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Through alteration of wave-generating atmospheric systems, global climate changes play a fundamental role in regional wave climate. However, long-term wave-climate cycles and their associated forcing mechanisms remain poorly constrained, in part due to a relative dearth of highly resolved archives. Here we use the morphology of former shorelines preserved in beach-foredune ridges (BFR) within a protected embayment to reconstruct changes in predominant wave directions in the Subtropical South Atlantic during the last ~3000 years. These analyses reveal multi-centennial cycles of oscillation in predominant wave direction in accordance with stronger (weaker) South Atlantic mid- to high-latitudes mean sea-level pressure gradient and zonal westerly winds, favouring wave generation zones in higher (lower) latitudes and consequent southerly (easterly) wave components. We identify the Southern Annular Mode as the primary climate driver responsible for these changes. Long-term variations in interhemispheric surface temperature anomalies coexist with oscillations in wave direction, which indicates the influence of temperature-driven atmospheric teleconnections on wave-generation cycles. These results provide a novel geomorphic proxy for paleoenvironmental reconstructions and present new insights into the role of global multi-decadal to multi-centennial climate variability in controlling coastal-ocean wave climate. A.P.S. and A.H.F.K. acknowledge the Brazilian Ministry of Environment for funding through the SMC-Brazil project. A.H.F.K. acknowledges the Rede Clima, INCT MarCOI “Oceanografia Integrada e Usos Multiplos da Plataforma Continental e Oceano Adjacente—Centro de Oceanografia Integrada (COI)”, CNPQ (PQ2- CNPQ 301963/2015-0, PQ1D CNPQ 301597/2018-9, CNPQ 441545/2017-3) and, CAPES Brazil-Finance Code 001 and Capes/PROEX 88881.146046/2017-01 for financial support. F.J.M. acknowledges the funding from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the project PID2019-107053RB-I00. A.P.S. acknowledges the CESM1(CAM5) Last Millennium Ensemble Community Project and supercomputing resources provided by NSF/CISL/Yellowstone. C.J.H. acknowledges that this paper is Contribution 3957 of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary.

This research uses a process-based model (Delft3D), validated with measured wave data, to investigate the controls that a cuspate shoreline and its associated submerged morphology have on wave generation, propagation, and attenuation within a large elongated lagoon (Lagoa dos Patos, Brazil). A method based on the Energy-Flux-Method was applied to the historical wind dataset to define representative wind cases to be used as forcing conditions in the model. The results show that, during extreme wind conditions, the spits dissipate wave energy in the lagoon. This (wave attenuation and the wave sheltering effect) controls the stability of the adjacent coastline. The wave attenuation varies between 18% and 46% along the submerged spit depending on the crest width and the amplitude of the incident waves. Waves are mainly attenuated in the proximal and central portions of the spits where the spits are wider, resulting in a reduced transmitted energy to the adjacent coastline, while larger waves are also attenuated on the distal end of the spits. The degree of attenuation depends on the direction of wave generation, the respective fetch, the spit width, and the water depth. A strong relationship of mutual co-adjustment between the morphology and the wave field results in a very low occurrence of oblique wave angles of incidence, especially for waves propagating across the long lagoon axis. Furthermore, the wave attenuation over the spits is also responsible for its progressive erosion, which, from decades to centuries, may lead to an increase of changes on the lagoon shorelines.

Investigations of headland sand bypassing are still an under-reported subject in the literature. This paper aims to understand the contribution of currents forced by different mechanisms such as tides, winds (i.e. local wind acting over the ocean surface generating currents, without considering wave generation) and waves (as they approach/break on the coast) to headland sand bypassing. The study was carried out in an area comprising a series of seven headlands with varying wave exposure due to changes in shoreline orientation and increasing tidal influence close to a relatively large bay. This paper uses a calibrated and validated process-based model (Delft3D) to simulate a series of scenarios including spring and neap tides during flood and ebb conditions and a range of wind and wave scenarios that encompass both average and extreme conditions. The results indicate that waves are the main driving force for the headland bypassing as they transport sand at rates two orders of magnitude higher than tide- or wind-driven sediment transport. The tide-driven currents can only transport sediment during spring tides in locations where the currents are intensified. It is also demonstrated that the wave direction plays an important role in sediment transport. In exposed areas with larger headlands a combination of wave directions is required to first transport sediment offshore (out of the beach) and secondly to transport sediment alongshore and back to the next beach. Whereas in areas with little variation in wave direction exposure, the same oblique wave direction is responsible for the entire headland bypassing process. This is the first time the contribution of tide-, winds- and wave-generated sediment transport to headland bypassing have been studied.

The inner continental shelf (0–50 m water depth) off Santa Catarina, southern Brazil was investigated using seismic stratigraphic methods to identify and interpret the major seismic stratigraphic units and to reconstruct the late Quaternary evolution of the inner shelf and coast. The stratigraphy comprises a bedrock basement overlain by a thick (> 30 m) unit that comprises, in the distal portion, laminated muds and sands, and in the coast-proximal zone, offlapping deltaic deposits, whose upper surface has been reworked to form alongshore-prograding barrier spits. Deposition of this unit is tentatively attributed to sea levels (− 20 m MSL) during the late Pleistocene (MIS 5a, or 5c). A normal fault in the muddy units with a vertical offset of 3.5 m indicates episodic tectonic activity. Cut into this unit is a profusion of incised valleys, associated with sea level fall ultimately to − 120 m at the last glacial maximum (LGM). The associated subaerial unconformity is only preserved close to shore, where it has escaped subsequent wave ravinement. This, coupled with the well-preserved incised valleys implies the underlying substrate to be weakly cohesive material (mud). The incised valleys display a variety of infilling sediments interpreted variously as basal fluvial sediments, estuarine basin infill muds and marginal bar or barrier-associated sands deposited during the postglacial marine transgression. During a sea level stillstand at ca. -50 m, a 3.5 km-wide planar surface was cut into the unconsolidated coastal plain sediments forming a terrace on which a thick sequence of sands accumulated. This unit is regionally developed and the acoustic signature implies it to comprise littoral sand including a large aeolianite component. The accumulation of sand on this mainland beach/dune system is attributed to establishment of a mature littoral system with strong longshore drift. The fact that it rests on an erosional surface that truncates incised valleys, suggests the unit to be Holocene in age. It is interpreted to have been deposited during a still stand in the Holocene and to have undergone aggradation and cementation until it was overstepped by sea-level rise. Its surface and the coastal plain to landward were then subject to wave ravinement and a thin (ca. 5–6 m) layer of modern marine sands was deposited on the eroded surface. Sea-level rise continued to the regional glacio-isostatic highstand of ca. 5.5 m, after which regressive strandplains developed in response to a renewed mature longshore drift system similar to that prevailing during the − 50 m stillstand of sea level. In the intervening period, rapid shoreline translation over the low gradient surface inhibited the development of the longshore transport system. The three shoreline systems identified show marked differences that relate to sea level change and the influence of the underlying topography. Shoreline 1 (Pleistocene highstand) developed by localised wave-reworking of delta deposits and involved a series of alongshore-prograding barrier spits on a shoreline of alternating high-relief bedrock and littoral sands in coastal re-entrants. Shoreline 2 (− 50 m) was a major accumulation of beach and dune sand deposited as a mainland-attached beach dune system on a low-lying coastal plain environment. Shoreline 3 (the modern coast) comprises a series of headland-embayment beaches, strandplains and transgressive dunes with a strong bedrock control and a well-developed longshore drift system delivering sediment northward.

A user-friendly system designed to understand local littoral processes and design/evaluate coastal interventions, named the Coastal Modeling System (SMC e ) is presented. The system, which comprises a set of numerical models, state-of-the-art methodologies and numerical databases, is prepared to provide a method for coastal practitioners, researchers and decision-makers to address coastal issues, such as erosion and flooding or to evaluate coastal defense structures. The system incorporates a method to transfer numerically generated, calibrated and validated wave series to the surf zone; to estimate the sediment littoral drift by means of up-to-date formulations; and to estimate the flooding level and impacts such as those produced by climate change. In this paper, these skills are detailed. The system, which is adaptable to any coastal region, was implemented for the Brazilian coast (SMC-Brasil). The implementation includes databases and methodological adaptations to local characteristics, a dissemination plan and the development of several study cases.

CASSIE is an open-source web tool for automatic shoreline mapping and analysis using satellite imagery ( www.cassiengine.com ). This tool was built in JavaScript, using Google Earth Engine (GEE) API, and can be applied to any coastal region on Earth where a boundary between water and land exists. CASSIE use the Landsat and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, freely available from GEE, and implements an automatic shoreline detection using the normalized difference water index (NDWI) together with Otsu image segmentation algorithm. The satellite-derived shorelines are analysed for a set of user-defined cross-shore transects along which several statistical analyses are performed. Comparisons of the CASSIE-derived shorelines and rate of changes with state-of-the art methods show that the products from this tool have sub-pixel accuracy. The new concept of big-data cloud-based computing and storage platform (GEE), together with a user-friendly interface and high level of automation makes of CASSIE a complete tool to support a wide variety of studies and applications where the knowledge of the shoreline behaviour is fundamental.

Highlights • A new description of a non-synchronous Mixed Turbidite-Contourite System. • Alternated and cyclic deposits of down-slope and along-slope processes with a transitional stage of flow interaction. • Dominant flow depositional systems identification based on seismic response. • How mixed systems are organized through time and space. Abstract A new mixed turbidite-contourite system is described in the northern Campos Basin, southeastern Brazilian margin. This system is developed in a middle slope setting, and was formed through non-synchronous interaction between the turbidity current and a contour current in the same stratigraphic interval (Miocene). Depositional cycles were differentiated based on diagnostic seismic features. Seismic attributes, seismic facies, and isochron maps were used to identify alternating cycles of downslope and alongslope processes in the study area, along with the intermediate stage with features from both processes (mixed system). Seismic units were then associated with the dominant type of current. Alongslope current activity can be distinguished from the downslope current based on its acoustic characteristics (mainly low root-mean-square (RMS) amplitude values), internal architecture (clinoforms), and external geometry pattern (alongslope trend). On the other hand, downslope gravity currents develop deposits with high-amplitude or chaotic seismic facies, usually higher values of RMS amplitude, channel or channel-lobe features, erosive surfaces, and a basinward depositional trend. The first and oldest seismic unit (S1) was interpreted as a dominantly alongslope system, with vertical aggrading sigmoidal clinoforms and high-frequency, low-amplitude reflections commonly associated with fine-grained sedimentary deposits, typical of a plastered drift, along with a basinward mass transport deposit (MTD) from previous drift instability. Seismic unit S2 represents the intermediate stage where both gravity-driven and along-slope currents act asynchronously. Its is refered to as a mixed turbidite-contourite sequence that shows high-amplitude sediment waves migrating upslope and a moat feature that is carved in its upslope front. The interfingering between high- and low-amplitude reflectors, distal chaotic facies, together with sediment waves and a channel moat, points to a sand-rich deposit reworked by northward-flowing contour currents. Seismic units S3 and S4 show downslope features with chaotic facies (S3) and paleochannels with coarse basal lag deposits (high RMS amplitude values) (S4). In S4, a series of long-lived submarine channels formed. Last, seismic unit S5, referred to as the second plastered drift sequence, is marked by low-amplitude clinoforms that thin basinward. At the seafloor, submarine channel banks (formed at S4) covered by fine sediment deposits (from S5) show asymmetrical features with a slight northward depositional trend, indicating a northward-flowing bottom current, as the deposits are known to pile up in a downcurrent trend. Important information on the paleocurrents' direction was also made based on the final deposits display (e.g. terraces, sediment waves, paleochannels). Research on alternating dominant processes and transitional stages or mixed depositional systems, with both turbidites and contour currents, may provide a better understanding of deep-water depositional processes. Because these processes do not always fit previous depositional models that are mainly described for synchronous systems, new insights on cyclic non-synchronous mixed systems can improve our understanding of how mixed systems are organized through time and space. Being able to determine which were the dominant processes that controlled the sedimentation by indicating periods where the margin was mostly submitted to sediment transfer from continent to the basin and periods where the oceanic currents prevailed by redistributing sediments along the isobaths and replacing the axis of downslope transfer conduits. Setting new models on cyclic deposits and intermediate stages can have a future economic impact on potential hydrocarbon reservoir architecture.

In an era of global rising sea level, quantifying future shoreline behaviour is a key societal concern. The potential for dramatic shoreline change via overstepping or barrier disintegration on barrier-lagoon coasts as a result of future rapid sea level rise has been considered by various authors, but documented examples of barrier overstepping generally involve either coarse grain sizes or early diagenesis as beachrock. Where overstepping has been inferred, the overstepped barrier is seldom preserved. Using high resolution seismic data we describe the mid-Holocene overstepping of a sandy coastal barrier system and subsequent geomorphological changes that ultimately transformed it into a strandplain fronted by a muddy shoreface. This complete change in character is interpreted in the context of rapid sea level rise (tentatively linked to the 8.2 ka event) during which the former sandy shoreface-barrier was overstepped and decoupled from the contemporary shoreline, leaving the latter sand-starved. Upon overstepping, the wave-influenced shoreline was displaced rapidly to the landward margin of the former lagoon. Preservation of the overstepped uncohesive sandy barrier is attributed to the relatively wave-sheltered location, rapid sea level rise and rapid burial by shoreface sediments. This situation provides an insight into the conditions under which overstepping occurs, and thereby, the future response of barrier-lagoon systems to predicted rapid rates of future sea level rise.

Vieira da Silva, G.; Muler, M.; Prado, M.F.V.; Short, A.D.; Klein, A.H.F., and Toldo, E.E., Jr., 2016. Shoreline change analysis and insight into the sediment transport path along Santa Catarina Island north shore, Brazil. This paper presents a shoreline change analysis applied to identify the sediment transport path involving nine adjoining beaches, including dunes and spits, located along the microtidal eastern and northern shores of Santa Catarina Island (Brazil) and extending 50 km from Barra-Mocambique to Daniela. A data set was comprised of aerial images from 1957, 1978, 1998, 2002, 2007, and 2010, and the 2012 shoreline position measured with real-time kinematic GPS, topobathymetric data set, and a 60-year water-level time series. The images were rectified and the shoreline position for each year was extracted. The average errors (ranging from 1 to 9.8 m) of the rectification process as well as the horizontal tide-related errors (varying from 8.3 ± 2.6 m to 14.9 ± 0.6 m) were calculated wi...

Thick bay-fill sequences that often culminate in strandplain development serve as important sedimentary archives of land–ocean interaction, although distinguishing between internal and external forcings is an ongoing challenge. This study employs sediment cores, ground-penetrating radar surveys, radiocarbon dates, palaeogeographic reconstructions and hydrodynamic modelling to explore the role of autogenic processes – notably a reduction in wave energy in response to coastal embayment infilling – in coastal evolution and shoreline morphodynamics. Following a regional 2 to 4 m highstand at ca 5·8 ka, the 75 km2 Tijucas Strandplain in southern Brazil built from fluvial sediments deposited into a semi-enclosed bay. Holocene regressive deposits are underlain by fluvial sands and a Pleistocene transgressive–regressive sequence, and backed by a highstand barrier-island. The strandplain is immediately underlain by 5 to 16 m of seaward-thickening, fluvially derived, Holocene-age, basin-fill mud. Several trends are observed from the landward (oldest) to the seaward (youngest) sections of the strandplain: (i) the upper shoreface and foreshore become finer and thinner and shift from sand-dominated to mud-dominated; (ii) beachface slopes decrease from >11° to ca 7°; and (iii) progradation rates increase from 0·4 to 1·8 m yr−1. Hydrodynamic modelling demonstrates a correlation between progressive shoaling of Tijucas Bay driven by sea-level fall and sediment infilling and a decrease in onshore wave-energy transport from 18 to 4 kW m−1. The combination of allogenic (sediment supply, falling relative sea-level and geology) and autogenic (decrease in wave energy due to bay shoaling) processes drove the development of a regressive system with characteristics that are rare, if not unique, in the Holocene and rock records. These findings demonstrate the complexities in architecture styles of highstand and regressive systems tracts. Furthermore, this article highlights the diverse internal and external processes and feedbacks responsible for the development of these intricate marginal marine sedimentary systems.

Gomes da Silva, P.; Dalinghaus, C.; Gonzalez, M., Gutierrez, O., Espejo, A., Abascal, A.J., and Klein, A.H.F., 2016. Estimating flooding level through the Brazilian coast using reanalysis data. In: Vila-Concejo, A.; Bruce, E.; Kennedy, D.M., and McCarroll, R.J. (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th International Coastal Symposium (Sydney, Australia). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 75, pp. 1092 - 1096. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. This paper presents an estimative of coastal flooding level values distribution along the Brazilian coast by using reanalysis data and by simulating wave propagation with Snell approximation. The coast was divided into 24 zones and flooding levels series were calculated for each one. Mean and extreme distribution show higher flooding levels occurring in northern coast (3 m higher than beaches in central coast) followed by the southern coast (1 m higher than central coast). High values obtained on north region were associated with greater tidal elev...

Wave runup is one of the most critical parameters contributing to coastline flooding and shoreline change. Many formulas have been developed to empirically predict wave runup characteristics. However, large errors are still associated to these estimates, feeding a debate on the best approach to describe runup through simple parameterizations. In this work we present a comprehensive review on runup, setup and swash empirical models. We use a large database of field measurements to verify the predictive capability of recent formulas, addressing possible sources of variability. We identify the effect of the nearshore bathymetry as an important factor missing in empirical predictors and examine this issue through an analysis of runup simulated with the SWASH model over different barred and linear bathymetries. The details of the submerged beach profile affect estimates, especially with respect to setup values. The lack of standardization in measuring, post-processing and sharing runup data, limits the application of previous published databases on new analysis. We list a set of recommendations that can be used as guidelines for new measurements to broaden the applicability of the datasets in future studies. Finally, we discuss the remaining questions that still need to be further explored.

This paper presents a new approach for estimating run-up on embayed beaches based on a study of the microtidal coast of Itapocorói Bay, Southern Brazil using the surf similarity parameter and wave height at break location. The four step methodology involved: 1) direct wave measurement (34 days), wave run-up measurement (19 days at 7 points within the bay), measurement of bathymetry and beach topography in the entire bay; 2) tests on available formulae to calculate wave run-up; 3) use of the SWAN spectral wave model to simulate wave parameters at breaking at each wave run-up measurement point and; 4) development of a new formula/approach to assess wave run-up on embayed beaches (in both exposed and protected areas). During the experiments the significant wave height varied from 0.5 m to 3.01 m, the mean wave period from 2.79 s to 7.76 s (the peak period varied between 2.95 s and 17.18 s), the mean wave direction from 72.5° to 141.9° (the peak direction varied from 39.2° to 169.8°) and the beach slope (tan β) from 0.041 to 0.201. The proposed formula is in good agreement with measured data for different wave conditions and varying degrees of protection. The analysis demonstrates that although R² varies from 0.52 to 0.75, the wave run-up distribution over the measurements agreed well with the proposed model, as shown by quantile-quantile analysis (R²=0.98 to 0.99). The errors observed in individual cases may be related to errors of measurements, modeling and to non-linear processes in the swash zone, such as infragavity waves. RESUMO Este artigo tem o objetivo de estimar o run-up em praias de enseada a partir de estudo realizado na Enseada do Itapocorói, localizada em uma costa de micromarés no sul do Brasil utilizando o parâmetro de similaridade de surf (surf similarity parameter) e altura de ondas no ponto de quebra. A metodologia aplicada foi dividida em quatro etapas: 1) medição direta de ondas (34 dias), medidas de wave run-up (19 dias em 7 pontos da baía), medições topo-batimétricas; 2) testes com as fórmulas disponíveis na literatura para cálculo do run-up; 3) uso do modelo espectral SWAN para simular a propagação das ondas e obter os parâmetros de ondas no ponto de quebra no momento das medições do run-up e; 4) desenvolvimento de uma nova abordagem para estimar o run-up em praias de enseada (aplicável às áreas protegidas e expostas da enseada). Os resultados demonstram que, durante os experimentos, a altura significativa de onda variou entre 0,5 e 3,01 m, o período médio entre 1,79 e 7,76 s (o período de pico entre 2,95 e 17,19 s), a direção média entre 72,5° e 141,9° (a direção de pico entre 39,2° e 169,8°) e a declividade da face da praia (tan β) entre 0,041 e 0,201. A fórmula proposta apresenta boa concordância com os dados medidos para diferentes condições de ondas e graus de proteção da praia. Como conclusão destaca-se que, apesar do R² variar entre 0,52 e 0,75, a distribuição das medições de run-up apresentou boa concordância com o modelo proposto, como demonstrado pela análise quantil-quantil (R²=0,98 a 0,99). Os erros observados em casos individuais podem estar relacionados a erros das medições, do modelo e aos processos não lineares presentes na zona de espraiamento, como as ondas de infragravidade.

Elongate, rock-framed Santa Catarina Island partly encloses a low-energy marine embayment that communicates with the ocean via narrow, rock-bounded inlets with ebb and flood-tide deltas. The bay shoreline consists of low-energy sandy beaches, strandplains, mangroves and bayhead deltas while the exposed Atlantic shoreline comprises a series of headland-embayment littoral cells in a linked, north-directed longshore drift system. New and previously published seismic stratigraphic investigations enable assessment of the palaeogeographic/geomorphic evolution of the area since the early Holocene. At a sea level of ca. −50 m a sandy mainland-attached shoreline complex (dune and beach) developed on a coastal plain setting some 6–7 km offshore of the present shoreline. North of the island, a barrier island and tombolo were formed in a coastal re-entrant adjacent to the northern entrance to Florianopolis Bay. The open coast beach/dune system was overstepped by rapid sea-level rise during MWP-1B whereas the barrier island and tombolo continued to accrete until MWP-1C when they too were overstepped. The back-island embayment contains up to 40 m of sediment overlying an irregular bedrock surface. It was initially flooded during MWP-1C and the early muddy sedimentation suggests a distal, sheltered marine embayment. The subsequent development of many large bioherms on bedrock and mud suggests a change to more fully marine conditions as sea-level continued to rise. In the North Bay, these were subsequently enveloped by tidal dunes migrating north from the mid-bay. The vertical stacking of 3-D and 2-D sandy bedforms suggests that a tidal strait had developed with strong tidal currents radiating from a constriction in the vicinity of modern Florianopolis City. The strong tidal currents may be linked to the Holocene sea-level high that is well documented for this region. A fall in sea level from this highstand, coupled with accumulation of tidal strait sediments, reduced the tidal prism and strength of tidal currents in the bay. At the same time, regressive beachridge plains developed in open coast and bay environments. This coincided with development of the contemporary tidal inlet complexes at the north and south outlets of the bay. As a consequence, the upper surface of the tidal strait sand deposits experienced tidal ravinement and the bay switched to a sheltered back-barrier environment dominated by deposition of mud and silt which blanket the contemporary bay floor. The tidal inlets sequestered sand from the littoral drift system in ebb and flood-tide deltas, which created breaks in the longshore drift system, causing littoral sediment to accumulate at the north of the island in a series of spits, and promoting strandplain development south of the island.

The development of lagoon sandy spits is dependent on sediment supply (mainly through longshore transport) and is often related to erosion of updrift beaches under high-angle waves. This paper provides an understanding of the short- to medium-term shoreline evolution of three symmetrical lagoon sandy spits and the related erosion of the adjacent bay beaches of Lagoa dos Patos, Brazil. To do so, two of the most widely used methods to quantify shoreline changes were applied: the transects-from-baseline method and the change polygon method. A historical analysis of the shoreline movement of approximately three decades (1984–2013), was carried out, aiming to track the source of sediments to the spits. Alternate phases of shoreline stability, deposition, and recession (less frequent) in short time intervals (years) showed correlation with the El Nino–Southern Oscillation and Southern Annular Mode indexes. Shoreline stability along beaches in the medium term (60.4% of Arambare and 73.9% of Graxaim beaches, by the linear regression rate calculation), together with the very low average shoreline change rate of +0.7 m y–1 found using both methods, demonstrates that the sediment supply to the spits has been significantly reduced in the past three decades. Furthermore, the large-scale subaqueous portions of the spits are under wave-induced sedimentary reworking accompanied by the up-building of sandbanks from the submerged bars, followed by its landward migration and merging to the spit's shoreline. These results suggest that the spits of Lagoa dos Patos have their growth limited once the amount of sediment supply has been significantly reduced.

This paper presents the spatial distribution of shallow gas structures and classifies them on the basis of two different data sets of CHIRP seismic records, one from the Conceição Lagoon (CL) and the other from North Bay (NB), both on Santa Catarina Island, Southern Brazil. Side scan sonar data from the CL were used to facilitate the understanding. The sub bottom (SB) seismic data were processed and interpreted by means of the SeisPrho software, the side scan sonar (SSS) data by SonarWiz5 software and the spatial extension being measured with the help of GIS. The shallow gas structures were defined in accordance with their shapes in the seismic recordings (echo-character). At the CL, shallow gas accumulations were found in the form of seepages and features presenting shallow gas structures between the surface and 8.20 ms (around 12.3 m). Accumulations of gas were found in the form of Acoustic Blanking with Acoustic Plume, and also Black Shadows. Pockmarks were found on the lagoon floor and associated with gas seepages (average size diameter 0.97 ± 0.19 m and density from 54 to 242 units per 50 m2). In the NB three types of shallow gas features were found in the seismic profile, namely Acoustic Blanking, Turbidity Pinnacles and Intra-sedimentary plumes. The depth varied from the surface to 12.10 ms (around 18.15 m). In both environments, the gas is escaping from the sediment into the water column. The Pockmarks in the CL and the Acoustic Plume features and sediment rich in total sulfur in the NB validate these findings. Resumo Este artigo apresenta a distribuição espacial das estruturas de gás raso e as classifica com base em dois conjuntos de dados de registros sísmicos diferentes com o CHIRP, um na Lagoa da Conceição (CL) e o outro na Baía Norte (NB), ambos na Ilha de Santa Catarina, sul do Brasil. Os dados de sonar de varredura lateral da CL foram usados para facilitar a interpretação. Os dados sísmicos de subsuperfície (SB) foram processados e interpretados por meio do software SeisPrho e os dados obtidos com o sonar de varredura lateral (SSS), pelo software SonarWiz5. A medida espacial foi realizada por intermédio de GIS. As estruturas de gás raso foram definidas de acordo com as formas apresentadas nos registros sísmicos (eco-caráter). Na CL, as acumulações rasas de gás foram encontradas sob a forma de escapes nas exsudações e feições apresentando estruturas de gás superficial, entre a superfície e 8,20 ms (cerca de 12,3 m). Estas acumulações de gás foram encontradas na forma de Cobertura Acústica com Plumas Acústicas associadas, além de Sombra Negra. As pockmarks foram observadas no fundo da lagoa, ligadas aos escapes de gás (diâmetro médio de 0,97 ± 0,19 m e densidade de 54 a 242 unidades por 50 m2). Na NB observou-se três tipos de estruturas de gás raso no perfil sísmico, ou seja, de Cobertura Acústica, Pináculos de Turbidez e Plumas Intrssedimentares. A profundidade variou da superfície até 12,10 ms (cerca de 18,15 m). Em ambos os ambientes, o gás é expelido a partir do sedimento para a coluna de água. As pockmarks na CL e na NB, as feições de pluma acústica e os sedimentos ricos em enxofre total validam essa evidência.

The Santa Catarina coast is located in southern Brazil between 26° and 29.3°S. The coast trends south then southwest for about 430 km, and contains 922 km of open coast and bay shoreline, with 246 sandy beaches occupying 60 % of the shore. Based on geology and orientation the coast is divided into five coastal provinces, each of which contains a different suite of beach systems. The provinces and their beaches range for the highly embayed Penha to Baia Norte province which is dominated by short low energy reflective beaches, to the exposed high energy Cabo Santa Marta to Torres province which has long near continuous multi-barred dissipative beaches. This chapter reviews the provinces and their beach systems including spatial and temporal controls, as well as beach erosion, hazards and safety.

Beach nourishment on open ocean beaches not bounded by headlands or other structures suffers from high rates of lateral losses of fill volume as the nourished shoreline equilibrates with its surroundings. Estimates of lateral losses are essential for beach nourishment design, these predictions have been made in the last decade utilizing empirical formulations, one line models or lately, process-based coastal morphology models. Coastal morphology models are, however, complex and computationally intensive and in order to maintain a balance between model complexities, computational effort and processing capacity, schematization of model input (input reduction) is necessary. This paper is divided into two main sections. In the first section techniques of wave input reduction for morphological models are evaluated with focus on open ocean wave-dominated coasts. Subsequently, the optimized morphological model is applied to evaluate coastal engineering interventions aimed at reducing volume losses from the Delray Beach nourishment project. Wave input reduction is defined here as the process of reducing the full wave climate of a given coastal region to a set of representative wave-wind conditions, ‘running’ a model with these representative wave conditions in sequence for a smaller time period (i.e. a few tide cycles) and multiplying its effect on the morphology by a Morfac value, that is related to the frequency of occurrence of that wave condition in nature, or its weight in the overall wave climate. Five different techniques of wave input reduction were tested. Of all the methods of wave climate schematization tested the methods defined as ‘Energy Flux Method’ and ‘Opti Method’ showed best results in terms of representing accurately the sediment transport patterns of the study area. The tests conducted indicate that a number around 12 representative wave cases was enough to represent an annual wave climate compared to a very detailed wave climate used as benchmark. The optimized model was used to evaluate alternative engineering solutions to reduce volumetric losses from the beach nourishment project. Engineering solutions evaluated included a construction of a breakwater field, backfilling all dredge pits located offshore of the project site, construction of a groin field at the downdrift end of the project, and backfilling the deepest dredge pit. These engineering interventions caused a reduction in beach volume losses within the project limits with varying levels of effect on the downdrift beaches. Reduction of the volume loss from the project site is technically feasible and may be economically feasible pending further economic feasibility evaluation.

Acoustic anomalies in seismic records have revealed that gas-charged sediments are very common features in the coastal environments around the world. The ubiquitous gassy sediments challenge the effective acoustic mapping of shallow stratigraphy by seismic means, as well as having an important influence on environmental issues related to the coastal zone occupation and management. This paper documents examples of gassy sediments from coastal lagoons, estuaries, rivers, bays and the inner shelf and nearshore environments of Brazil, Argentina and South Africa. Seismic echograms from selected areas show several gas-related anomalies, which present distinctive morphologies for sediment-trapped gas, leaking or free gas discharge into the water column. In several places the gas-charged sediments occur in areas of palaeo-topographic lows related to fluvial channels and valleys that developed in the coastal zone due to sea level oscillations during the Quaternary period. This forcing by palaeotopographic features results in the occurrence of shallow gas being controlled in most coastal sites by the previous environmental scenario, the stratigraphic arrangement of the transgressive infilling elements, and the local hydrodynamic conditions. Fil: Weschenfelder, Jair. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Brasil Fil: Klein, Antonio H. F.. Universidade Federal Da Santa Catarina; Brasil Fil: Green, Andrew N.. University of KwaZulu-Natal; Sudáfrica Fil: Aliotta, Salvador. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur; Argentina Fil: de Mahiques, Michel M.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasil Fil: Ayres Neto, Arthur. Universidade Federal Fluminense; Brasil Fil: Terra, Laurício C.. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Brasil Fil: Correa, Iran C. S.. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Brasil Fil: Calliari, Lauro J.. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Brasil Fil: Montoya, Isabel. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasil Fil: Ginsberg, Silvia Susana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur; Argentina. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional; Argentina Fil: Griep, Gilberto. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Brasil

This paper presents an evaluation of the response of seismic reflection attributes in different types of marine substrate (rock, shallow gas, sediments) using seafloor samples for ground-truth statistical comparisons. The data analyzed include seismic reflection profiles collected using two CHIRP subbottom profilers (Edgetech Model 3100 SB-216S), with frequency ranging between 2 and 16 kHz, and a number (38) of sediment samples collected from the seafloor. The statistical method used to discriminate between different substratum responses was the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis analysis, carried out in two steps: 1) comparison of Seismic Attributes between different marine substrates (unconsolidated sediments, rock and shallow gas); 2) comparison of Seismic Attributes between different sediment classes in seafloors characterized by unconsolidated sediments (subdivided according to sorting). These analyses suggest that amplitude-related attributes were effective in discriminating between sediment and gassy/rocky substratum, but did not differentiate between rocks and shallow gas. On the other hand, the Instantaneous Frequency attribute was effective in differentiating sediments, rocks and shallow gas, with sediment showing higher frequency range, rock an intermediate range, and shallow gas the lowest response. Regarding grain-size classes and sorting, statistical analysis discriminated between two distinct groups of samples, the SVFS (silt and very fine sand) and the SFMC (fine, medium and coarse sand) groups. Using a Spearman coefficient, it was found that the Instantaneous Amplitude was more efficient in distinguishing between the two groups. None of the attributes was able to distinguish between the closest grain size classes such as those of silt and very fine sand. Resumo O presente trabalho tem por objetivo apresentar uma avaliação da resposta dos atributos sísmicos (Amplitude Instantânea, Amplitude RMS, Energia e Frequência Instantânea) em diferentes tipos de substratos marinhos, correlacionando-os com características sedimentológicas das amostras coletadas. Foram analisados perfis sísmicos obtidos com um perfilador de subsuperfície com sinal do tipo CHIRP modelo SB-216S da marca EdgeTech, com frequência de trabalho de 2 e 16 kHz. O método se deu a partir da análise estatística não-paramétrica de Kruskal-Wallis foi aplicada para comparar o comportamento dos atributos com as diferentes classes dos grãos das amostras (subagrupadas segundo o grau de seleção) e com diferentes feições. Com base na análise dos resultados, foi possível distinguir dois grupos distintos nas amostras, o grupo SAMF (silte e areia muito fina) e o grupo AFMG (areia fina, areia média e areia grossa). Como conclusão, pode-se dizer que os atributos não foram capazes de distinguir entre as classes mais próximas dos grãos. Utilizando o coeficiente de Spearman foi verificado que o atributo "Amplitude Instantânea" mostrou-se mais eficiente em separar os dois conjuntos. Comparando sedimentos, gás e rocha, os atributos que utilizaram o atributo "amplitude" foram eficazes em separar os sedimentos do gás e da rocha, porém não os distinguiram entre as duas feições, visto que elas apresentaram amplitudes muito altas, mas semelhantes entre si. O atributo "Frequência Instantânea" mostrou-se eficaz na diferenciação entre sedimento, rocha e gás, o sedimento apresentou uma maior banda de frequência, a rocha uma faixa intermediária e o gás a menor delas.