Marine Beach Research Articles

Natural and Human Impacts on Coastal Areas

Coasts are the most densely populated regions in the world and are vulnerable to different natural and human factors, e.g., sea-level rise, coastal accretion and erosion processes, the intensification of sea storms and hurricanes, the presence of marine litter, chronic pollution and beach oil spill accidents, etc. Although coastal zones have been affected by local anthropic activities for decades, their impacts on coastal ecosystems is often unclear. Several papers are presented in this Special Issue detailing the interactions between natural processes and human impacts in coastal ecosystems all around the world. A better understanding of such natural and human impacts is therefore of great relevance to confidently predict their negative effects on coastal areas and thus promote different conservation strategies. The implementation of adequate management measures will help coastal communities adapt to future scenarios in the short and long term and prevent damage due to different pollution types, e.g., beach oil spill accidents, through the establishment of Environmental Sensitivity Maps.

Charting sustainable waters: Governance challenges and opportunities for fisheries and coastal beach resources in a West African country

Marine fisheries and beaches (i.e., backshore, foreshore and shoreface) are essential for providing ecosystem services globally, with coastal states being at the forefront of this benefit. Consequently, several policies, legislations, and governance processes must be formulated to ensure their sustainable use due to the impact of anthropogenic and natural pressures. This study aims to analyse the legal and institutional frameworks for the management of marine fisheries and beach resources (such as flora (coconut), fauna (ghost crabs), dunes, and rocky components) under key international laws and conventions, using Ghana as a case study. The study identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) within resource management, as well as their impact on the country’s progress in the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Africa Union Agenda 2063. Data was collected through interviews with fishers, coastal residents, and other relevant stakeholders, as well as a review of secondary data. The results unveil a distinctive contrast in the regulatory landscape between fisheries and beach resources. While numerous policies have been formulated to ensure the sustainable management of fisheries, the same level of attention and commitment has not been extended to beach resources. The SWOT analysis revealed that some of the strengths in the governance of marine fisheries and beach resources rest on the availability of institutions and laws. The weakness lies in inadequate enforcement and data gathering and analyses to inform decision making. This study provides as an illuminating exploration into the legal and institutional underpinnings of marine fisheries and beach resource management in Ghana, shedding light on the critical junctures where improvements are needed.

Spatial and temporal patterns of floating litter in shallow habitats: Insights from high-tourism tropical areas in Northeastern Brazil

We investigated the composition, quantity, distribution and potential sources of floating litter in the subtidal zones of tropical beaches. Marine sampling sites were selected based on the presence (protected/sheltered) or absence (non-protected) of reefs. Plastic was the most abundant material, and the presence of floating litter from land-based sources was confirmed, which was likely associated with domestic and tourism-related activities, owing to irregular waste disposal. Marine debris was more abundant during the rainy season, and marine beaches had more floating litter than estuarine beaches. Coastal reefs served as a barrier, impeding the transport of marine litter by coastal currents, explaining the greater abundance of floating litter on protected/sheltered marine beaches. Thus, three mechanisms seemed to drive the amount of floating litter in the subtidal zone of the tropical beaches: 1) the availability of floating litter in the water, 2) coastal hydrodynamics favoring the accumulation of floating litter, and 3) a beach’s capacity to retain floating litter. Our study demonstrates that marine litter is an important pollution source in sensitive areas that play a key role as nurseries for marine life, especially in beaches close to reef formations.

Application of Rotor UAV LiDAR in Marine Beach Mapping

Abstract This paper based on the Jiangsu Provincial Offshore Underwater Geographic Information Data Acquisition Pilot (North) project, uses the Dajiang M600 Pro six rotor UAV equipped with the Haida Digital Cloud ARS-200 airborne LiDAR equipment to acquire topographic data of the marine mudflats, and then Terrasolid software is used to process the data to obtain the point cloud results and DEM results of the marine mudflats, and finally, GPS-RTK is used to collect the check points of the surveyed area to check the accuracy of the results. The results show that the precision of point cloud results is better than ± 10cm, which verifies the feasibility of rotary-wing UAV LiDAR technology applied to marine beach mapping, and provides a new technical scheme for marine beach mapping.

Long-read sequencing reveals two chromosomes and one plasmid in Vibrio sp. strain MAO6 isolated from a Marine Beach in Fukui, Japan.

A marine bacterium Vibrio sp. strain MAO6 was isolated from a marine beach in Fukui, Japan. Its complete genome comprises two circular chromosomes (3,418,677 bp and 1,629,627 bp) and one circular plasmid (299,686 bp).

Genomic Characterization and Antimicrobial Resistance of Four Mcr-1 Escherichia coli Strains Isolated from Human and Environment Sources, Hainan Province, Tropical China

Background: The rapid spread of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, particularly the increase in carbapenem-resistant strains, has led to a critical level of resistance in clinical settings. Colistin is considered to be the last line of defense against these Gram-negative bacteria. Objectives: This study aims to investigate the genetic characteristics and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) patterns of four mcr-1 (mobile colistin resistance) Escherichia coli isolates from various sources in Hainan Province, tropical China, and to determine their genetic relationships with both domestic and global strains. Methods: Samples were collected from swimming pools, marine beaches, and beach personnel in Haikou and Sanya, Hainan Province, China. Escherichia coli isolates were obtained, multilocus sequence typing was performed, and the mcr family resistance genes were amplified by polymerase chain reaction. The mobile sequences, AMR genes, phenotypes, and virulence genotypes of the mcr-1 strains were analyzed. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted to investigate the relationships between the mcr-1E. coli strains and those in the NCBI database. Results: In the current study, the mcr-1 resistance gene was detected in 4 strains, accounting for 2.94% (4/136) of the total. The 4 strains of E. coli were isolated from a freshwater swimming pool, a pool wall, seawater, and a human body. Among the four strains, the minimum inhibitory concentration of polymyxin was 8 mg/L, except for one strain, which showed low-level resistance at 4 mg/L. All four strains showed complete resistance to ampicillin, three were resistant to compound sulfamethoxazole and chloramphenicol, and all strains were sensitive to other common antibiotics. The virulence genes cfaA, cfaB, cfaC, and cfaD/cfaE were detected in all E. coli strains. The insertable sequence IS3 was the most widely distributed type. Three isolates were identified as ST987, whereas the isolate from marine sources was identified as ST24. Comparison of the core genes of the strains indicated that the four strains were closely related to the Chrysomya sp. from Northern Thailand. Conclusions: The four mcr-1 genes can mediate low to medium levels of colistin resistance, facilitating their dissemination within the population and the environment. It is crucial to trace the source of multidrug-resistant bacteria in recreational water, which is in direct contact with humans, and to reduce the risks to human health through effective supervision.

Defense and Protection of the Marine Coastal Areas and Human Health: A Case Study of Asbestos Cement Contamination (Italy)

Pivotal environmental geology research was carried out in the protected area of Cape Peloro (Messina, NE Sicily, Italy). The main aims were the ascertainment of the presence of Asbestos Cement Materials (ACMs), their mapping, and, consequently, an estimation of the potential risk for human health and marine coastal environments. The beaches surveyed covered 4500 m of coastline. Through high-resolution photographic surveys, over 520 fiber cement fragments were documented on the beaches as well as in beach deposits. The materials, after microscope, SEM-EDS, and FTIR analyses, were found to be composed of Portland cement with chrysotile and crocidolite fibers. Fragments of ACMs showed typical corrugated forms with centimeter-to-decimeter sizes and prevailing well-rounded, platy, and sub-elongate shapes. In a few localities, some fragments were found to be angular or friable. Furthermore, some fragments found on the beach were covered by conspicuous encrustations of marine organisms, testifying to their long staying in shallow-water marine environments. Illicit landfills and abandoned materials were identified in natural sections on the coastal plain. Most of the rounded ACMs were characterized by their surface texture, with mm-size asbestos fibers exposed on the surface due to significant weathering and abrasion. Notably, new fragments appeared after storms. Significant criticisms have been made related to the ACMs, analogously to what was reported for other Italian marine beaches. Possible intervention and reclamation activities cannot limit themselves to removing the fragments on the beach, as fragments are immersed in the coastal sediments at different depths and are also found in the marine deposits. Here, it is underlined that any asbestos removal and reclamation activities, if not designed and based on a multidisciplinary approach and knowledge of local coastal dynamics and the meteo-marine climate, will be very expensive and ineffective.

Use of Local Culinary to Support Marine Tourism on Mampie Beach Polewali Mandar, Indonesia

Maritime tourism is synonymous with natural beauty, but its culinary riches are often overlooked, even though local cuisine can be a significant tourist attraction, such as at Mampie Beach, whose potential is hidden and neglected amidst the post-COVID-19 crisis. The research method used is a qualitative approach with data collection techniques using interviews, documentation and observation, then analyzed using qualitative descriptive analysis techniques. The research results show much culinary potential, mainly traditional foods such as Baye/Golla Kambu, Kasippi, Coklat Macoa, and Co'ri. as products that can be marketed or sold in the Mampie Beach marine tourism area. However, the lack of awareness and initiative of the community, tourism managers, and local government means that the culinary potential of these traditional foods cannot support the marine tourism of Mampie Beach, so it cannot impact tourism recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, several strategies need to be implemented involving the community, tourism managers and local government to optimize the existing culinary potential: First, holding regular thematic culinary events, where local traders can promote and sell their traditional dishes; Second, establishing partnerships with local businesses such as restaurants, food stalls and local food producers to introduce and serve regional specialties at tourist attractions, and Third, carry out culinary tours and cooking courses, where tourists can learn about local culinary culture while enjoying authentic dishes served by local people

Nature and Distribution of Beach Ridges on the Islands of the Greater Caribbean

Beach ridges originate from various depositional processes and occur in a variety of settings. This paper assesses their nature and distribution on the islands of the Greater Caribbean based on a literature review and the identification of sites using Google Earth© 7.3 imagery. The morphological and orientation parameters were measured for each site, and a measure of storm density was developed. These were statistically analysed to develop a classification of beach ridge types. The results show a diversity of beach ridge systems, in terms of setting, morphology, composition and preservation. The presence or absence of an adjacent coral reef is a major differentiating element at the regional level. A regional beach ridge plain classification is proposed, including two main classes, marine beach ridges and river-associated beach ridges, with further sub-divisions based on exposure to hurricanes or hurricanes plus swell waves.

A first assessment of marine litter on a beach of an uninhabited island in the Mozambique Channel

Marine litter is ubiquitous and associated with both ecological and socio-economic consequences. Beaches are major sinks of marine litter and as such its assessment and monitoring are needed. An opportunistic marine litter survey was performed for 12 consecutive days on the island of Juan de Nova in the central Mozambique Channel in February 2007. Plastic dominated the marine beach litter with daily accumulation of plastic positively related to the tide height (R2 = 0.768, p<0.01). Annual deposits could reach an average of 1 t.km-1, suggesting that regular cleaning of the coastline should be conducted to limit the impact on the local wildlife of this protected area.

Wisata Kuliner Pada Wisata Bahari Di Pantai Mampie Polewali Mandar Sulawesi Barat

The objectives of this research are (1) to find out the forms and types of culinary delights that can support marine tourism on Mampie Polewali Mandar Beach, West Sulawesi. (2) To find out strategies for developing culinary tourism to support marine tourism from the management at Mampie Polewali Mandar Beach, West Sulawesi. . The research method used is research with qualitative data type with data collection techniques using interviews, documentation and observation then analyzed using qualitative descriptive analysis techniques. The research results show that existing culinary tourism shows that there are many types of culinary available with various flavors and various forms which can actually be used as a product that can be marketed or sold in the marine tourism area of Mampie Beach, apart from that by collaborating with the local community to providing products, currently there is no culinary use so that the Mampie Beach marine tourism is not running optimally so that it is also not optimal in providing facilities and infrastructure for marine tourism. Apart from that, the importance of existing development strategies from the management as a supporter of marine tourism is known to show that the lack of initiative from the community, stakeholders and local government means that marine tourism will also continue as usual without other additional income. This is due to the lack of information obtained by the management regarding what things can support marine tourism, especially in increasing income, such as the existence of culinary tourism which will actually be a supporting thing for marine tourism at Mampie Beach.

Abundance of respiring bacterial cells in the marine beaches as a potential bioindicator of the intensity of organic matter decomposition

The present study was carried out on the marine beaches located on the Polish part of the Baltic Sea coast which differed in the level of anthropopressure. This paper aimed to determine the abundance of respiring bacterial cells and total bacterial number to provide reliable information on the seasonal dynamics of these organisms and their spatial distribution in the studied beaches. The results of our study showed that on the beach which was heavily influenced by human pressure, the percentage of respiring bacteriopsammon cells compared to the total bacterial number was almost twofold lower than that in the beach characterized by a negligible level of anthropopressure. Our study also showed that the abundance of respiring bacteria differed along the horizontal profile in studied beaches. The maximum abundance of these bacteria was noted in dry zones, i.e., in the middle part of the beach and the dune. In the vertical profile of the studied beaches, the highest number of the studied bacterial group was determined in the surface sand layer. The number of respiring bacteria showed a seasonal variation as well. The assessment of respiring bacteria might be an potential indicator of the level of organic matter decomposition on the beach.

A comprehensive approach to evaluate coastal dune evolution in Haiyang, China

Coastal dunes record the evolutionary process of coastal dynamic geomorphological systems, and provide valuable information on climate change, sea level changes, environmental evolution. These dunes are essential for global change research. In view of the dynamic changes in coastal dunes caused by extreme weather, coastal erosion and human activities, we propose a comprehensive evaluation method for coastal dune evolution, which monitors Haiyang Ten Thousand Meters Beach of China from three perspectives: point, line, and surface. This method integrates LiDAR, GNSS, and RS technologies. The research results indicate that between 2016 and 2018, 68% of the GNSS point measurements in 22 survey profiles of coastal dunes were eroded along the foreshore. During 2011-2020, the coastline based on the RS data basically remained stable; only the estuarine district underwent significant changes, and the overall average change rate was 1.32 m/a. The overall morphological evolution of coastal dunes obtained by LiDAR in 2018 was relatively stable, but there was a weak erosion trend in the foreshores of the coastal dunes. This study is beneficial for providing precise targets for remediating and restoring eroded coastal areas in the future. Furthermore, it can provide technical support and informational information for ecological environment protection, coastal erosion prevention and environmental evolution in the Haiyang Ten Thousand Meters Beach Marine Nature Reserve.

Microbacterium memoriense sp. nov., a member of the Actinomycetota from marine beach sediment of the north coast of Portugal.

The oceans harbour a myriad of unknown micro-organisms that remain unstudied because of a failure to establish the right growth conditions under laboratory conditions. To overcome this limitation, an isolation effort inspired by the iChip was performed using marine sediments from Memória beach, Portugal. A novel strain, PMIC_1C1BT, was obtained and subjected to a polyphasic study. Cells of strain PMIC_1C1BT were Gram-positive, rod-shaped, divided by binary fission and formed colonies that were shiny light-yellow. Based on its full 16S rRNA gene sequence, strain PMIC_1C1BT was phylogenetically associated to the genus Microbacterium and its closest relatives were Microbacterium aurum KACC 15219T (98.55 %), Microbacterium diaminobutyricum RZ63T (98.48 %) and Microbacterium hatanonis JCM 14558T (98.13 %). Strain PMIC_1C1BT had a genome size of 2 761 607 bp with 67.71 mol% of G+C content and 2582 coding sequences, which is lower than the genus average. Strain PMIC_1C1BT grew from 15 to 30 °C, optimally at 25 °C, at pH 6.0 to 11.0, optimally between pH 6.0 and 8.0, and from 0 to 5 % (w/v) NaCl, optimally between 2.0 and 3.0 %. It grew with casamino acids, glutamine, methionine, N-acetylglucosamine, sodium nitrate, tryptophan, urea and valine as sole nitrogen sources, and arabinose and cellobiose as sole carbon sources. The major cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C16 : 0 and iso-C17 : 0. Genome mining revealed the presence of four biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) with low similarities to other known BCGs. Based on the polyphasic data, strain PMIC_1C1BT is proposed to represent a novel species, for which the name Microbacterium memoriense sp. nov. (=CECT 30366T=LMG 32350T) is proposed.

Environmental predictors of Escherichia coli concentration at marine beaches in Vancouver, Canada: a Bayesian mixed-effects modelling analysis.

Understanding historical environmental determinants associated with the risk of elevated marine water contamination could enhance monitoring marine beaches in a Canadian setting, which can also inform predictive marine water quality models and ongoing climate change preparedness efforts. This study aimed to assess the combination of environmental factors that best predicts Escherichia coli (E. coli) concentration at public beaches in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, by combining the region's microbial water quality data and publicly available environmental data from 2013 to 2021. We developed a Bayesian log-normal mixed-effects regression model to evaluate predictors of geometric E. coli concentrations at 15 beaches in the Metro Vancouver Region. We identified that higher levels of geometric mean E. coli levels were predicted by higher previous sample day E. coli concentrations, higher rainfall in the preceding 48h, and higher 24-h average air temperature at the median or higher levels of the 24-h mean ultraviolet (UV) index. In contrast, higher levels of mean salinity were predicted to result in lower levels of E. coli. Finally, we determined that the average effects of the predictors varied highly by beach. Our findings could form the basis for building real-time predictive marine water quality models to enable more timely beach management decision-making.

MENINGKATKAN KESADARAN WISATAWAN DALAM MENJAGA KELESTARIAN EKOSISITEM WISATA PANTAI BAHARI DI KECAMATAN JAWAI SELATAN

One of the tourist attractions that attracts the attention of domestic and foreign tourists is the marine beach in Kec. South Java. Looking at the history of this Marine Tourism Beach, it has been around for a long time, this beach is an empty beach and forest that is not managed or developed, since 2019 one of the residents of Jawai Laut Village has taken the initiative to invite local residents to explore this still beautiful beach and form an awareness group. Marine Tourism Beach tourism which has 52 members. The aim of this background is to increase tourist awareness in preserving the marine coastal tourism ecosystem in the Javai Laut village, Javai sub-district. The methods used in the activity include counseling and discussion. Based on outreach activities at the maritime coast of Jawai Laut Village, Kec. This outreach program conveys information regarding tourist awareness in preserving the marine coastal tourism ecosystem in Jawai Laut village, Jawai sub-district the tourists were very enthusiastic in taking part in the outreach that was carried out.

Wisata Kuliner pada Wisata Bahari di Pantai Mampie Polewali Mandar Sulawesi Barat

The objectives of this research are (1) to find out the forms and types of culinary delights that can support marine tourism on Mampie Polewali Mandar Beach, West Sulawesi. (2) To find out strategies for developing culinary tourism to support marine tourism from the management at Mampie Polewali Mandar Beach, West Sulawesi. . The research method used is research with qualitative data type with data collection techniques using interviews, documentation and observation then analyzed using qualitative descriptive analysis techniques. The research results show that existing culinary tourism shows that there are many types of culinary available with various flavors and various forms which can actually be used as a product that can be marketed or sold in the marine tourism area of Mampie Beach, apart from that by collaborating with the local community to providing products, currently there is no culinary use so that the Mampie Beach marine tourism is not running optimally so that it is also not optimal in providing facilities and infrastructure for marine tourism. Apart from that, the importance of existing development strategies from the management as a supporter of marine tourism is known to show that the lack of initiative from the community, stakeholders and local government means that marine tourism will also continue as usual without other additional income. This is due to the lack of information obtained by the management regarding what things can support marine tourism, especially in increasing income, such as the existence of culinary tourism which will actually be a supporting thing for marine tourism at Mampie Beach.

The baseline for micro- and mesoplastic pollution in open Baltic Sea and Gulf of Riga beach

Microplastic pollution has become widespread, occurring even in areas with low anthropogenic impacts, small human populations, and low tourism intensity. Marine beach sand represents the interface between inland and marine environments and acts like a fingerprint of all the processes happening within the onshore catchment and in the sea, driven by marine hydrodynamic processes. An extensive dataset is required from different coastal ecosystems to understand microplastic pollution. Here, we set the baseline for micro- and mesoplastic pollution distribution in 24 beaches along the Latvian coastline (Northern Europe, Baltic states), filling the existing knowledge gap and contributing to the global understanding of microplastic particles presence, transport, and the processes governing its dynamics. We also highlight citizen science as a fundamental tool to support data collection and raise awareness about microplastic pollution, as samples were collected by up to 250 volunteers during organized campaigns. To improve the understanding of the driving forces responsible for plastic pollution distribution along beaches, we analyzed sand granulometry, sample location, hydrodynamic variables (waves and currents), and tourism/leisure intensity. Our results demonstrate that the semi-closed Gulf of Riga beach environment contains fewer micro- and mesoplastic particles (0.10 particles/kg dry sand) compared to the open Baltic Sea (0.16 particles/kg dry sand). For microplastic size fraction particularly, a separate cluster can be distinguished showing a higher microplastic concentration and greater presence of fibers associated with coarser beach sand in the open Baltic Sea and eastern part of the Gulf of Riga. Recreational activity was not observed to have any statistically significant effect on microplastic distribution. We have concluded that hydrodynamics is an important factor for microplastics distribution and accumulation, but the impacts are of local scale, and results vary significantly among existing studies.

Wrack line formation and composition on shores of a large Alpine lake: The role of littoral topography and wave exposure.

Wrack lines are a key formation along shorelines that provide organic matter and bring ecological diversity to the local environment. Although wrack line formation has been extensively studied along marine beaches and estuaries, in contrast, knowledge about the environmental variables that promote wrack line formation within inland lakes is widely lacking. In one of the first studies to focus on wrack line formation on lakesides, we analysed the dimensions, volume, elevation and particulate composition of 36 wrack lines across 20 shore sections of a large, oligotrophic Alpine lake with natural water level fluctuations (Lake Constance-Obersee). Using multivariate partial least squares (PLS) regression, we identified the key environmental variables that drive wrack accumulation in lakeside areas. Our results demonstrate that wrack line volume increased with (1) the width of the eulittoral zone as an indicator of the swash conditions (up-rush vs. down-wash), (2) high exposure to wind waves as indicated by the total effective fetch, (3) high exposure to ship waves (catamaran ferry), and (4) the width of the sublittoral zone as an indicator of the availability of source material (Chara spp.) and of the wave energy dissipation rate of the incoming deep water waves. Sediment texture played only a minor role. Wide eulittoral zones and high ship wave exposure favoured high proportions of lake-borne components (Chara remains, mollusc shells), while the reverse was true for land-based components. Anthropogenic wastes were only present in small proportions. We discuss four main factor groups influencing the amount of wrack in marine beaches and on lakeshores considering similarities (waves, breakers, swash, dissipation, relief) and differences (tides vs. annual water level fluctuations) of the two systems, and point out research gaps. We demonstrate that wrack line formation is also important in large inland lakes and can be analysed using basic ideas from relevant marine studies.

Communication strategies in an international school citizen science program investigating marine litter

Communication is an essential element of science, and while it is important in all scientific endeavors, it gains substantial strategic relevance in citizen science projects. For a school citizen science program to be successful, an adequate communication strategy needs to achieve a balance between learning objectives and the generation of scientific knowledge. In this community case study, we report on the communication strategies of an international network, namely, the citizen science program Científicos de la Basura (Litter Scientists), which collaborates with schoolteachers and schoolchildren to investigate anthropogenic litter on marine beaches and in rivers. The program has been active in Chile since 2007, and as of 2018, it had expanded to the 11 countries from the central and southern East Pacific. More than 40 teachers and collaborators from these countries work in this network making an effort to connect the research activities with the learning objectives of the school curriculum. The communication between the coordination team and the teachers includes three main elements (1 - design and planning; 2 - training and research; 3 - evaluation and sharing), with the following activities: (1a) regular internal communication within the coordination team to design, motivate and supervise adequate research projects, (1b) communication with teachers to design appropriate learning materials (co-creation) and get their feedback on the planned research activities, (2a) sharing the final research plan and transfer methodological skills through regular training of the teachers, (2b) responding to methodological questions by the teachers about the sampling, and coordinate data collection and validation, (3a) guiding teachers and schoolchildren in the evaluation and interpretation of their research results, and (3b) encouraging teachers and schoolchildren to communicate their scientific findings to the wider community. Intense internal communication and regular exchange with teachers guarantees successful learning and rigorous scientific information. The main challenges for the program are team capacity, socio-economic stability, internet access, and teachers’ workloads. Recommendations to achieve successful communication and good science are efficient team communication skills, customized contacts, collaborative work, guidance of field work, feedback from participants, and promoting the sense of community.