Coastal Impact Research Articles

IMPLEMENTATION AND TESTING OF A POWER MATRIX-BASED WAVE ENERGY CONVERSION MODEL AND THE EFFECT SIMULATED ON THE WAVE FIELD — CASE STUDY OF LAGUNA, SC, BRAZIL

Electrical energy has become an essential resource for mankind and, as the population and technological dependency grow, also does the electricity demand. This necessity boosted numerous studies which focus on clean and renewable energy sources. Ocean wave energy is one of the most environmentally friendly sources of energy since it does not emit pollutants to the atmosphere and does not produce harmful waste. Another positive point about ocean waves is that they are inexhaustible, therefore a power plant could, potentially, provide energy indefinitely. Hence the object of this study is to estimate the wave energy reduction caused by the presence of wave energy conversion (WEC) devices near the coastline of Laguna, Brazil. In order to study the coastal impact of a WEC farm, the third generation sea state model TOMAWAC was used to simulate the waves on the Southern Brazilian Shelf under two different conditions, with and without the presence of an array of WECs. The results show that the mean significant wave height in the blockaded area undergoes a slight drop, caused by the presence of the WECs, which do not appear in the other scenario. But this reduction of the significant wave height is negligible compared to the order of magnitude of the wave height itself.

Geotechnical Aspects Of Coastal Impacts During Hurricanes Harvey And Irma: Logistical and Technical Challenges During Reconnaissance

As designers and managers for society’s infrastructure, civil engineers, including the geotechnical community, must understand and predict the most severe expected loadings from physical or environ...

The 2nd International Conference on Integrated Coastal Management and Marine Biotechnology

PrefaceIntegrated coastal management (ICM) has been acknowledged as the most effective approach in managing coastal and marine areas in integrative and holistic ways in the last two decades. Implementation of ICM practices in many areas in the region has given lessons learned either in success or fail stories. The success or fail of implementation of an ICM practice in an area will depend on a specific situation and condition of the area. Both ecological and social characters of an area are site specifics which are cannot be generalized and requires a “tailored-made design” in a specific area. In this conference, lesson learned on the implementation of various steps of ICM in many areas will be shared. Special approach/methodology/tools which has been applied to address specific problems will be discussed. The potential applicability and replication of specific approach/methodology/tools towards specific problems will be also discussed as well as enhance the scale of the application. ICM scopes are covering themes of: marine protected areas, coastal resources and ecosystem rehabilitation, sustainable fisheries management and ecosystem approach to fisheries management, coastal disaster risk reduction and climate change impact and adaptation management, community livelihood enhancement, ecosystem services and valuation, and marine spatial planning.Besides ICM-related themes, this conference will also discuss the latest development of marine biotechnology covering bioprospecting, marine natural products, and marine environmental biotechnology.List of Speakers and Conference Photographs are available in this Pdf.

A septic waste index model to measure the impact of septic tanks on coastal water quality and coral reef communities in Rincon, Puerto Rico

The impact of fecal contamination of coastal waters and coral reefs is a major cause of concern in marine reserves in Puerto Rico. The measurement of the association between septic tank frequency in watersheds of creeks draining into these reserves and coastal water quality and coral reef condition is of importance in configuring pollution control policy. Fecal coliforms and enterococci assays were used to measure the density of fecal contaminants across the Tres Palmas Marine Reserve (TPMR) in Rincon, Puerto Rico. Inshore waters are intermittent creeks, receiving fecal pollution only from faulty septic tanks. Fecal indicators measurements showed higher densities near the southernmost creek mouth emptying into TPMR, a finding consistent with a larger amount of dwellings with septic tanks within this watershed (Vista Azul creek). A Septic Weight Index was constructed to analyze sewage impact from all watersheds draining into the marine reserve. Linear Regression analyses showed a significant association between these non-point source fecal pollution sources and both coastal water quality and impact on some parameters measuring the condition of Acropora palmata coral reef colonies.

PROGRESSION OF BARRIER ISLAND RESTORATION IN LOUISIANA

Over the last several decades restoration efforts in coastal Louisiana have evolved from efforts known mostly to State and Parish officials and academic community to national recognition in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Consolidated efforts of coastal restoration developed in the early years through the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act (CWPPRA). Additional funding and organizational efforts include State funding; the Coastal Impact Assessment Program (CIAP); and most recently from programs resulting from Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill penalties.

MORPHOLOGIC RESPONSE OF BEACHES AND TIDAL INLETS TO HURRICANE IRMA IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA, USA

Hurricane Irma was a major Hurricane in the 2017 tropical season that reached category 5 and caused catastrophic damage in parts of the northeastern Caribbean and the Florida Keys. Irma was the strongest observed storm and the most intense in the Atlantic since 2005. Irma developed on August 30, 2017 near the west African coast then intensified into a hurricane on the Saffir– Simpson scale within one day. Irma became a major storm at Category 3 hurricane On September 5, 2017 then reached its peak of Category 5 hurricane with intensity of 185 mph (295 km/h) winds. Irma was a Category 4 hurricane, before making landfall on The Florida Keys and was a major Category 3 by the time it made a second Florida landfall on Marco Island and Naples in Southwest Florida on Sunday September 10, 2017. Irma weakened to a category 2 hurricane later that day as it tracked along the Florida peninsula. This paper discusses morphologic responses to the storm in Southwest Florida where Irma made landfall at Marco Island and Naples. FDEP (2018) provides documentation of the post-storm beach conditions and coastal impact of Hurricane Irma throughout the state of Florida, This paper focuses on case studies in Southwest Florida.

Comparative study of the influence of a wave energy converter site on the wave field of Laguna, SC, Brazil

Recently mankind has started to acknowledge the effects of climate change caused by the emission of pollutants to the atmosphere. This issue, combined with the increasing global energy demand, and the diminishing supply of the main energy sources, brings forward the urgency of novel sources renewable energy. The ocean waves are a relatively novel source of energy that could be exploited if correctly studied and developed, aiming to minimize the environmental impact and increase the power takeoff. Hence the object of this study is to estimate the wave energy reduction caused by the presence of wave energy conversion devices near the coastline of Laguna, Brazil. In order to study the coastal impact of a wave energy converter (WEC) farm, the third generation sea state model Tomawac, from the Open Telemac-Mascaret suite of free surface models, was used to simulate the waves on the Southern Brazilian Shelf under two different conditions, with and without the presence of an array of WECs. The results show that the mean Significant Wave Height in the blockaded area undergo a slight drop, caused by the presence of the WECs, that do not appear in the scenario without the devices.

Climatic effects on a cold stenotherm species Lepidurus arcticus (Branchiopoda, Notostraca) on the southern outreach of its distribution range

On the Norwegian mainland, the Arctic tadpole shrimp Lepidurus arcticus is a typically alpine species mainly co-occurring with fish. The Hardangervidda mountain plateau is the main area of the southernmost L. arcticus populations. Here L. arcticus is widely distributed, especially in the central and eastern parts of the plateau. Lepidurus arcticus has a univoltine life cycle emerging from resting eggs at ice break-up and fulfil development during the short mountain summer, before they reproduce and die. The main goal in this study was to investigate the thermal thresholds for L. arcticus. Timing of ice break-up and the proceeding water temperature are hypothesized to constitute the primary drivers of L. arcticus's development and growth. Stomach analyses of brown trout is the most sensitive method for sampling L. arcticus, especially at low densities. Analyses of 4 460 brown trout stomachs revealed that at least 400 degree-days are needed for development and growth from hatching in to adults. It is a significant gradient in climatic conditions on Hardangervidda with a coastal impact in the western part of the plateau with a three - to fourfold winter deposition compared to a dryer inland region in the east. The snow deposits have increased since the 1980s and snow rich winters have been more frequent. An additional increase is projected. This may give lower water temperature and shorter ice-free seasons. Thus, the cold western lakes could be even more hostile habitats for L. arcticus. During the same period, an abrupt increase in spring-summer temperatures was detected. This has improved the conditions for L. arcticus in many lakes. However, as a cold stenotherm species a further increase in temperature may be detrimental. Especially in shallow lakes in the central and eastern parts this may be a problem even without reaching critical levels by inducing life cycle mismatches.

High-resolution coastal hazard assessment along the French Riviera from co-seismic tsunamis generated in the Ligurian fault system

The French Riviera is a densely populated and touristic coast. It is also one of the most seismically active areas of the Western Mediterranean. This is evidenced by the Mw 6.7–6.9, 1887 earthquake and tsunami, that was triggered nearshore, rupturing the easternmost 40 km of the 80-km-long Ligurian fault system, which runs parallel to and offshore of the Riviera. Here, coastal hazard from co-seismic tsunamis is assessed along the French and part of the Italian Riviera by simulating three Ligurian earthquake scenarios: (1) the 1887 event offshore Genoa, Italy; (2) a similar event transposed to the westernmost 40-km segment of the fault, offshore Nice, France; and (3) the rupture of the entire 80-km fault, which constitutes an extreme case scenario for the region. Simulations of tsunami propagation and coastal impact are performed by one-way coupling with the Boussinesq model FUNWAVE-TVD, in a series of nested grids, using new high-resolution bathymetric and topographic data. Results obtained in 10-m coastal grids provide the highest resolution predictions to date for this section of the French Riviera of co-seismic tsunami coastal hazard, in terms of inundation, runup, and current velocity. In general, the most impacted areas are bays (near Cap d’Antibes and Cap Ferrat), due to wave buildup and shoaling within semi-enclosed shallow areas, enhanced by possible resonances. In contrast to earlier work, which was based on coarser resolution grids, the area of Nice harbor is found to be rather well sheltered. It should be noted that uniform fault slip was used in the ruptures and runup estimates could locally be enhanced in case of more complex ruptures, such as segmented and heterogeneous ruptures.

Regionalisation of population growth projections in coastal exposure analysis

Large-area coastal exposure and impact analysis has focussed on using sea-level rise (SLR) scenarios and has placed little emphasis on socioeconomic scenarios, while neglecting spatial variations of population dynamics. We use the Dynamic Interactive Vulnerability Assessment (DIVA) Framework to assess the population exposed to 1 in 100-year coastal flood events under different population scenarios, that are consistent with the shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs); and different SLR scenarios, derived from the representative concentration pathways (RCPs); and analyse the effect of accounting for regionalised population dynamics on population exposure until 2100. In a reference approach, we use homogeneous population growth on national level. In the regionalisation approaches, we test existing spatially explicit projections that also account for urbanisation, coastal migration and urban sprawl. Our results show that projected global exposure in 2100 ranges from 100 million to 260 million, depending on the combination of SLR and population scenarios and method used for regionalising the population projections. The assessed exposure based on the regionalised approaches is higher than that derived from the reference approach by up to 60 million people (39%). Accounting for urbanisation and coastal migration leads to an increase in exposure, whereas considering urban sprawl leads to lower exposure. Differences between the reference and the regionalised approaches increase with higher SLR. The regionalised approaches show highest exposure under SSP5 over most of the twenty-first century, although total population in SSP5 is the second lowest overall. All methods project the largest absolute growth in exposure for Asia and relative growth for Africa.

Korean enterprises and Hanliu into Shandong coastal cities and impact

Korean enterprises and Hanliu into Shandong coastal cities and impact

SMAP and CalCOFI Observe Freshening during the 2014–2016 Northeast Pacific Warm Anomaly

Data from NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive Mission (SMAP) and from the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) were used to examine the freshening that occurred during 2015–2016 in the Southern California Current System. Overall, the freshening was found to be related to the 2014–2016 Northeast Pacific Warm Anomaly. The primary goal was to determine the feasibility of using SMAP data to observe the surface salinity signal associated with the warming and its coastal impact. As a first step, direct comparisons were done with salinity from the CalCOFI data at one-meter depth. During 2015, SMAP was saltier than CalCOFI by 0.5 Practical Salinity Units (PSU), but biases were reduced to <0.1 PSU during 2016. South of 33°N, and nearer to the coast where upwelling dominates, SMAP was fresher in 2015 by almost 0.2 PSU. CalCOFI showed freshening of 0.1 PSU. North of 33°N, SMAP and CalCOFI saw significant freshening in 2016, SMAP by 0.4 PSU and CalCOFI by 0.2 PSU. Differences between SMAP and CalCOFI are consistent with the increased stratification in 2015 and changes in the mixed layer depth. SMAP observed freshening that reached the Baja California Coast.

Extreme water levels, waves and coastal impacts during a severe tropical cyclone in northeastern Australia: a case study for cross-sector data sharing

Abstract. Severe tropical cyclone (TC) Debbie made landfall on the northern Queensland coast of Australia on 27 March 2017 after crossing the Great Barrier Reef as a slow-moving Category 4 system. Groups from industry, government and academia collected coastal hazard and impact data before, during and after the event and shared these data to produce a holistic picture of TC Debbie at the coast. Results showed the still water level exceeded the highest astronomical tide by almost a metre. Waves added a further 16 % to water levels along the open coast, and were probably unprecedented for this area since monitoring began. In most places, coastal barriers were not breached and as a result there was net offshore sand transport. If landfall had occurred 2 h earlier with the high tide, widespread inundation and overwash would have ensued. This paper provides a case study of effective cross-sector data sharing in a natural hazard context. It advocates for a shared information platform for coastal extremes in Australia to help improve the understanding and prediction of TC-related coastal hazards in the future.

Using Information on Settlement Patterns to Improve the Spatial Distribution of Population in Coastal Impact Assessments

Broad-scale impact and vulnerability assessments are essential for informing decisions on long-term adaptation planning at the national, regional, or global level. These assessments rely on population data for quantifying exposure to different types of hazards. Existing population datasets covering the entire globe at resolutions of 2.5 degrees to 30 arc-seconds are based on information available at administrative-unit level and implicitly assume uniform population densities within these units. This assumption can lead to errors in impact assessments and particularly in coastal areas that are densely populated. This study proposes and compares simple approaches to regionalize population within administrative units in the German Baltic Sea region using solely information on urban extent from the Global Urban Footprint (GUF). Our results show that approaches using GUF can reduce the error in predicting population totals of municipalities by factor 2 to 3. When assessing exposed population, we find that the assumption of uniform population densities leads to an overestimation of 120% to 140%. Using GUF to regionalise population within administrative units reduce these errors by up to 50%. Our results suggest that the proposed simple modeling approaches can result in significantly improved distribution of population within administrative units and substantially improve the results of exposure analyses.

Global sea-level budget 1993–present

Abstract. Global mean sea level is an integral of changes occurring in the climate system in response to unforced climate variability as well as natural and anthropogenic forcing factors. Its temporal evolution allows changes (e.g., acceleration) to be detected in one or more components. Study of the sea-level budget provides constraints on missing or poorly known contributions, such as the unsurveyed deep ocean or the still uncertain land water component. In the context of the World Climate Research Programme Grand Challenge entitled Regional Sea Level and Coastal Impacts, an international effort involving the sea-level community worldwide has been recently initiated with the objective of assessing the various datasets used to estimate components of the sea-level budget during the altimetry era (1993 to present). These datasets are based on the combination of a broad range of space-based and in situ observations, model estimates, and algorithms. Evaluating their quality, quantifying uncertainties and identifying sources of discrepancies between component estimates is extremely useful for various applications in climate research. This effort involves several tens of scientists from about 50 research teams/institutions worldwide (www.wcrp-climate.org/grand-challenges/gc-sea-level, last access: 22 August 2018). The results presented in this paper are a synthesis of the first assessment performed during 2017–2018. We present estimates of the altimetry-based global mean sea level (average rate of 3.1 ± 0.3 mm yr−1 and acceleration of 0.1 mm yr−2 over 1993–present), as well as of the different components of the sea-level budget (http://doi.org/10.17882/54854, last access: 22 August 2018). We further examine closure of the sea-level budget, comparing the observed global mean sea level with the sum of components. Ocean thermal expansion, glaciers, Greenland and Antarctica contribute 42 %, 21 %, 15 % and 8 % to the global mean sea level over the 1993–present period. We also study the sea-level budget over 2005–present, using GRACE-based ocean mass estimates instead of the sum of individual mass components. Our results demonstrate that the global mean sea level can be closed to within 0.3 mm yr−1 (1σ). Substantial uncertainty remains for the land water storage component, as shown when examining individual mass contributions to sea level.

Contemporary sea level rise rates around Malaysia: Altimeter data optimization for assessing coastal impact

The increase of anthropogenic activities has triggered global sea level rise to threaten many low-lying and unprotected coastal areas. Without measures, global sea levels will continue to rise at an accelerating rate in the 21st century. This paper quantifies sea level trends around the Malaysian seas using measurements from multiple altimeter missions over 1993–2015. Sea level anomalies (SLAs) are determined using data from the Radar Altimeter Database System (RADS) covering 8 altimeter missions. We use an enhanced processing strategy to optimize sea surface heights from RADS for the derivation of SLAs, including filtering, data gridding and moving average. Tidal height measurements at eight tide gauge stations around Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia are used to assess SLAs from altimetry. Our assessment results in similar patterns of SLAs, high correlation coefficients (>0.9) and small (few cm) root mean square differences (RMSE) between SLAs from altimetry and tide gauges over the same period. Sea level trends are determined by the robust fit regression analysis for the SLA time series. Our result shows that sea level rise trends around Malaysia range from 3.27 ± 0.12 mm yr−1 off eastern Malaysia to 4.95 ± 0.15 mm yr−1 west of Malaysia. Over 1993–2015, the mean rising rate around Malaysia is 4.22 ± 0.12 mm yr−1, and the cumulative sea level rise is 0.05 m. This paper predicts the impact of such rising sea levels on environment, urban planning and climatology in the coastal areas of Malaysia.

Tsunami-induced morphological change – A model-based impact assessment of the 1755 tsunami in NE Atlantic from the Morocco coast

Tsunamis can be responsible for coastal geomorphic crises. Extensively inundated coasts can suffer widespread and dramatic changes in their morphology due to sediment erosion, transport, and deposition processes. In this paper, we investigate the tsunami-induced morphological changes on coasts prone to inundation and how sediment transport is controlled by both tsunami and sediment characteristics. We focus on a tsunami-prone coast in the NE Atlantic, Tangier-Morocco, that experienced the 1755 Lisbon tsunami. We use a coupled hydrodynamic and morphodynamic numerical model, together with high-resolution digital elevation and sedimentary models, to simulate the impact of tsunamis on the morphology and sediment distribution of Tangier Bay. Due to the uncertainty on the source and effects of the 1755 event, we consider two 1755-like tsunamigenic scenarios that have the potential to cause different levels of inundation. Results show that the coastal zone of Tangier can undergo substantial changes in morphology and sediment distribution following the tsunami impact. For the selected scenarios, the volume of sediments mobilized, at both the offshore and onshore zones of the Tangier site, ranges from 30,000 to 200,000 m3. Moreover, the presence of mobile sediments and conditions favoring tsunami shoaling lead to an increase in wave impact on the coastal configuration. Conversely, the presence of the breakwaters helps to protect the Tangier coast by limiting the extent of the affected area. The results of this study suggest that the assessment of tsunami-induced coastal impact should include the effect on morphology.

Description of a coastal impact event in Basque Country: the 9 February 2016 case

Abstract. In this work we analysed a case from 9 February 2016 from two points of view, the meteorological–ocean characteristics of the event and the damage produced during the episode in the Basque coastal area. On 7 and 8 February 2016 an intense zonal circulation was established in the Atlantic, with very strong westerly winds (over 100 km h−1) and high fetch (more than 2000 km). As a consequence a strong swell (over 7 m) arrived on the Basque coast affecting littoral areas. The wave characteristics are particularly energetic during the morning of the 9 February, which had a significant wave of 9.5 m and a peak period of 20 s in deep water (Donostia buoy). The arrival of these energetic waves coincides with high tide during spring when the sea level reaches 4.69 m in the Port of Bilbao. Overtopping indexes exceeded red-level thresholds established within the Euskalmet coastal warning system and the wave impact resulted in relevant damage (more than EUR 3 million) in different littoral areas. This event is the first red-level case since the new Euskalmet warning procedure became operational at the beginning of 2015.

Disaster Vulnerability Assessment in Coastal Areas of Korea

Kang, T.S.; Oh, H.M.; Lee, E.I., and Jeong, K.Y., 2018. Disaster Vulnerability Assessment in Coastal Areas of Korea. In: Shim, J.-S.; Chun, I., and Lim, H.S. (eds.), Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2018 (Busan, Republic of Korea). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 85, pp. 886–890. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.In this study, the vulnerability to disaster in the coastal areas of Korea was assessed for the safe utilization and value enhancement of coastal areas. The framework of the coastal disaster vulnerability assessment has been adopted from the concept of climate change vulnerability of the IPCC (2001). Coastal Disaster Impact Index(CDII) is defined as a function of exposure and sensitivity, and the Coastal Disaster Vulnerability Index (CDVI) includes those as well as adaptive capacity. Indicators of exposure consisted of typhoon, surge, wave, tide, SLR and coastal erosion. Indicators of sensitivity consisted of human, property and geography. And adaptive capacity consisted of socioeconomic and governmental adaptive capacity. The parameters of these 11 indicators were gathered from government agencies, numerical model experiments and field surveys. Spatial analysis was performed by using the GIS program after passing the quality test, and analysed data were standardized and classified into 5 numerical grades. The results of the CDVI were grade 1: 2,737.3km (28.4%), grade 2: 1,667.2km (17.3%), grade 3: 1,402.3km (14.5%), grade 4: 1,758.7km (18.2%), and grade 5: 2,083.8km (21.6%) of the total 9,649.3km. The CDVI value was high in Jindo-gun and Haenamgun, when analysed with an index that includes the adaptive capacity to the disaster of the local governments and CDII. Coastal disaster vulnerability assessment results are used as reference indicators to identify the cause of coastal disasters, to establish countermeasures, to aid the decision-making process regarding the sustainable development in coastal areas, thus contributing to effective and safe coastal management.

A Mediterranean coastal database for assessing the impacts of sea-level rise and associated hazards

We have developed a new coastal database for the Mediterranean basin that is intended for coastal impact and adaptation assessment to sea-level rise and associated hazards on a regional scale. The data structure of the database relies on a linear representation of the coast with associated spatial assessment units. Using information on coastal morphology, human settlements and administrative boundaries, we have divided the Mediterranean coast into 13 900 coastal assessment units. To these units we have spatially attributed 160 parameters on the characteristics of the natural and socio-economic subsystems, such as extreme sea levels, vertical land movement and number of people exposed to sea-level rise and extreme sea levels. The database contains information on current conditions and on plausible future changes that are essential drivers for future impacts, such as sea-level rise rates and socio-economic development. Besides its intended use in risk and impact assessment, we anticipate that the Mediterranean Coastal Database (MCD) constitutes a useful source of information for a wide range of coastal applications.