Continental Coast Research Articles

Tetrodotoxins Occurrence in Non-Traditional Vectors of the North Atlantic Waters (Portuguese Maritime Territory, and Morocco Coast).

Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a potent alkaloid typically from tropical ecosystems, but in the last decade its presence has been more pronounced in the temperate waters of the Atlantic. In its last scientific opinion, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) stressed the need for data regarding TTX prevalence in European waters. To address EFSA’s concerns, benthic organisms such as mollusks, crustaceans, echinoderms and fish with different feeding habits were collected along the Portuguese continental coast, islands (São Miguel, Azores, and Madeira) and the northwestern Moroccan coast. A total of 165 samples were analyzed by ultra high performance liquid chromatography high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) and ultra high performance chromatography mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). Geographical tendencies were detected as follows, by descending order: S. Miguel Island (Azores), Moroccan coast, Madeira Island and Portuguese continental coast. The toxin amounts detected were significant, above the Dutch limit value established in 2017, showing the importance and the need for continuity of these studies to gain more knowledge about the prevalence of these toxins, unraveling new vectors, in order to better assess human health risk. This work represents a general overview of new TTX bearers (7) most of them in gastropods (Patella depressa, Nucella lapillus, Onchidella celtica and Aplysia depilans), followed by echinoderms (Echinus esculentus and Ophidiaster ophidianus) and puffer fish Sphoeroides marmoratus.

A New Species of Johngarthia from Clipperton and Socorro Islands in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (Crustacea: Decapoda: Gecarcinidae)

The taxonomy of the East Pacific land crab Johngarthia planata (Stimpson, 1860) is reviewed and a neotype designated to stabilize the taxonomy of this species. The population of J. planata is found to be restricted to inshore islands and the continental mainland coast of the tropical and subtropical Pacific coast of America. A new species, Johngarthia oceanica sp. nov., is described for populations that occur on the oceanic Clipperton and Socorro islands. Johngarthia oceanica sp. nov., canbeseparatedfromJ. planatabythebroad, subrectangularmesial lobeof the infraorbitalmargin (narrow, subtriangular in J. planata) and a dorsal carapace that is dark yellow to brightly orange with or without black areas of different extension (homogeneously red to maroon in J. planata). The distribution of J. planata is modeled using MaxEnt and the biogeography of East Pacific species of Johngarthia is discussed. The conservation status of the Clipperton population of J. oceanica sp. nov. deserves special attention because this population may be threatened by introduced rats.

Distribution and Some Biological Features of Antlered Sculpin Enophrys diceraus (Cottidae) in Russian Waters of the Sea of Japan

In Russian waters of the Sea of Japan, antlered sculpin Enophrys diceraus occurs throughout the year at depths of 4–605 m and temperature of –1.4 to +16.8°C. It is concentrated in the range of depths 30–90 m at 7.3–2.1°C in summer and 200–380 m in winter at stable low-positive temperature. Its spawning migrations in autumn and feeding migrations in spring are directed towards the coast. The main aggregations are formed in the south (Peter the Great Bay) and in central regions off the continental coast and in the southern part of Sakhalin off the insular coast. It does not form aggregations in the northern part of Tatar Strait. Antlered sculpin reaches a larger size (length of 38 cm and weight of over 1 kg) in the Sea of Japan than in northern seas. The maximum size is inherent in males. In the northwestern part of the Sea of Japan, antlered sculpin is a benthophage–polyphage: juveniles feed mainly on bivalve mollusks, amphipods, and polychaetes and adult individuals generally eat echinoderms (mainly brittle stars) and mollusks. The revealed regional and seasonal variation in the food composition is presumably determined by the food supply features. In April to August, the daily ration of the fish with a length of 11–30 cm is 1.1% of the body weight and decreases from 2.6 to 0.9% with its growth. The biomass of antlered sculpin in Russian waters of the Sea of Japan has varied from 5000 to 7000 t in recent years. The bulk of its stock is concentrated off the continental coast.

Una geografía imaginada: el Muni a través del proyecto de compañía de franquicia de Valeriano Weyler

El trabajo se adentra en la construcción del espacio colonial español en el Golfo de Guinea a través del concurso de 1905 para la adjudicación del Muni. Este es habitualmente presentado como el proyecto de Valeriano Weyler. Sin embargo, la autoría intelectual recae en Enrique D’Almonte, antiguo funcionario colonial en Filipinas, miembro de la Sociedad Geográfica de Madrid y persona plenamente identificada con el discurso colonial español en África. A pesar de que la única propuesta admitida es la de Weyler, la subasta no llega a adjudicar el Muni a una compañía. Este trabajo no confronta por tanto lo que se pensó con lo que se realizó. Se esfuerza por entender qué conocimientos geográficos son los que confluyen en la propuesta elaborada por D’Almonte y de qué manera se ponen al servicio del proyecto colonial. El conocimiento que se moviliza bebe fundamentalmente de los relatos de exploración del Muni. A su vez, es un conocimiento asimétrico: adquiere textura y detalle para el litoral de la Guinea continental y el espacio más inmediato a él, pero se muestra genérico para el interior y este de la colonia. Las fuentes primarias utilizadas provienen del Fondo África del Archivo General de la Administración. En él está depositada la documentación de la subasta del Muni.

Newborn Screening for Sickle Cell Disease in the Caribbean: An Update of the Present Situation and of the Disease Prevalence.

The region surrounding the Caribbean Sea is predominantly composed of island nations for its Eastern part and the American continental coast on its Western part. A large proportion of the population, particularly in the Caribbean islands, traces its ancestry to Africa as a consequence of the Atlantic slave trade during the XVI–XVIII centuries. As a result, sickle cell disease has been largely introduced in the region. Some Caribbean countries and/or territories, such as Jamaica and the French territories, initiated newborn screening (NBS) programs for sickle cell disease more than 20 years ago. They have demonstrated the major beneficial impact on mortality and morbidity resulting from early childhood care. However, similar programs have not been implemented in much of the region. This paper presents an update of the existing NBS programs and the prevalence of sickle cell disease in the Caribbean. It demonstrates the impact of the Caribbean Network of Researchers on Sickle Cell Disease and Thalassemia (CAREST) on the extension of these programs. The presented data illustrate the importance of advocacy in convincing policy makers of the feasibility and benefit of NBS for sickle cell disease when coupled to early care.

Landscape response to the Medieval Warm Period in the South Russian Far East

The landscape changes during the Medieval Warm Period were discussed for the Kuril and Sakhalin Islands, Primorye and the Amur River Basin. Some paleoclimatic parameters and shifts in landscape boundaries were estimated. The environmental changes on the Kuril Islands were manifested mostly in changes of areas occupied by the same plant communities that we see now in modern landscapes. The paleoenvironmental changes in the North and Central Kurils have been partly hidden due to volcanic ashfalls. On Simushir Island birch forests expanded at the expense of diminished tundra landscapes. On the South Kurils, the warming led to the increasing importance of broadleaf trees. In dark coniferous forests, the fir proportion increased. On small islands devoid of forests, the changes in the shrub and herb composition indicated warmer and less humid conditions. On Sakhalin, there were certain distinctions in the changes in the paleolandscape between the north, which was devoid of thermophilic elements in the forests and the south, which belonged to the zone of dark coniferous forests with an admixture of broadleaf trees. In Primorye, the warming caused an increase in the proportion of Korean pine and broadleaf species in the forests, as well as fir prevalence in dark coniferous forests. In the Amur River region, the warming involved considerable changes in the forests, which were expressed by an increase in the role of thermophilic species in the reduction of the proportion of dark coniferous species. The spread of broadleaf trees on the continental and island coasts could be influenced by warm currents amplifying the warming effect. In all regions, the warming was accompanied by a minor transgression. The sea level was higher than at present by ∼1 m, which resulted in the formation of low marine and lagoon terraces, the attenuation of eolian processes on the coasts, and the fixation of coastal dunes with the development of a thick soil.

Present distribution of common dolphin Delphinus delphis in French Mediterranean and adjacent waters as obtained from small boat surveys

Abstract Common dolphin distribution in the western Mediterranean is still poorly known, with the exception of the Alboran Sea. In French waters, the species occurrence is suspected to have strongly decreased during the 20th century. Small boat dedicated surveys from 1988 to 2012 were undertaken to describe common dolphin distribution in five regions of French waters and three southern regions of the western basin. A total survey effort of 38,561 km resulted in sightings of 25 common dolphin groups in the western basin. Common dolphins were rarely observed off the French continental coast, more frequently around Corsica, and were quite frequent in waters off western Sardinia. Their most favoured habitat was found to be in neritic or upper slope waters. The analysis of stranding records suggested that common dolphins were more abundant in French inshore waters prior to 1980. A major increase of pelagic fish landings occurred from the beginning of the 1960s in the western part of French waters. Local populations of common dolphins may have declined as a consequence of prey depletion.

Recent ostracod distribution in western Kyushu, Japan, related to the migration of Chinese continental faunal elements

Abstract In this report, we describe the first discovery of two living ostracods from the Japanese archipelago, Sinocytheropteron ignobile and Sinocytheridea impressa, which are typically continental faunal elements from China, during our research on the distribution of ostracod assemblages in the Ariake and Yatsushiro Seas in southwest Japan. The (palaeo-) biogeographical data from recent and fossil records indicate that S. ignobile and S. impressa migrated through land bridges during past decreases in sea levels. We also discovered Xestoleberis ryukyuensis, which has been reported from the Ryukyu Islands; its discovery in our study area indicates the current northernmost distribution of the species and suggests that it migrated from the Ryukyu Islands to the study area using the Tsushima Warm Current, a branch of the main Kuroshio Current. This evidence suggests that the migration of shallow-marine ostracods between the continents and their adjacent islands affect not only global oceanic current but also global decreases in sea levels and the (palaeo-) geography of adjacent seas. Thus, ostracods living within the continental coasts provide powerful evidence for reconstructing the connection between the continent and its adjacent islands.

Economic Feasibility of Wave Energy Farms in Portugal

This paper develops a methodology to determine the economic feasibility of implementing offshore wave energy farms on the Portuguese continental coast. This methodology follows several phases: the geographic phase, the energy phase, the economic phase, and the restrictions phase. First, in the geographic phase, the height and the period of the waves, the bathymetry, the distance from the farm to the shore, from farm to shipyard, and from farm to port, are calculated. In the energy phase the energy produced by each wave energy converter is determined, and in the economic phase, the parameters calculated in the previous phases are used as input to find the economic parameters. Finally, in the restrictions phase, a limitation by the bathymetry will be added to the economic maps, whose value will be different depending on the floating offshore wave energy converter (WEC). In this study, three wave energy converters have been considered, Pelamis, AquaBuOY, and Wave Dragon, and several scenarios for electric tariffs have been taken into account. The results obtained indicate what the best WEC is for this study in terms of its levelized cost of energy (LCOE), internal rate of return (IRR), and net present value (NPV), and where the best area is to install wave energy farms.

Impacts of Marine Plastic Pollution From Continental Coasts to Subtropical Gyres—Fish, Seabirds, and Other Vertebrates in the SE Pacific

Anthropogenic Marine Debris (AMD) in the SE Pacific has primarily local origins from land-based sources, including cities (coastal and inland), beach-goers, aquaculture, and fisheries. The low frequency of AMD colonized by oceanic biota (bryozoans, lepadid barnacles) suggests that most litter items from coastal waters of the Humboldt Current System (HCS) are pulled offshore into the South Pacific Subtropical Gyre (SPSG). The highest densities of floating micro- and macroplastics are reported from the SPSG. An extensive survey of photographic records, unpublished data, conference proceedings, and published studies revealed interactions with plastics for 97 species in the SE Pacific, including 20 species of fish, 5 sea turtles, 53 seabirds, and 19 marine mammals. Sea turtles are most affected by interactions with plastics, underlined by the fact that 4 of the 5 species suffer both from entanglement and ingestion. Reports gathered in this review suggest that interactions along the continental coast are mostly via entanglement. High frequencies of microplastic ingestion have been reported from planktivorous fish and seabirds inhabiting the oceanic waters and islands exposed to high densities of microplastics concentrated by oceanic currents in the SPSG. Our review also suggests that some species from the highly productive HCS face the risk of negative interactions with AMD, because food and plastic litter are concentrated in coastal front systems. In order to improve the conservation of marine vertebrates, especially of sea turtles, urgent measures of plastic reduction are needed.

Waves along Eastern boundary currents – The regional winds effect

The wind fields along the five eastern boundary currents (EBC) systems (California, Canary, Humboldt, Benguela, and West Australia) are highly seasonal. This seasonality is mostly determined by the position of the semi-permanent high pressure cells over the ocean. During summer these high pressure cells, with a thermal low pressure systems inland, are the synoptic drivers of along coast winds. These strong summer winds, along the EBC systems, off-shore mid-latitude continental coasts, generate waves that can be rather extreme, considering that these areas can be seen as limited fetch wave fields. A qualitative analysis of the wave climate over the mid-latitudes western coastal areas, along the five EBC systems, based on the ERA-Interim reanalysis wave data, is presented. The influence of coastal wind speed intensification processes in these areas, like the occurrence of coastal low-level jets, and expansion fans in the lee of headlands and capes, on the local wave field is studied. It is shown that, despite the distance between the five EBC systems, their wave fields, particularly during summer, are very similar when the wind sea and swell characteristics are balanced. In summer locally generated wave heights and energy content, along EBC areas, are comparable or even higher than swell ones.

Variation Characteristics of Tropical Cyclones Making Landfall over China between 1951 and 2015 and Their Relationship with ENSO

Based on tropical cyclone (TC) data provided by the America Joint Typhoon Warning Center, this paper analyzes the variation characteristics of tropical cyclones making landfall over China during the 65-year period of 1951–2015 and their statistical relationship with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The conclusions are as follows. (1) The landfall frequency during the period of 1951–2015 has strong inter-annual and inter-decadal variability characteristics, and an abrupt change in the landfall frequency occurred in 1988. However, from the long-term variation frequency trend, the landfall frequency decreased slowly from the late 1980s to 2015. (2) The landfall intensity increased rapidly from the late 1950s to the early 1960s, with an abrupt change occurring in 1996. In addition, there is a significant decreasing trend and then an increasing trend from the late 1960s to 2015. (3) There are significant negative correlations between the landfall frequency and the sea surface temperature (SST) in the ENSO-3.4 region. All the sliding correlation coefficients are negative from 1961 to 2002. A strong abrupt change in their correlation occurred in 1970, changing from a weak negative to a strong negative correlation. (4) There are no significant negative correlations between the landfall intensity and the SST in the ENSO-3.4 region, and their sliding correlation coefficient of inter-annual variability shows that there is an alternating appearance of positive and negative correlations. A strong abrupt change occurs in 1999, changing from a weak positive correlation to a strong negative correlation. The significant negative correlation occurred in the 2005. (5) The TC genesis locations move to the southeast in El Niño years and shift to the northeast in La Niña years. (6) TC frequency that influences the Chinese continental coast line in El Niño years is less than that which influences Japan. Meanwhile, in La Niña years, the TC frequency that influences Japan and its surrounding waters, the China Sea, the BohaiSea, and the South China Sea, increases, while it decreases in the TaiwanProvince.

Epibiont communities on stranded kelp rafts of Durvillaea antarctica (Fucales, Phaeophyceae)—Do positive interactions facilitate range extensions?

AbstractAimThis study examines how rafting on floating bull kelps can shape the biogeographic patterns of raft‐associated species, and analyses the spatio‐temporal variability of taxonomic richness and co‐occurrences of epibionts on beach‐cast rafts of Durvillaea antarctica along a latitudinal gradient.LocationSoutheast Pacific, along ~1,700 km of coastline.MethodsWe examined the epibionts on stranded individuals of D. antarctica on 33 beaches along the continental coast of Chile (28° S–42° S) within four biogeographic districts during the winter and summer of two years (2014/2015–2015/2016). Taxonomic richness and co‐occurrences of epibionts within a holdfast were examined. Known geographic ranges and rafting ranges were compared to determine possible range expansions via rafting dispersal.ResultsSessile species were the most frequent epibionts. Taxonomic richness varied among biogeographic zones and seasons, and was higher between 33° S and 42° S than between 28° S and 33° S, particularly in summer compared to winter. Taxonomic richness decreased with floating time (indicated by the presence and size of Lepas spp.). Habitat‐forming epibionts such as mytilid mussels, the polychaete Phragmatopoma moerchi and the seaweeds Gelidium lingulatum and Lessonia spicata favoured co‐occurrences of other species within a holdfast, suggesting a habitat cascade (i.e. biogenic holdfast—sessile eco‐engineers—other epibionts), while the boring isopod Limnoria chilensis and the excavating limpet Scurria scurra were negatively correlated with many other species. Some rafting epibiont species with low dispersal ability were found more than 100–300 km outside of their known geographic ranges, with more extensive ephemeral range extensions at the southern edge of their respective ranges, probably facilitated by higher availability of rafts in those areas.Main ConclusionsThese findings confirm that raft‐associated species are frequently dispersed outside their known geographic ranges, although these range extensions vary strongly depending on the availability and persistence of rafts, and on the biotic interactions within the rafting assemblage.

Klimaticheskaya izmenchivost i produktivnost tikhookeanskikh lososej Dalnego Vostoka Rossii

An assessment of the effects of climate changes on Pacific salmon productivity in Russian Far East was made based on longterm data (1971-2015), including commercial fishery statistics and monitoring rows on 17 indices of teleconnection patterns. The assessment was made for three mass species - pink, chum and sockeye salmon. The values were obtained for three basin groups of stocks: PBS - the Pacific-Bering Sea group (East Kamchatka and Chukotka; SOS - the Southern Okhotsk Sea group (Sakhalin, Kuriles, the Amur River basin, Primorye); NOS - the Northern Okhotsk Sea group (West Kamchatka, continental coast of the Sea of Okhotsk). 6 Бугаев, Тепнин, Радченко The assessment of the interrelation and the selection of the indices of teleconnection patterns were carried using correlation and the principal component analysis. The results obtained allowed to figure out 10 indexes with the maximal time series (45 years), including ALPI, PNA, WP, PDO, NP, AO, N.HEMI+dSST, Ap, Sun Spot, LOD. Method of moving average was used in the calculations for making the rows of the average annual climate indexes. Averaging for particular species was carried out depending on duration of feeding at sea. In this connection the values of the moving average took into account the ranges of the variable values of indices from the year of juvenile migration to seawater and leaving the coast for the ocean waters (the age n.0) to the year of mass maturation (in the age 0.1 for pink salmon (averaging for two years - the ages 0.0 and 0.1), in the age n.3 for chum and sockeye salmon (averaging for 4 years - the ages n.0, n.1, n.2 and n.3)). In this way, the values obtained could demonstrate the effects of the climate factors on the Pacific salmon catches (production) taking into account the effects on salmon environment for the entire period at sea. Step-by-step multivariate regression analysiswas provided based on the indexes-indicators figured out and made figuring out the climate factors, which are the most affecting salmon prodiction in the basin groups of stocks of Pacific salmon in Russian Far East. All results obtained demonstrated authentic interrelations (p < 0.05-0.001) where the coefficients of the multiple regression from moderate (R = 0.36-0.74) to strong (R = 0.75-0.93). The highest level of the correlation “Pacific salmon production - the indices of teleconnection patterns” was revealed for chum and sockeye salmon, the species with a long period of feeding at sea. The indexes for pink slmon were visibly lower in the PBS and NOS groups. For the SOS group the coefficient of the multiple correlation was high. The results of the analysis made it possible to figure out the major active climate components as the N.HEMI+dSST (the index of the global temperature anomaly in the Earth Northern hemosphere), the PDO (the Pacific Decade Oscillation), the Ap (the index of the geomagnetic activities). The analysis of the zonal effects of the water temperature anomalies (aOST) in the areas of fall and winter feeding of Pacific salmon in the 1-st year of ocean life in the seas of Far East and Subarctic zone of Pacific Ocean has it indicated, that for the Okhotsk Sea groups (SOS and NOS) the maximal correlation the “aOST- catches” was in the fall in the central and southern Okhotsk Sea and also in the Pacific Ocean waters adjacent Kuriles: r = 0.4-0.7. The maximal correlations for the PBS group was in the west part of the Bering Sea: r = 0.3-0.5. The effects of the temperature factors on salmon productivity were visibly lower during winter feeding.

Insight on reproductive strategy in Portuguese waters of a commercial protogynous species, the black seabream Spondyliosoma cantharus (Sparidae)

Information on fish reproductive strategy is essential to understand population dynamics. Samples of black seabream, Spondyliosoma cantharus, were collected from the western Portuguese continental coast to investigate the reproductive cycle, the timing of spawning, length at maturity and sex change, fecundity type and fecundity. This species is a protogynous hermaphrodite, showing a sharped biased sex ratio towards females for lengths smaller than 25 cm, and significantly biased towards males above this value, with no females occurring above 35 cm. Development of secondary growth follicles was asynchronous, and it was estimated that each female spawns 27 batches during the spawning season, which takes place from February to May. Half of the females’ population was mature at 18.41 cm and have changed sex at 25.62 cm. Sex change takes only a brief period of time, as transitional individuals were scarce and most showed oocytes regressing into cystic structures. The species presents a clear indeterminate fecundity type with massive atresia happening at the end of the spawning season. Mean values of 203 oocytes and 5431 oocytes by gram of eviscerated female were estimated for relative batch fecundity and relative annual fecundity, respectively.

First record of black corals (Antipatharia) in shallow coastal waters of northern Chile by means of underwater video

This record is the first report of black corals (Antipatharia) in shallow waters of the continental coast of Chile, and extends their geographical range in shallow waters of the upper continental shelf of South America by ~3000 km from Ecuador (~1°S) to Coquimbo, Chile (~29°S). Specimens were observed between 70 and 107 m on three underwater video transects executed in July 2016 on the rocky reef El Toro, which is located about 65 km northwest of Coquimbo. The images were taken with the cameras of a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) at a distance of about two meters from the rocks. Although the image resolution does not allow an exact identification of the species, the multi-branched corals were distinguished from other cnidarians as Antipatharia by the dark color of the stem.

Wave energy distribution along the Portuguese continental coast based on a thirty three years hindcast

Abstract An assessment of wave power resource for Portugal continental coast is presented, using thirty three years (1979–2012) of wave hindcast. The hindcast system is based in two spectral wave models, WWIII (WAVEWATCHIII) for the wave generation and SWAN (Simulating WAves Nearshore) for wave transformation in coastal areas. To improve the SWAN model performance, six high resolution areas (Agucadoura, Figueira da Foz, Sao Pedro de Moel, Peniche, Cascais and Sines) were nested into one large area (Iberian coast). The assessment of wave power potential was done by studying the spatial and temporal behaviour using average for different time scales (monthly, seasonal, inter-annual and total time). Moreover, the wave climate variability was determined through the calculation of the coefficient of variation, seasonal variability index and monthly variability index. The results have shown that in Portugal the wave energy is higher in the northwest, that the wave climate variability has more impact in the south and that the month with the highest energy is January. A bivariate distribution of significant wave height and energy period was also determined, showing that the sea states where more wave power can be extracted are different than the ones that occur more frequently.

Revisiting the Estimate of the North Sea Air‐Sea Flux of CO2 in 2001/2002: The Dominant Role of Different Wind Data Products

AbstractFor the North Sea, a semienclosed shelf sea in the northeastern North Atlantic, the seasonal and annual CO2 air‐sea fluxes (ASF) had been estimated for 2001 and 2002 in earlier work. The underlying observations, ΔpCO2, salinity, and temperature had been combined with 6‐hourly wind data derived from ERA40 reanalysis. In order to assess the impact of different wind data products on the computation of CO2 ASF, we compared ERA40 wind data with coastDat data derived from the nonhydrostatic regional climate model COSMO‐CLM. From the four observational months September, November, February, and May all but the May data show higher wind speeds for coastDat than for ERA40, especially off the Norwegian, UK, and continental coasts. Largest differences occur in the northern offshore areas. The comparison with observed wind data supports this feature generally: At Helgoland, an island in the German Bight, and at the Belgium pile “Westhinder” the ERA40 data underestimate both, the coastDat data and the observations. Wind observations for two Norwegian North Sea platforms were available: At the northern station “Troll” off the Norwegian coast the coastDat data overestimate the observations in winter. At “Ekofisk” in the central North Sea the ERA40 data fit the observations well, while the coastDat data slightly overestimate the observational data in all months but in May. The corresponding CO2 ASF estimates show strongest deviations off the Norwegian coast. Using different bulk formulas for determining the net annual ASF resulted in differences due to different wind products of up to 34%.

National sediment compartment framework for Australian coastal management

The concept of coastal sediment compartments was first used in the 1960s in the United States. It has since been recognised as appropriate for defining sections of the Australian coast, but had not been uniformly adopted around the nation in the way that has underpinned management, as in other countries. In 2012, the Australian Government supported a project to better understand coastal sediment dynamics using the sediment compartment approach as a framework within which to consider future shoreline behaviour and the impacts of climate change, including rising sea level, changing wave climates and sediment budgets. This paper outlines the sediment compartment project and uses case studies to demonstrate its application. The project consisted of three steps. The first step involved delineation of a hierarchy of coastal sediment compartments following a nationally agreed set of criteria, integrating the onshore/offshore geologic framework with known patterns of sediment movement and those inferred from surface landforms. This identified more than 100 primary compartments bounded by major structural features such as headlands or changes of shoreline orientation. At a finer scale, approximately 350 secondary compartments were identified, many of which encompass smaller scale structural features that define tertiary scale compartments or cells. For verification of this sediment compartments approach to coastal planning and management, the second step of the study comprised case studies of contrasting compartments with different patterns of sediment supply, transport and deposition. The third step, involved embedding all secondary compartments around the continental coast into the Shoreline Explorer, within the CoastAdapt toolbox (National Climate Change Adaption Research Facility). Information regarding the sensitivity of shorelines to change was compiled at the compartment scale, based upon evidence such as substrate, sediment transport attributes and oceanographic forcing, including waves, tides and storm processes. Presentation of information through CoastAdapt within the compartments framework provides a resource to facilitate improved coastal planning and management over different implementation levels, from national strategy scale down to local policy scale. Case studies from several contrasting settings around the Australian coast demonstrated the potential and feasible application of the sediment compartment approach at different spatial and temporal scales.

Variability of wave parameters and Hmax/Hs relationship under storm conditions offshore the Portuguese continental coast

The relevance of long-term wave storm characterization based on in-situ measurements extends from marine ecosystems management to the design of ocean engineering structures. We analyze wave storms recorded over almost three decades (1988–2015) in three points offshore the Portuguese continental coast located between 83 and 97 m water depth. We provide Probability Distribution Functions for mean wave direction (θm), directional wave spreading (σθ), significant wave height (Hs), maximum wave height (Hmax), mean wave period (Tz) and, Hmax/Hs relationship based on four storm datasets. In the highly energetic Portuguese west coast (Leixões and Sines), Hmax and Hmax/Hs ranged between 5.5 and 17.3 m and 1.16 to 2.47, respectively. We conclude that a GEV distribution can represent Hmax and Hmax/Hs variability at the three analyzed locations. Despite the differences in the dataset lengths and the differences in the range and variability of θm, σθ, Tz, Hs, and Hmax, we found that the range and variability of Hmax/Hs are very similar for the four storm datasets. For the analyzed period, σθ ranged between 8 and 52° and 10 to 59° in the west and south coast (Faro Atlantic and Faro Levante storms), respectively, and its variability can be described by a log-logistic distribution.