under today's conditions. Within the process in the XtremRisK project, these events were taken as a basis to assess extreme events under conditions reflecting the climate change scenarios. Within the scope of this project, methodical alternatives for the calculation of extreme events were evaluated. It turns out that empirical and numerical, as well as statistical approaches have different strengths as each possesses various restraints. In order to utilize the advantages and minimize the limitations, a multi-method approach was developed in which existing methods were exercised and brought together. The multi-method approach facilitates consideration of all storm surge components at their maximum value. Based on validation of the meteorology and consideration of the hydrodynamics, nonlinear effects between the storm surge components can be included. Examination of the storm surge curve is a special characteristic of the approach that enables consideration of the whole storm surge run. The basic concept was to regard results as ascertained only if they were proven by multiple currently valid methods. The extreme storm surges calculated in this way are statistically classified by subproject 1b [see Wahl et al., 2015 in this journal] and used within the analysis of the failure mechanism of the existing flood defence structures by subproject 2 [see Naulin et al., 2015 in this journal]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The east coast of the Indian Peninsula experiences the effects of a devastating cyclone at least annually. The Thane cyclone of 29–30 December 2011 has been once such event that resulted in significant damages along the coastline of Tamil Nadu on the southeast coast of India (13° 9′ 10′ N and 80° 21′E). Waves as high as 8–12 m in a water depth of 20 m have been measured. Such huge waves, combined with a storm surge of 0.5 m, lead to severe damages to coastal structures during the passage of the cyclone. As a part of an exercise in assessing the sediment transport rates through measurements of the hydrodynamic driving parameters along the coast of major port of Chennai instruments were deployed for the measurement of waves and flow field. The measurement campaign was carried out at a location of about 120 km north of the cyclone made landfall. The ENCEP wind data formed the input for executing the WAM model for the simulation of wave characteristics, which are compared with the measured wave data. The agreement between them is found to be good. The details of the analysis of the results are presented and discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Social license reflects environmental and social change, and sees community as an important stakeholder and partner. Science, scientists, and science policy have a key role in the processes that generate social license. In this paper, we focus on the interaction between science and social license in salmon aquaculture in south-eastern Tasmania. This research suggests that social license will be supported by distributed and credible knowledge co-production. Drawing on qualitative, interpretive social research we argue that targeted science, instilled by appropriate science policy, can underpin social license by supporting emerging, distributed, and pluralistic knowledge production. Where social license is important and environmental contexts are complex, such knowledge production might support environmental governance, and so improve outcomes in coastal zone management and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper brings together work in the Motueka catchment that has focused on both suspended sediment data and bedload transfers to provide a more holistic understanding of sediment dynamics in the catchment to inform effective river management. The annual suspended sediment load averages 349,000 t and shows considerable temporal variability (49,000 t to 1.7 Mt). Event yields may increase by an order of magnitude in response to single high magnitude storm events. Much of the sediment is generated from high rainfall areas of the catchment under indigenous forest and grassland. Short-term studies show pasture areas have a higher specific sediment yield than production forest, but that forest harvesting leads to a short-term increase in yield. Bedload transfers assessed via morphological budgeting from digital elevation model (DEM) differencing in selected reaches of the upper Motueka reveal similarly highly variable transfers at an annual scale, reflecting the magnitude and frequency of competent flow events. Longer term mean bed-level (MBL) changes demonstrate a high degree of spatial variability in the upper Motueka. Overall, DEMs of difference and longer term MBL changes both reveal a net channel degradation and export of bedload in the mainstem of the upper Motueka. Suspended sediment data also suggest an overall reduction in sediment yield from the catchment, suggesting a catchment-wide limitation of sediment supply, or a period of lower flows reducing sediment mobilization. This understanding has informed on issues such as the role of river channel management and catchment land use on in-stream ecosystems, coastal erosion, and shelf water quality and fisheries. Future river management, if it is to be effective, needs to recognize the history of this system, its likely longer term trajectory, and its linkages with the coast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews interactions involving stands of macroalgae on rocky reefs, and presents new data on changing sea surface temperatures (SSTs), as a contribution to the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Leigh Marine Laboratory (LML) of the University of Auckland. The focus is on trophic interactions involving predators, sea urchins and large brown algae, particularly trophic cascades. Of the 369 publications arising from work at LML, 40 have been on key aspects of these trophic interactions. Quantitative investigations of the structure of kelp bed communities and mechanistic studies involving manipulative field-based experiments, essentially a bottom-up perspective based on habitats and key species, dominated the research through the 1980s. From the mid-1990s onwards, the focus was more on marine reserves and a hierarchical, top-down perspective of community structure, with a particular focus on the role of predatory fish, and marine reserves as a tool of management. I discuss these models of community structure of kelp beds within the wider context of the New Zealand nearshore zone, the varying biogeographic regimes around the coastline, diffuse stressors and the changing nearshore climate. I show there appears to have been a significant warming trend in SST in northeast and northwest New Zealand over the past 30 years. I conclude that a trophic effects model is unlikely to apply to much of the coastline of New Zealand, and that a model involving multiple effects, including bottom-up forces, environmental and climatic influences, species' demographics, and catchment-derived sedimentation is more appropriate for kelp communities over most of the country. New management models are needed to safeguard marine resources and the services they provide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designers of significant works of infrastructure should consider the complexities of climate change and anticipate the potential impacts over the projected lifetime of the infrastructure. This paper addresses how engineers can comprehensively address climate change in design in a balanced manner. It provides a framework for adaptation in engineering design and includes a specific approach towards a balanced whole-of-life assessment of risk, as opposed to a do-nothing approach, or conservatively designing for worst-case scenario impacts that may not be realised for many decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on empirical research undertaken with local coastal action groups to explore a critical aspect of environmental policy, community participation in coastal and marine management. This project sought an engagement between broadly cultural studies, cultural policy studies and environmental policy. The overall aim of the research is to develop opportunities for governments to better communicate with local communities over coastal issues–and to thus ensure the relevance of policy initiatives to its intended targets. The author argues that cultural research can offer policy makers and others at the forefront of environmental policy, a host of possibilities and opportunities. In particular, consideration of the ‘Lost Seas’ illuminates the diversity of cognitive frameworks which ‘stakeholders’ bring to environmental issues. Armed with these insights, the propensity to develop policy which resonates with existing frameworks or to invent new discursive avenues for communicating country becomes visible. These local instances of cultural research have the propensity to deliver the meaningful community engagement sought, but rarely found by governments and policy makers–and to foster the sense of environmental stewardship central to the success of environmental policy initiatives. … treat my book as a pair of glasses directed to the outside; if they don't suit you, find another pair; I leave it to you to find your own instrument, which is necessarily an instrument for combat   Marcel Proust [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper introduces a comprehensive and integrated tool developed to analyse socio-economic impacts of floods due to sea-level rise (SLR) on coastal cities, and presents the outcomes of a case study application in Bangkok, Thailand. The study aimed to capture a macro picture of floods to present an overview of the severity of flooding under the projected SLR conditions. A physically-based distributed flood model, which combines surface and river flow, was adopted to simulate the flood scenarios due to different magnitudes of sea-level rise. The input rainfalls and upstream boundary conditions of a worst-case flood event of 1995 were considered as the baseline for the modelling, based on the available records of rainfall and water-level data sets of the last three decades. The outcomes of the case study present a detailed picture of floods and their socio-economic impacts in Bangkok City under the worst projected SLR scenarios in the 21st century. The simulated results show that for baseline conditions of 1995, the overall inundation area in Bangkok may increase up to 26% in 2050 due to a SLR of 32 cm, and to 81% in 2100 due to 88 cm SLR, compared to the extent of flood inundation in 1995. The number of flood affected buildings is likely to increase by a factor of 1.5 in the 75 years from 2025 to 2100. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the general methodology for an intensive development of coastal aquifers, described in a companion paper, through its application to the management of the Akrotiri aquifer, Cyprus. The Zakaki area of that aquifer, adjacent to Lemessos City, is managed such that it permits a fixed annual agricultural water demand to be met, as well as and a fraction of the water demand of Lemessos, which varies according to available surface water. Effluents of the Lemessos wastewater treatment plant are injected into the aquifer to counteract the seawater intrusion resulting from the increased pumping. The locations of pumping and injection wells are optimized based on least-cost, subject to meeting the demand. This strategy controls sea intrusion so effectively that desalting of only small volumes of slightly brackish groundwater is required over short times, while ∼2.3 m3 of groundwater is produced for each 1 m3 of injected treated wastewater. The cost over the 20-year period 2000-2020 of operation is ∼40 M€ and the unit production cost of potable water is under 0.2 €/m3. The comparison between the deterministic and stochastic analyses of the groundwater dynamics indicates the former as conservative, i.e. yielding higher groundwater salinity at the well. The Akrotiri case study shows that the proposed aquifer management scheme yields solutions that are preferable to the widely promoted seawater desalination, also considering the revenues from using the treated wastewater for irrigation. Citation Koussis, A. D., Georgopoulou, E., Kotronarou, A., Mazi, K., Restrepo, P., Destouni, G., Prieto, C., Rodriguez, J. J., Rodriguez-Mirasol, J., Cordero, T., Ioannou, C., Georgiou, A., Schwartz, J. & Zacharias, I. (2010) Cost-efficient management of coastal aquifers via recharge with treated wastewater and desalination of brackish groundwater: application to the Akrotiri basin and aquifer, Cyprus. Hydrol. Sci. J. 55(7), 1234-1245. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fuelled by rapid population growth, coastal regions are increasingly vulnerable to the dynamic mix of coastal uses. In Western Australia, for instance, the issues associated with infrastructure shortcomings and increased population pressures have led to a spate of interest in the development of tourism and residential proposals along the coast. Many of these have emerged as hotly debated sociopolitical contests, thus raising questions in relation to the governance of coastal tourism. It is the intent of this paper to provide empirical insights into the practical nature of coastal tourism governance, using the Smiths Beach coastal tourism and residential development as a case study. An exploratory case approach is adopted so as to understand why this particular coastal tourism development has been surrounded by so much criticism and controversy. The exploration of the attitudes, experiences and views of various stakeholders have illustrated the inherent flavour of this case, with the issues of power-politics, divergent interests and agendas and lack of community consultation identified as some of the key aspects shaping the debate. The case therefore provides an ideal avenue to reveal the complex nature and key issue drivers associated with the governance of coastal tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we discuss coastal erosion, efforts to deal with it and its associated problems on both a national and international basis, and difficulties in making long-range predictions of it. We emphasise the need to: assemble and share knowledge, information and experience in this area internationally; upgrade shoreline management guidelines; employ the latest methods and techniques for combating erosion and evaluating projects with this aim; ensure adequate evaluation and prioritisation of such projects; utilise the competencies of the various disciplines of relevance; and overcome the isolation and fragmentation of knowledge of erosion and measures to combat it. Many initiatives have been established to facilitate knowledge-sharing concerning coastal erosion and integrated coastal zone management. This paper focuses on examining project appraisal methods and factors that enable decision-making to be made more transparent to the general public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) has evolved as a key mechanism for the delivery of sustainable development objectives within coastal regions. Yet, despite significant advancements in ICZM application over recent years, one of the most noticeable weaknesses of ICZM performance has been a failure to adequately account for the existence of socio-economic concerns. This information deficiency is particularly apparent in Scotland. Despite significant progress in the promotion of ICZM, Scottish experiences have been characterized by a focus upon sectoral policy co-ordination and environmental dimensions of sustainability. This paper provides an evaluation of both socio-economic conditions and processes which impact upon coastal communities in Scotland and considers how such issues can be accounted for within future coastal management debates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines coastal management policies in southern Spain in the context of the state's role in the promotion of sustainable development practices. It recognises the critical importance of the coast as a landscape resource for both visitors and residents and, in addition, the latter's rights to enjoy access to it as public property. Attention is directed at both physical protection of the coast through erosion control programmes and urban planning policies, with special emphasis on the 1988 Shores Act that attempts to treat coastal planning in a more integrated manner than has historically been the case. The underlying rationale to introduce a more environmentally sensitive treatment of the coast is discussed together with the attempts to confront illegal occupancy through re-establishment of public ownership and control of land-use in the coastal zone. Positive achievements in beach management, and changing attitudes to the law, are seen as evidence that the message of sustainability is beginning to be heard. However, such success contrasts with failure to control the wider urban development process which continues (even in developments that postdate the Shores Act) to reflect short-term economic rather than environmental prerogatives. Thus severe limitations upon the maintenance of a quality coastal environment are likely to continue without enforcement of buffer zones at the regional level or a more radical designation of more of the coast as 'protected'. Such may well be encouraged eventually by the very same economic interests that are concerned to retain Spain's position in the global tourism market by providing an environment that is attractive to visitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In setting the standards to establish protected marine coastal areas the Italian Act No. 979/82 points out that conservation measures must be connected as far as possible with administrative actions aiming to create new economical opportunities for the local communities involved. The process undertaken to set up a protected area is therefore quite complex and requires different working phases. This paper describes the principles adopted by ICRAM to define a procedure for the formulation of proposals regarding the zoning of valuable marine coastal areas. Environmental and socio-economic criteria selected to balance safeguarding and management are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In part 1 of this paper (Int. J. Envir. Studies, 26. No 3) the authors examined factors bearing upon the knowledge and management of the coastal zone. This included a review of pollution and its management and abatement. Tasks problems facing the coastal zone management team were outlined. In this follow-up study, the specific case of unconsolidated coasts is examined, particularly stressing coastal erosion; counteraction is often indicated and can, within limits, be successful. But any action undertaken is due to have an environmental impact and carry with it economic and social consequences. These go beyond mere local effects, involving often regions, and having even an international effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been a common occurrence, over the last decades, for conflicts and competition to develop, among existing and potential users of the coastal zone. An agonizing choice has been forced in many instances upon governing bodies, even private enterprises, involving frequently considerable economic, social and ecological impact. The increasing economic importance of the coastal zone and the growing pressures to which it is subjected create an urgent need, especially for nations in the process of industrialization, to first study, then manage the coastal zone. Management and protection of the coastal zone should be harmoniously interwoven. To this end, the geologist has a primordial role to assume. This paper, prepared in part for a government agency, examines the combined scenario of geological and economic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to review and summarize the practical aspects of meteorology and oceanography for navigation, highlighting their influence on shiphandling. It is a review for: gathering, in a summarized way, some useful information for mariners, oceanographers, coastal managers, maritime students and maritime engineers; raising important topics for discussion about the theme; and identifying shortcomings that need more research. Aspects of navigation in Brazilian waters, specifically METÁREA V, are introduced as an example, bringing to light, when applicable, the practical aspects for shallow and restricted waters navigation. The parameters analysed were: clouds, rain, smog, fog, breeze, winds, waves, tides, and coastal and tidal currents. The passage of cold fronts can change winds direction. Also, local winds can overlap the effects of breezes, depending on its intensity. Dense fog, that can reduce visibility to less than 100 m, and rain, which according to its intensity, can reduce visibility to less than 500 m, are examples of some parameters that were checked and are able to reduce visibility when navigating. In addition, were reviewed the concepts of occurrence of rain and squall, and of frontal systems and the expected changes in local weather, pressure and air temperature with their approach. The importance of waves, tides and currents is also verified, especially for shallow and restricted waters navigation. Finally, the authors conclude that the analyses and comprehension of theses parameters are crucial for an efficient and safe navigation, and suggest shortcomings that need more research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the International Coastal Symposium held at Palm Beach, Florida in May 1998. Number of participants; Topics discussed; Quality of papers presented.

Hong Kong's coastal zone is under considerable stress as a result ofcontinuing population growth, large-scale infrastructure developments, extensive land reclamation projects, the ineffective control of various types of pollution, and a growing problem of cross-border pollution associated with rapid development in neighbouring parts of Mainland China. Policy-related and institutional weaknesses have resulted in a failure to tackle environmental problems in a comprehensive and integrated manner, little attention has been given to sustainability issues, and Hong Kong lacks a clear framework for coastal zone planning and management. Mirs Bay, on the eastern margins of Hong Kong, remains one of the few relatively unpolluted parts of the territory's marine environment. It contains a rich and diverse marine flora and fauna, and is the location of two of Hong Kong's designated marine parks. However, even this area of high ecological value may now be under threat from future development, and increased levels of pollution fromboth Hong Kong and Mainland sources. The paper examines environmental conditions in Mirs Bay, reviews existing evidence regarding pollution levels and changes in marine biodiversity, evaluates threats to the Bay's environment, and discusses whether, in the context of Hong Kong's existing approaches to environmental protection, it is possible to protect this area of high-quality marine environment from irreversible degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]