Local Beach Research Articles

Physiological and perceptual demands of singles and doubles beach tennis in women of different competition levels.

To analyze and compare the physiological responses of women during singles and doubles beach tennis sessions. In this crossover trial, twenty-two women with previous participation in amateur beach tennis tournaments randomly performed two experimental sessions: singles and doubles beach tennis. The routine for both sessions consisted of 10-min of seated rest, followed by 45-min of beach tennis and 30-min of post-exercise recovery. Participants were matched against opponents of the same competition level, defined according to their local beach tennis ranking (advanced or intermediate level). They warmed up with basic techniques for 5-min and played 3 matches lasting 12-min, interspersed with 2-min recovery intervals. Heart rate (HR), energy expenditure (EE), number of steps (STEPS), handgrip strength (HS), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and enjoyment were assessed throughout the sessions. Generalized estimating equations were employed to examine the main effects between experimental sessions over the time and in relation to competition level. HRmean and HRmax (Δ: HRmean = 13 ± 3 bpm; HRmax = 11 ± 3 bpm) as well as EE and Steps (Δ: EE = 66 ± 22 kcal; RPE = 2 ± 0 A.U.; Steps = 250 ± 52 A.U.) were higher in singles than doubles (p < 0.05). The percentage of total time spent in the highest HR zone (91-100%HRmax) was significantly greater in singles than in doubles (39% ± 22% vs. 15% ± 18%; p < 0.05). Differences were found in the percentage of total time spent in each HR zone, recovery HR, and HS between competition levels (p < 0.05). Singles beach tennis resulted in higher physiological demands than doubles in women, and players' competition level partly affects the training responses.

Microbial source tracking to address of bacterial contamination in recreational waters

Abstract Background Beach closures in the USA are determined by fecal indicator bacteria thresholds, which are insufficient to identify causes of contamination. We use microbial source tracking (MST) to identify the species source of bacteria entering chronically impaired waters. We find canine bacteria is the primary source of high E.coli levels and demonstrate the power of MST for direction of remediation efforts. Methods This environmental sampling study was performed in Short Beach, Branford, Connecticut, USA. Water samples were collected from outfalls under wet and dry precipitation conditions by 10 Citizen Scientist volunteers. The highest E.coli samples were analyzed for avian, human, and canine markers using MST. Results E.coli from 103 samples was tested from April-October 2023. Pearson’s r between average site E.coli and same day precipitation was 0.71 (p-value = 0.006). Among the high E.coli samples, 19 (76%) were low/non detectable, 5 (20%) were moderate, and 1 (4%) were high for human tracers; 10 (50%) were low/non detectable and 10 (50%) were moderate for avian tracers, and 3 (15%) were low/non detectable, 11 (55%) were moderate, and 6 (30%) were high for canine tracers. Conclusions Precipitation is a driver of elevated bacteria levels. Canine bacteria is likely the primary source of elevated bacterial levels in beach waters, while avian contributors are of moderate concern and human contributors are of low concern. As a result, an education campaign and watertight waste receptacles, rather than costly sewer line replacements, are being deployed to improve beach quality. Key messages • Use of microbial source tracking found canine bacteria is the likely driver of elevated E.coli levels in local beaches, initiating a community education campaign rather than costly sewer replacements. • Microbial source tracking technology offers a powerful public health tool for identifying causes of bacterial contamination in chronically impaired recreational waters.

Sediment distribution and transport pattern in the nearshore region, southeast coast of India

The present paper aimed to assess the sediment distribution pattern, mode of transport, and its interaction with hydrodynamic and topographic conditions at different depths and regions along the east coast of India. About 900 surficial sediment samples were collected and analysed on a monthly basis for the Chennai coastal region at 32 stations from 2013 to 2015. The study region is classified into four types, such as beach, inlet, 5 m, and 10 m depth. Sediment textural and grain size trend analyses were conducted to achieve the objectives. Sediment characteristics for the region were recorded as sandy, equally dominated by unimodal and bimodal at the beach, while unimodal at shallow depths (5 and 15 m). The sediments were medium sand to coarse sand at the beach, mostly fine followed by medium at 5 and 15 m depths. The sediment sorting is dominated by moderately well-sorted sediments; the skewness of beach sediments was negative, while nearshore sediments were found positive; average kurtosis values of sediments were noticed to be mesokurtic. The CM plot depicts that the sediments were mostly derived by tractive current, and the modes of transport are “bottom suspension and rolling” and “graded suspension no rolling” at beach locations and shallow water depths, respectively. The GSTA analysis reveals the annual average sediment transport pattern is northerly. The numerical hydrodynamic study confirms the GSTA and CM plot analysis. The study reveals a stable sedimentary environment south of the Chennai port and instability in the northern part. The study includes large spatiotemporal nearshore sediment data with hydrodynamic conditions, immensely helpful to coastal stakeholders and researchers.

Building resilience and teaching learners about sustainable living through outdoor swimming and water safety learning

ABSTRACT A new curriculum was implemented in Norwegian schools in 2020 that aimed to teach learners about sustainable living through outdoor swimming and water safety (SWS). Employing sense of coherence (SOC) as a theoretical framework, this study examines how teachers built resilience and taught learners sustainable living through outdoor SWS lessons, focusing on comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness. It was conducted in Norway during outdoor SWS lessons at a local beach. Observations and photo-elicitation interviews (PEIs) were conducted with two primary school teachers. Data were analysed using template analysis, with SOC forming the a priori themes. Findings revealed that teachers facilitated resilience building through experiential learning, allowing learners to engage with tasks, peers, and their environment. Exposing learners to adverse water situations and giving them control over their learning process may build resilience and well-being. Furthermore, teachers’ insights into outdoor learning processes can inspire better policies and practices for sustainable, health-promoting education.

Holocene storminess dynamics in northwestern Ireland: Shifts in storm duration and frequency between the mid- and late Holocene

Substantial uncertainties exist regarding how future climate change will affect storminess (storm frequency and intensity) in Ireland and the United Kingdom (UK). Knowledge about spatiotemporal variations of past storminess gives us a better understanding of its mechanisms on centennial to millennial time scales, as well as the impact of external forcing on future storminess in climate models. Here, we present the oldest storm record to date from Ireland, covering the last 8000 years, reconstructed from the Roycarter Bog, a coastal blanket bog in north-western Ireland. The sequence was analysed for grain-size, chemical, mineral and organic molecular composition. The chronology was built on 11 AMS radiocarbon dates. The deposit characteristics, location and low inorganic content suggest aeolian transport of particles to the bog throughout the studied period. Cluster analysis of the grain-size frequency curves, along with the coarse to fine sand ratio, allowed the identification of eleven storm periods (cal yr BP): 6150–5500 (1); 4970–4130 (2); 4000 (3); 3490–3290 (4); 3230 (5); 2850–2590 (6); 2170–1920 (7); 1440 (8); 1225–890 (9); 620–470 (10); and 290–230 (11).During the mid-Holocene, the relative sea level was lower and the local beach sources located further away, giving a longer transport distance compared to the late Holocene. In the latter part of the mid-Holocene (6150–4130 cal yr BP), during the Holocene thermal maximum, increased storminess and wind strengths were inferred for north-western Ireland, manifested as two longer storm periods. During the late Holocene the storm frequency increased, and a greater number (9) of shorter storm periods were recorded. Comparison between our results and regional peat palaeostorm records from Scotland, north of our study site, showed an antiphase relationship between storminess in Ireland and Scotland during the latter part of the mid-Holocene, but mostly in-phase storminess over the last 3000 years. Taken together, enhanced wind strength and storminess were recorded during the warmer mid-Holocene, while an increased frequency of storm events occurred in the cooler late Holocene. Mid-Holocene storm periods occurred during locally wet periods, while most of the storm periods during late Holocene occurred during drier phases. Alternatively, the elevated mineral input during late Holocene promoted microbial activity and peat decomposition. The apparent variability in cyclicity and frequency between the mid- and late Holocene indicates that the processes governing storminess in the region shifted. This calls for further studies ahead, including climate modelling, to disentangle the complex processes governing storminess on millennial to centennial time scale.

Swash-Zone Formula Evaluation of Morphological Variation in Haeundae Beach, Korea

In this study, a swash-zone model, using Larson and Wamsley formula (LW07), was combined into the Telemac-2D model system to examine the performance of modeling swash-zone processes through comparisons with field observation data. The experimental site was the Haeundae Beach in South Korea where Typhoon Phanfone occurred in October 2014, and bathymetric surveys were performed before and after the typhoon. Hydrodynamic data were also measured to validate the modeled data. The performance of LW07 was tested by running the model in two modes, with and without LW07. First, the model was run to simulate the shoreline response to an imaginary coastal breakwater. The result showed a clear discrepancy between the two modes as the sediments were considerably cumulated behind the breakwater in the case with the swash-zone formula (LW07) in the wide range along the shoreline behind the breakwater, indicating that the sediments more actively and rapidly responded to the shadowing by the breakwater with LW07. The model was also run for a realistic case from August to October 2014, which included the typhoon’s period during 2–6 October. The results showed that the morphological changes at both ends of the beach in the swash zone were simulated with higher accuracy with LW07, supporting the effectiveness of LW07 in simulating the short-term morphological changes induced by the typhoon attack. In particular, the successful simulation of the sand accumulation at the end sides of the beach’s swash zone indicates that LW07 was effective in estimating not only the cross-shore transport but also longshore transport, which was likely due to the characteristics of LW07 that calculated sand transport in both directions. The enhanced modeling performance with LW07 was likely due to the adjustment of the sediment transport rate to the instantaneous changes in the local beach slope, which could successfully control the erosion/accretion process in the swash zone more realistically.

Spatial and Temporal Deposition Rate of Beach Litter in Cadiz Bay (Southwest Spain)

This study explores the spatial and temporal distribution of beach litter accumulation rates at seven sites in Cadiz Bay, Southwest Spain, during October 2022 (i.e., autumn) and March 2023 (i.e., spring). Beach litter was collected during low tide conditions at the strandline during two series of 10 consecutive daily surveys. The main aim of this paper is to comprehensively analyze the influence of seasonality and hydrodynamic and wind patterns on litter abundance and composition. In October, 4199 items (22.58 kg) were recorded, increasing to 4634 items (22.68 kg) in March. Overall, the average litter abundance remained relatively consistent but notable variations were observed at different beach locations. Plastic litter was the most abundant in the total litter amount with 71.13% and 88.39% in October and March, respectively. Litter categories increased from 90 to 107 from October to March and the top 10 litter categories included cigarette butts (1746 in autumn and 514 in spring), plastic fragments (985 and 339) and plastic packaging (297 and 211). Statistical analyses showed no significant seasonal impact on litter quantities but confirmed seasonal variations in litter types. For instance, cigarette butts were more abundant in October, i.e., in autumn, as they are linked to the intensive use of beaches during the summer period (June–September), while wet wipes were prevalent in March, i.e., in spring, because they are associated with an increase in wastewater and river discharges recorded during the late autumn and winter months (November–February). No clear correlations were found between litter quantity and wave height, but specific patterns emerged at exposed and sheltered beaches. The findings provide valuable insights for optimizing coastal clean-up efforts with customized strategies. Further investigations are needed to fully understand the relationships between litter and environmental factors.

Recreational experience among beach users in Ghana: Insights for beach management

AbstractThe connections between environmental quality and recreational experience outcomes at beaches are relevant data for sustainable coastal tourism management. This study, explores pollution perceptions and beach recreational experience factors among users. Data were collected from onsite beach users (N =309) in Ghana. The study used the Factor Analytic Model to explore the recreational experience factors in the study. Differences in users' recreational experiences were also analysed and established using the T-test and Analysis of variance (ANOVA). The findings revealed three recreational experience factors among beach users: Practical/escapism, Exciting and Aesthetic. Overall, Ghanaian beaches in Accra were vastly perceived as polluted. This has negatively dampened users' recreational experiences at the beaches, which has implications for revisit intentions. Respondents' age, continent of origin, gender, marital status and nationality were also found to be determinants of recreational experiences among beach users. The study recommends that the Ghana Tourism Authority, as the regulator, must closely and imminently collaborate with the local government, Environmental Protection Agency and local beach operators to develop specific requirements and standard operating procedures for managing and licensing beaches in Accra and throughout the country to help address this issue.

The impact of the anthropause caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on beach debris accumulation in Maui, Hawaiʻi

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent travel restrictions led to a considerable reduction in tourism and human activity on Maui, presenting a unique opportunity to study debris accumulation on local beaches during changing levels of human activities. Standardized daily debris accumulation surveys were completed at two beach sites in Maui, Hawai ‘i before (2017) as well as throughout the initial year of the pandemic (2020–2021) and allowed for the assessment of pandemic-related restrictions on marine debris accumulation trends. Throughout the pandemic, reduced beach use due to higher lockdown levels had significant impacts on debris accumulation at both sites, but only one of the two sites experienced a significant decrease (~ 90% reduction) in debris accumulation rates when compared to the same months in 2017. Daily accumulation rates across two sites increased from an average of 16 items/100 m during peak lockdown levels to 43 items/100 m when restrictions eased. The observed fluctuations in debris accumulation rates, driven by changes in tourism and travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic emphasize the importance of proactive measures to protect the natural environment, including source reduction and effective legislation for waste prevention. By addressing both local and remote sources of debris and focusing on reducing waste at its source, it is possible to mitigate the impacts of debris accumulation on coastal environments and marine life in Hawaiʻi.

ANALYSIS OF MESOPLASTIC WASTE COMPOSITION IN TOURISM AREA, MUARA BADAK DISTRICT, KUTAI KARTANEGARA REGENCY, EAST KALIMANTAN

Waste is one of the problems for people all over the world, marine debris can come from community activities from the mainland or from the coast. Most of the activities of coastal communities may produce waste including fishing and tourism activities. Research on plastic waste in the Tourism Beach area of Muara Badak District was conducted to identify the type of mesoplastic, analyze the total weight, density and proportion of mesoplastic and determine differences in mesoplastic. This research was conducted at two tourist beach locations, namely Panrita Lopi Beach and Jingga Beach. The research method used was Purpusive Sampling method with recycling and making transect lines with a size of 100 m × 20 m, followed by dividing the transect into 5 lanes measuring 5 m x 5 m. Four types of mesoplastic were found, namely film, fiber, fragment and styrofoam. The amount of trash found on both beaches was 53 particles with the number of particles on Panrita Lopi Beach as many as 32 particles and Jingga Beach was 21 particles. The results of the composition of the percentage of waste obtained at Panrita Lopi Beach were 50% for fragment types and at Jingga Beach for 71% for filament types. The most common amount of trash found was at Panrita Lopi Beach, this was due to the fact that the number of visitors was greater than that of Pantau Jingga. The relationship between length and weight of waste at Panrita Lopi Beach was 94% while at Jingga Beach it was 58%.

Portable Electrochemical Sensor for Micromotor Speed Monitoring.

Autonomous movement promotes practical applications of micromotors. Understanding the moving speeds is a crucial step in micromotor studies. The current analysis method relies on an expensive optical microscope, which is limited to laboratory settings. Herein, we have developed a lightweight (0.15 g), portable (2.0 × 3.5 cm2), and low-cost (approximately $0.26) micromotor sensor (μ-Motor sensor), composed of water-sensitive materials for micromotor speed monitoring. Moving micromotors induce fluid flow, enhancing the evaporation rate of the liquid medium. Consequently, a high correlation between motor speed and water molecule concentration above the moving medium has been established. The μ-Motor sensor enables a real-time readout of the moving speed in various settings, with high accuracy (≥95% in the lab and ≥90% in field studies at a local beach). The μ-Motor sensor opens up a new way for detecting micro/nanomachine movements, illuminating future applications of micro/nanorobotics for diverse scenarios.

The importance of grain‐related shear velocity in predicting multi‐monthly dune growth

AbstractThis study assesses the accuracy of the aeolian transport model proposed by van Rijn and Strypsteen in 2020 in predicting sediment transport rates for dune growth, with a focus on the importance of grain‐related shear velocity. A 9‐month dataset of local and regional wind characteristics and dune growth from a new artificial dune with planted marram grass in an environment with minor supply limitations was analysed. The study site is located in Oosteroever, Belgium. The results revealed that utilizing local measured overall shear velocities resulted in significant overprediction of dune volume changes. Incorporating sub‐models for grain‐related bed roughness and shear velocity improved the predictions of dune growth drastically with high statistical results (r2 = 0.98 and RMSE = 0.64 m3/m). The primary driver contributing to dune growth at the study site was due to oblique onshore moderate winds of 10 m/s, as revealed from a frequency‐magnitude analysis. The model could be used with either local wind measurements or regional data transformed to local beach conditions. The study highlights the importance of considering grain‐related shear velocity in future studies to improve the prediction of sand transport rates and enhance our understanding of dune evolution.

Patterns of overlapping habitat use of juvenile white shark and human recreational water users along southern California beaches.

Juvenile white sharks (JWS) of the Northeastern Pacific population are present in nearshore southern California waters and form mixed size class (~1.5-3 m) aggregations for weeks to months, often within 500 m of shore. These nearshore beach habitats are heavily used for human recreation (e.g., surfing, swimming, body boarding, wading, and standup paddleboarding) and the amount of spatio-temporal overlap between JWS and humans is currently unknown. Increases in human population and the Northeastern Pacific population of white sharks have raised concern over human beach safety. To determine spatio-temporal JWS-human overlap at various spatial scales (e.g., across the entire southern California coastline, across different distances from shore, and within specific beach locations), 26 beach locations across southern California were surveyed monthly resulting in 1644 aerial drone surveys between January 2019 to March 2021. Thirteen environmental variables were assessed to predict when spatio-temporal overlap between JWS and water users was highest. Coast-wide distribution of JWS was clumped, limiting human-shark co-occurrence to specific locations, with 1096 of 1204 JWS observations occurring at Carpinteria and Del Mar Beach locations. Nearshore distribution indicated JWS are often close enough to the wave break to interact with some water users (median = 101 m, range = 2-702 m), although JWS had the most spatial overlap with stand-up paddlers. Daily human-shark co-occurrence was 97% at beaches where JWS aggregations had formed, and human activity showed high spatial overlap at shark aggregation sites. Although there is higher seasonal human-shark spatio-temporal overlap where aggregations form in southern California, the number of unprovoked shark bites across southern California is extremely low. This study provides evidence that high human-shark spatio-temporal overlap does not lead to an increased bite frequency in southern California, and there are a number of possible explanations as to why JWS are not biting water users despite daily encounters.

Quantification and characterization of microplastics in the Thermaic Gulf, in the North Aegean Sea

The abundance and distribution of microplastics has largely increased during last years and the respective implications on the environment and human health is an emerging field in research. In addition, recent studies in the enclosed Mediterranean Sea in Spain and Italy have shown an extended occurrence of microplastics (MPs) in different sediments of environmental samples. This study is focused on the quantification and the characterization of MPs in the Thermaic Gulf in northern Greece. Briefly, samples from different environmental compartments such as seawater, local beaches and seven commercially available fish species collected and analyzed. MPs particles extracted and classified by size, shape, colour and polymer type. A total of 28,523 microplastic particles recorded in the surface water samples, with their numbers ranging from 189 to 7714 particles per sample. The mean concentration of MPs recorded on the surface water was 1.9 ± 2 items/m3 or 750,846 ± 838,029 items/km2. Beach sediment sample analysis revealed 14,790 microplastic particles, of which 1825 were large microplastics (LMPs, 1–5 mm) and 12,965 were small microplastics (SMPs, <1 mm). Furthermore, beach sediment samples showed a mean concentration of 733.6 ± 136.6 items/m2, with the concentration of LMPs being 90.5 ± 12.4 items/m2 and the concentration of SMPs being 643 ± 132 items/m2. Concerning fish deposition, microplastics were detected in intestines and mean concentrations per species ranged from 1.3 ± 0.6 to 15.0 ± 1.5 items/individual. The differences in microplastic concentrations between species were statistically significant (p < 0.05) and showed that mesopelagic fish contained the highest concentrations, followed by epipelagic species. The most common size fraction found in the data-set was 1.0–2.5 mm, and polyethylene and polypropylene were the most abundant polymer types recorded. This is the first detailed investigation of MPs in Thermaic Gulf, which raises concerns on their potential negative effects.

Level of Tourist Satisfaction in the Local Beaches of Calbayog City

Beach Tourism is one of the staple sectors in the industry of tourism. Domestic and International tourists invest time and money to experience different coastal activities for pleasure and excitement. Tourism reshapes as societal trends changes in a consistent manner. Thus, it affects consumer behavior and satisfaction. Tourist satisfaction is paramount to the success of any business. This study is conducted to determine the level of tourist satisfaction on local beaches of Calbayog City in selected aspects, i.e., Accommodation, Climate, Safety, Scenery, and Water Quality. The respondents were the tourists and beach operators in Calbayog City. The study utilized the descriptive-assessment method of research to incarcerate tourists' satisfaction fully. In the processing of data, this study utilized frequency and percentage distribution to describe the profile of the respondents, mean and standard deviation, chisquare test, while one-way analysis of variance to assess the results of the study. The results of the study revealed that there was no significant difference between the profile of the respondents to the perceived level of tourist satisfaction on the local beaches of Calbayog City. Thus, the study failed to reject the null hypothesis. The study also revealed a significant relationship between the profile of the respondents to the perceived level of tourist satisfaction on the local beaches of Calbayog City. Thus, the study rejects the null hypothesis. The researchers proposed an improvement plan that will develop and promote the potential of the local beaches in Calbayog City.

Level of Tourist Satisfaction in the Local Beaches of Calbayog City

Level of Tourist Satisfaction in the Local Beaches of Calbayog City

Forecasting Prorocentrum minimum blooms in the Chesapeake Bay using empirical habitat models

Aquaculturists, local beach managers, and other stakeholders require forecasts of harmful biotic events, so they can assess and respond to health threats when harmful algal blooms (HABs) are present. Based on this need, we are developing empirical habitat suitability models for a variety of Chesapeake Bay HABs to forecast their occurrence based on a set of physical-biogeochemical environmental conditions, and start with the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum (also known as P. cordatum).To identify an optimal set of environmental variables to forecast P. minimum blooms, we first assumed a linear relationship between the environmental variables and the inverse of the logistic function used to forecast the likelihood of bloom presence, and repeated the method using more than 16,000 combinations of variables. By comparing goodness-of-fit, we found water temperature, salinity, pH, solar irradiance, and total organic nitrogen represented the most suitable set of variables. The resulting algorithm forecasted P. minimum blooms with an overall accuracy of 78%, though with a significant variability ~ 30-90% depending on region and season. To understand this variability and improve model performance, we incorporated nonlinear effects into the model by implementing a generalized additive model. Even without considering interactions between the five variables used to train the model, this yielded an increase in overall model accuracy (~ 81%) due to the model’s ability to refine the regions in which P. minimum blooms occurred. Including nonlinear interactions increased the overall model accuracy even further (~ 85%) by accounting for seasonality in the interaction between solar irradiance and water temperature. Our findings suggest that the influence of predictors of these blooms change in time and space, and that model complexity impacts the model performance and our interpretation of the driving factors causing P. minimum blooms. Apart from their forecasting potential, our results may be particularly useful when constructing explicit relationships between environmental conditions and P. minimum presence in mechanistic models.

Disaster Risk Management Preparedness and Challenges of a Local Beach and Dive Resort in Southern Negros Occidental

Abstract. Background: This study assessed the extent of disaster risk management preparedness of a local beach and dive resort in Southern Negros Occidental in terms of natural disasters and man-made disasters as assessed by local tourism key players and identified the challenges in the disaster risk management preparedness of the local Beach and Dive Resort and a proposed Disaster Risk Management Preparedness Action Plan based on the findings. Method: The respondents of this study were the DRRM staff, Tourism Office Employees, Community Leaders, Tourists, and Beach and Dive Resort Personnel who were selected using quota sampling for tourists, and complete enumeration was utilized for DRRM Staff, Tourism Office employees, Community Leaders, and Beach and Dive Resort Personnel. This descriptive study utilized a researcher-made survey questionnaire to measure the extent of disaster risk management preparedness and challenges encountered by a local beach and dive resort. Results: The data gathered revealed that the extent of disaster risk management preparedness of a local beach and dive resort in terms of natural disasters as assessed by local tourism key players was found to be of great extent in the typhoon, floods, earthquakes, and landslides in all stages of disaster preparedness (before, during, and after). In terms of natural and man-made hazards, the resort management disaster preparedness was found to be a great extent. The need to develop a "culture on disaster risk management preparedness" of the community and the lack of communication/coordination among the stakeholders involved are the biggest challenges encountered by the tourism key players while preparing for natural hazards. While lack of communication/coordination among the stakeholders involved is the most common challenge encountered while preparing for man-made hazards. Conclusion: This study concluded that resort management needs to consider many factors in disaster risk management preparedness and the challenges they might encounter in preparing for hazards. To be adept with disaster risk management preparedness, the resort management needs to be abreast with the effective coordination and communication between tourism key players by developing a comprehensive directory of these key players that could help in an emergency. More importantly, the resort management must abide by the norms and standards set forth by the DRRM Act to ensure that tourists would perceive that the resort management has low risks. Practical Value of the Paper: This paper has value in the locale of the study and the community. The findings of this study were used in the development of the disaster risk management preparedness action plan for a local beach and dive resort of Negros Occidental in the areas of natural hazards (typhoon/flood and landslide/earthquake) and man-made hazards (crime and terrorism and health threat events). Likewise, the findings of this study significantly contribute to the existing literature on the extent of preparedness of local beach and dive resorts in the different stages and types of hazards.

Tuning in: using photo-talk approaches to explore young people’s everyday relations with local beaches

ABSTRACT Attunement, connectedness and an ‘in tune-ness’ with places have repeatedly been proposed to be central to sustainable, reciprocal human-environment relations and in turn, wellbeing. In this paper, I examine young people’s emplaced and embodied attunements with local beaches bordering the neighbourhoods in which they live. More specifically, the possibilities of participatory photo-talk approaches for sensing and accessing people’s attunements to beachplaces are proposed. Participants’ views on using photo-talk approaches are foregrounded, including the prompt and momentum given to exploring embodied feelings and experiences. The ways that photo-talk supported a shared exploration of the diverse relational entanglements of human and more-than-human beach entities are also considered. In turn, the value of such approaches for helping to ‘show’ and ‘feel’ place-specific understandings and practices of beaching, including mutually constituted wellbeing a/effects, is proposed. Following in the footprints of others, I suggest the methodological and pedagogical potential of photo-talk approaches to researchers and educators in sport, health, physical education and leisure settings when examining embodied and emplaced experiences of wellbeing.

Field assessments of mean radiant temperature estimation methods at beach areas: A case study of Hailing Island, China

Beach areas are characterized by unique underlying surfaces, contributing to a thermal environment with thermal radiation that differs from urban areas. However, existing studies have not considered the estimation bias of the black-globe thermometer method in the thermal evaluations of beach areas. Thus, for thermally characterizing beach areas, this paper aimed to appraise the accuracy of estimation results of mean radiant temperatures (Tmrt) by the black-globe thermometer method and upper-and-lower-hemisphere method based on the results of the six-directional method; to verify correction formulas for the thermometric method; and to compare coastal radiation and biometeorological indices across anthropometric heights and locations. Numerous findings were noteworthy. Firstly, the beach area exhibited a higher Tmrt than other urban underlying surfaces, while sea breezes lowered coastal air temperatures, thus mitigating thermal stress. Secondly, relative to the benchmark Tmrt values, the thermometric method exhibited over-estimations while the hemispheric method exhibited the least variability. Thirdly, the two Tg-correction-based thermometric methods registered substantial Tmrt deviations, whereas the direct correction equation registered only modest deviations. Lastly, the thermal environment differed significantly across three heights, of which the height of 0.1 m exhibited greater thermal stress. Conversely, the thermal environment differed little across the three beach locations. This study offers analytical insights into the thermal characterization of beach environments and accuracy of different Tmrt-estimation methods, providing robust evidence-based methodological guidance to future studies on coastal thermal comfort.