Accuracy of predicting storm surge inundation depends on the model grid resolution. The spatial resolutions of many storm surge models are on the order of hundreds of meters to kilometers, which are not sufficient to resolve irregular shorelines and small topographic features. In this paper, storm surge and inundation simulation for Hurricane Andrew of 1992 was carried out with the unstructured tidal, residual, intertidal mudflat (UnTRIM) hydrodynamic model. A high-resolution unstructured grid with cell sizes as small as 20 m was placed over the Key Biscayne Bay area near Miami to better represent irregular shorelines and small morphological features such as barrier islands, rivers, canals, and inlets. A series of experiments was conducted to test model performance with respect to model grid resolution, time step selection, open boundary condition specification, and tidal influence. Results show that the model simulated maximum surge heights and areas of inundation along the Biscayne Bay coast very well, indicating that the UnTRIM model is useful in simulating storm surge flooding.

This study investigates the relationship between tropical cyclones and tree-ring chronologies within a bottomland forest in coastal Alabama. Tree cores were collected from 36 slash pines in the Swift Track area of the Weeks Bay National Estuary and Research Reserve, Fairhope, Alabama. Tree cores were processed, measured to the nearest 0.01 mm, and cross-dated using standard procedures. A standardized ring index series was computed from the tree-ring measurement for each year from 1890 to 2000. The index series represents a single chronology of the entire forest stand, which we refer to as the stand-scale. An initial comparison of index series values to years of known tropical storm and hurricane strikes within the Weeks Bay area reveals no clear tropical cyclone signal. Statistical tests of the index values for 2–7 y periods before and after tropical storms and hurricanes indicate no statistically significant difference in tree-rings before and after the storms. In contrast, standardized index values computed for each individual tree-ring series (individual tree-scale) display more rapid growth (release) in years following direct hits by tropical cyclones. Individual tree-ring data also indicate slowed growth (suppression) during years when tropical cyclones are infrequent. These results indicate that researchers must be aware of scale of analysis when researching tree-ring chronologies in Gulf Coast forests. For this study, a combination of the two scales of analysis results in a recognizable tree-ring record of suppression and then release generated by tropical cyclones.

Research related to carbon geochemistry and biogeochemistry in the East China Sea is reviewed in this paper. The East China Sea is an annual net sink for atmospheric CO₂ and a large net source of dissolved inorganic carbon to the ocean. The sea absorbs CO₂ from the atmosphere in spring and summer and releases it in autumn and winter. The East China Sea is a CO₂ sink in summer because Changjiang River freshwater flows into it. The net average sea-air interface carbon flux of the East China Sea is estimated to be about 4.3 × 10⁶ t/y. Vertical carbon transport is mainly in the form of particulate organic carbon in spring; more than 98% of total carbon is transported in this form in surface water, and the number exceeds 68% in water near the bottom. In the southern East China Sea, the average particulate organic carbon inventory was about one-tenth that of the dissolved organic carbon. Research indicates that the southern Okinawa Trough is an important site for particulate organic carbon export from the shelf. The annual cross-shelf exports are estimated to be 414 and 106 Gmol/y for dissolved organic carbon and particulate organic carbon, respectively. Near-bottom transport could be the key process for shelf-to–deep sea export of biogenic and lithogenic particles.

Since the beginning of the 1980s, several methods for the study of sediment transport dynamics have emerged that are based on the distribution of granulometric parameters. These studies are limited to current sediments of three basic environments: fluvial, coastal, and estuary, for which the objective is to determine the direction of global transport and delineate specific areas of deposition, erosion, or equilibrium. These studies show a growing demand for planning mechanisms that find sailing areas that take advantage of wave energy in estuaries. This work is related, specifically, to sedimentary transport for aqueous flow in estuaries and near-coast areas. In this paper, we present an alternative analysis of sediment transport dynamics that is based on a 2D interpolation procedure that takes into account the vectorial kriging methodology, which considers the spatial characterisation of a directional stochastic process in the interpolation of the vector azimuth. For example, to study sediment transport dynamics, we used the directional kriging approach to two groups of granulometric data sets: one belonging to the Schelde River, situated between Holland and Belgium, and the other belonging to the Itanhém River estuary in the south of Bahia, Brazil. An advantage of this method is the possible control of the prediction errors of the transport direction. The results obtained throughout this robust method are quite satisfactory compared with the energetic conditions observed in situ.

In this paper, results obtained from an experimental investigation conducted to determine wave-induced geometric characteristics of shorelines protected by partial revetment structure are presented. The experiments were performed with both regular and irregular waves. The beach sand used in this study had a mean diameter of 0.35 millimeter and a specific gravity of 2.63. The beach had an initial slope of 1 : 5 and was protected by the partial revetment structure. For this purpose, the armor units, mean diameters and specific gravities of which were varied in the range 8.5–67.95 millimeters and 1.81–2.77, respectively, were placed on the wave-breaking area. Different wave groups were generated over an initially flat, partially protected beach, and a number of geometric characteristics of equilibrium beach profiles was determined. Moreover, the static damage of the armor layer was obtained for all test groups. The results of this experimental study were evaluated, and empirical expressions based on the results were formulated to define geometric parameters of equilibrium profile under pure regular waves, pure irregular waves, and regular-irregular waves. The findings showed that the partial revetment structure decreases shore erosion on average 65–70%. Because the sand of the unprotected area spreads over the armor layer, this revetment type does not disturb the beauty of the area and its aesthetics. Moreover, it is a low-cost structure, because the armor layer was placed only within the wave-breaking area, not across the entire slope.

Vast sand deposits have accumulated within headland-bound littoral cells along the west coast of Auckland, New Zealand. Integration of different geomorphological data has been used to quantify and interpret the spatial and temporal variability of interannual to interdecadal and longer-term sand storage within the Piha Beach littoral cell. Survey data indicate highly variable and fluctuating deposits of sand moving on and off the active beach face. However, net changes across the cell inferred from aerial photos show shore line advancement of 0.4 to 1.0 m/year since 1940. This represents some 697,400 m³ of sand (121,350 m² of beach area) added to the onshore beach system in 60 years. Some 12.7 × 10⁶ m³ of sand is estimated to be stored onshore within the Piha cell. Interpretation of stratigraphy and depositional sequences at Piha using ground penetrating radar indicate fluctuating phases of progradation and episodic-transgressive dune activity in the late Holocene. These general patterns at Piha are analogous to those found at other littoral cells along the west coast.

A field experiment was conducted to investigate the fluctuations of the beach water table and surface temperature in the intertidal zone of a sandy beach. Both the temperature and beach water-table height were found to be influenced largely by the tide and beach morphology. A two-dimensional groundwater flow model was developed to examine the relationship between temperature, water-table height (depth), and tide and beach morphology. As the tide fell, the beach face drainage was controlled by the local beach slopes and the spatial patterns of the water-table behavior corresponded to the features of the beach profile. The results showed links between the beach water-table depth and surface temperature during the falling tide period, indicating the role of solar radiation in heating the exposed beach surface. These results may have important implications for studies on beach ecosystems, e.g., the interstitial fauna.

Ivan, a strong Category 4 hurricane (downgraded to a Category 3 at landfall), caused widespread erosion and overwash along the northwestern Florida barrier-island beaches. This study examines the storm impact and short-term post-storm recovery along a 200-km stretch of coast from Fort Walton Beach eastward to St. George Island. One prestorm and three poststorm beach-profile surveys were conducted to quantify the storm-induced morphological changes and poststorm recovery. Forty-six trenches were excavated to study the characteristics and thickness of subaerial storm deposits.

Extensive inundation and overwash occurred within 100 km from the storm center at landfall. Significant beach/dune erosion was measured as far as 300 km east of the storm center. The highest elevation of beach erosion extended considerably above the measured storm-surge level, indicating that storm-wave setup and swash run-up played significant roles in controlling the elevation of beach erosion. A simple empirical formula reproduced the wave setup and swash run-up reasonably well. Beach recovery began immediately after the storm. Within 90 days, the berm crest recovered to its prestorm elevation, although it was now located approximately 15 m landward for nonoverwashed sites and 30 to 40 m for overwashed sites. The steep prestorm foreshore slope was restored from the gentle storm profile within 30 days.

An apparent erosional surface was observed along the impacted foredune and backbeach, extending over 300 km eastward from the storm center. This erosional surface represents a net elevation loss ranging from 0.5 to over 2.0 m. A storm layer of up to 50 cm thick was deposited above the erosional surface. Generally, the storm-layer thickness decreases away from the storm center, as well as landward from the high tide line. Local factors such as beach width and orientation, and sediment properties and supply caused variations in the thickness of storm deposit.

This article presents findings regarding the origination and evolution of a large train of internal solitary waves as observed through Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). The internal wave train under study propagates into deeper waters away from the coast and, most important, appears to be generated at a well-defined point along a steep topographic variation. The shallow bottom topography revealed itself in the SAR image and provided the opportunity to determine, with a large level of accuracy, the precise area where an internal bore originated. The bore traveled east and broke up into a train of solitary waves. The packet's phase speed, wave amplitude, mixed-layer depth, and density difference for a two-layer structure were remotely estimated based on measurements made from the SAR image, the knowledge of the local bathymetry, historical climatological data, and a two-layer model. Farther along the propagation path the internal waves exhibited an extremely large degree of dispersion, which was related to changing stratification conditions along the travel direction that are probably a consequence of the seasonal intrusion into the region of the low salinity plume of the Yangtze River. Monitoring changes in the dispersion characteristics of a soliton train from one tidal period to the next could, therefore, render remote information regarding changing stratification conditions in the area. This particularly long train of internal waves consisted of seven packets that traveled for three days along a well-defined direction. A new analytical model, termed the Dnoidal model, was used to describe the development of the internal waves with time. The extended life of this phenomenon provided an exceptional opportunity to monitor and model its evolution as well as to assess the effects of dispersion as the solitary internal waves propagated east, away from the China coast.

Tropical cyclonic storm systems can have profound impacts on coastal plant communities both through direct mechanical damage and indirect factors, such as flooding or salt spray. Storms with high wind and low rainfall are especially likely to cause high salt spray accumulation on plants growing in close proximity to the ocean. I measured salt spray accumulation on a common coastal heathland plant species, Myrica pensylvanica, during normal growing-season conditions and following Tropical Storm Floyd. At both sampling times, salt spray accumulation was highest in areas closest to the ocean and salt decreased as distance from the ocean increased. Salt spray accumulation on leaves following the tropical storm was twice the salt spray accumulation during normal growing-season conditions. I also found higher necrosis on leaves following the tropical storm, particularly at distances farther from the ocean. These results suggest that even minor cyclonic storms could have an impact on coastal plants in New England through salt spray damage.

Pollen analyses of surface sediment samples collected from the coastal mangrove swamps of Dongzhai and Qinglan, situated in northern Hainan Island, China, were undertaken in order to reveal the relationship between modern pollen deposits and their source plants, and to provide a basis for reconstructing the Holocene history of mangrove ecosystem dynamics. Six transects (Transects 1–6) from the Dongzhai and Qinglan mangrove swamps were established to examine local plant zonation pattern along intertidal zones. Four transects (Transects 1, 2, 5, and 6) were sampled for pollen analysis. Surface pollen spectra show close linkage between pollen and local vegetation. Mangrove pollen taxa are roughly arranged by vegetation zones along the intertidal flat. Notably, Rhizophora, Ceriops, Bruguiera, and Avicennia are well represented and localized. Nevertheless, our results also suggest that other common mangroves are poorly represented by their pollen in the surface sediments, including species of Excoecaria, Aegiceras, Clerodendrum, Kandelia, Xylocarpus, and Scyphiphora. Exotic palynomorphs are also present in most of the samples; however, the dominant types are from local mangrove sources. We conclude that mangrove pollen has a local and limited distribution. Our results provide a basis for interpreting paleoecological analyses of below-surface pollen samples from the same mangrove swamps, and are crucial for further paleoecological and paleoenvironmental studies in tropical marshes.

Situated just north of the Venezuelan coast around 12° to 13° N, the Netherlands Antilles are normally well outside the hurricane belt. Nevertheless, some of these powerful storms sent waves and swell of significant size to these islands, strong enough for impacts on the coastal geomorphology. Hurricane Ivan of September 2004, with Saffir–Simpson category 5 and around 250 km/h sustained winds less than 150 km north of Bonaire, was the most recent and one of the strongest of these events in history. Waves along the rocky eastern coastline reached heights of >12 m. Our observations during the days of Hurricane Ivan on Bonaire Island include impacts on exposed and sheltered shorelines, transformation of beaches and cliffs, sediment movement on higher terraces, as well as boulder transport. The latter is important to distinguish storm wave-induced boulder movement from boulder movement by tsunami, which have affected Bonaire several times during the Younger Holocene.

We present here an analysis of a set of measurements of water surface elevations (waves), cross-shore currents, and longshore currents from two cross-shore locations (at 50 and 200 m offshore) in the nearshore zone off Kerala, India, to understand the hydrodynamics in a mud bank regime. The measurements were made over a period of approximately one year to detect the differences in the nearshore hydrodynamic regime (i.e., wave and current characteristics) between events of wind and wave activity during the nonmonsoon and monsoon seasons. A comparison of the data from the nonmonsoon season (when the water column was relatively free of suspended sediment load) and the monsoon season (when large suspended sediment load was present) showed significant differences in the hydrodynamic characteristics. During the nonmonsoon season, progressive edge waves in the infragravity frequency band with weak reflections were observed, while during the monsoon season, the presence of far infragravity waves, infragravity waves (leaky modes and trapped edge wave modes) coupled with strong shoreline reflections, and an undertow were observed. The nonlinear wave–wave interactions were noticed to be more pronounced in the upper water column, progressively diminishing vertically down toward the seabed and horizontally toward the shore. Based on the field observations and analysis, we present a plausible explanation for the formation, sustenance, and contraction of the mud bank.

In this paper, we present the operational forecasting system developed to assist in the response to the 2002 Prestige oil spill in Cantabria. The objective of the system developed was to forecast the wave climate, tidal and wind currents, and oil spill trajectories to provide a technical assessment to decision makers for a response to the oil spill. The two main components of the system were data collection and processing and integration with numerical models for forecasting. The information from overflights received daily became essential in achieving a correct initial position of the oil slicks. Meteorological and oceanographic data were also received daily by means of an emergency protocol established between Puertos del Estado (Spain), the Naval Research Laboratory (USA), and the University of Cantabria (Spain). These data were used to run the trajectory model, the wave propagation model, and the shallow depth-integrated flow model. The information generated by the numerical simulations was presented to the decision makers every day in the form of maps that were easy and quick to interpretation as a tool to help in the response planning.

In addition, to develop a defensive or protection strategy for sensitive areas like estuaries and marshes, a hydrodynamic study was carried out by the University of Cantabria in all the estuaries of the region. The result of this study consisted of a boom deployment plan for each.

Pressure, sonar profiling, and current measurements were recorded at 5.5-, 8-, and 13-m water depths in the outer surf zone and inner continental shelf region off the coast of Duck, North Carolina. This unique data set was analyzed to investigate wave evolution by comparing estimates from linear wave theory with field measurements. Energy flux calculations combining shoaling and refraction theory showed smaller measured than predicted energy flux values at the two inshore locations (sometimes by more than one third), emphasizing the importance of considering energy loss in engineering design and planning calculations. A wave friction factor for each record was determined by accounting for frictional energy loss in the energy flux calculation, using velocity time series measured 0.20, 0.55, and 1.50 m above the sea floor. Calculated friction factors varied throughout storm events, but most fell within a range of 0 to 0.1. Wave friction factors calculated using the total measured velocity time series showed a narrower range (0 to 0.05) than those calculated from demeaned velocities (0 to 0.1). Representative wave friction factors of 0.053 (demeaned velocity) and 0.0209 (total velocity) were identified for this location using a least squares fit between energy flux decay and |u_b|³Δx over all storm events.

Chabahar Bay is located along the coast of Sistan province in SE Iran. This area is part of the coastal Makran zone (one of the geological zones of Iran), which had undergone sea-level changes along the Late Quaternary. Due to these processes, multiple sedimentary sequences and several paleoshorelines were created. In this investigation, by using the Geological Information System method, 21 paleoshorelines were recognized. In the borehole at the north of Chabahar Bay, we found 14 layers, which were related to Late Quaternary sedimentary sequences and correlated to glacial and interglacial periods. All layers of borehole were analyzed for grain size, sedimentary structures, and fossil content. Four radiocarbon measurements were done on the lowest and uppermost marine layers of borehole and on C7 and C21 of paleoshorelines. The lowest layer of borehole has 17,600 ¹⁴C YBP date, related to Cataglacial or Flanderian Transgression, which outcropped at 15 m height and 5,300 m distance to the present shoreline. Sedimentary sequences showed four transgressions and retrogressions occurred from cataglacial to the present. On the other hand, from 4690 ± 40 YBP, 20 paleoshorelines have been created, for which the duration of each may have been about 230 years.

Along the 190 km of the Israeli Mediterranean coast, of which only about two-thirds is accessible to bathing activities, there are about 100 statutory surf bathing beaches guarded by professional sea lifeguards. The rest of the accessible Israeli Mediterranean coastline is divided into two additional legal categories, which are not guarded: (A) beaches where bathing is forbidden by governmental ordinance because they are too dangerous. (B) Beaches where swimming is freely permitted but not guarded. The estimated number of drowning victims in the Israeli Mediterranean surf since 1948 is about 2200. Reported drowning data show that, since 1973, the number of drownings in the surf has been about 1200 victims. There are almost no drownings reported within the perimeters of the official guarded beaches. The Israeli Mediterranean relative drowning number (RDN) in the surf per million inhabitants reveals for the last 32 years a long-term quasi-stable average of 8.1 and a SD of 2.7. The estimated average number of drownings for the present population would be about 56 victims. The Israeli RDN is higher than that of other Mediterranean countries and probably of other beaches in the world. In this article, I study the Israeli beach-safety management (BSM) schemes and identify and examine the various long-term and short-term temporal variations in drowning patterns, some demographic patterns leading to the identification of some risk groups and some other human, cultural, and managerial factors that seem to be typical for Israeli beaches and relate them to the drowning statistics. The high drowning figures in Israel seem to reflect both the meteorological and oceanographic conditions of Israel's Mediterranean coast and the BSM schemes. I suggest that Israeli RDN can, however, be reduced by proper modern scientific and managerial approach.

Microbial source tracking efforts have historically focused on the input of fecal bacteria from sources such as storm drains, sewers, and runoff. Fecal coliform levels in the Mississippi Sound have been analyzed and compared with physical factors in an attempt to characterize possible nonpoint sources of pollution. Results from this study show that a primary factor in elevated levels of fecal coliform is a change in wind direction. The passage of warm and cold fronts through the northern Gulf of Mexico causes numerous 90°–180° shifts in wind directions over a period of 6–8 days. Commonly, a rise in fecal coliform counts is observed at coastal monitoring stations after an abrupt shift in wind direction and wind speed. When these trends of increased fecal coliform levels occur before rainfall, it is inferred that the sediment could be a source of the fecal coliform observed in the water column. The changes in wind direction and velocity might induce more energetic conditions at the shoreline (e.g., increased wave heights and increased longshore current velocities). Fecal coliform counts collected from five monitoring stations along the Harrison County, Mississippi, coast during 2002–2003 have been compared with wind, wave, and current records from within the Mississippi Sound. The occurrence of high fecal coliform counts at multiple stations can be correlated with higher energy events in the Sound. Statistically, wind direction and high bacterial counts are correlated, and higher counts are most likely to occur when the winds are out of the west or southwest at most stations.

It is widely recognised that organisations involved in coastal management must take steps to improve the ways in which stakeholders and the public are involved in coastal decision-making. In particular, there needs to be more emphasis on improving participation, consultation, and information provision throughout the process. In recognition of this, there is a need to develop new techniques that could aid the communication of coastal information to the public. It has been suggested that some of these techniques might involve the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Whilst GIS are widely used by coastal managers, their application is hampered by the highly technical output that they often produce. However, the advent of a new type of system known as virtual reality GIS enables the likely effects of coastal management decisions to be presented in a format that is suitable for widespread consultation and dissemination. A proposed managed realignment scheme on the north Norfolk coast, England, is used to describe an integrated GIS methodology allowing the production of virtual reality representations of the current site environment and simulations of what might be present after the intervention. Both static and user-navigable visualisations have been produced because these lend themselves to both paper and electronic publication. Comparisons between the alternative methods are presented along with a discussion of the technical, user, and institutional issues surrounding the potential application of the methodology. It is argued that the techniques presented have the potential to stimulate meaningful discussion during the consultation process, although further research is still required to determine the exact form this might take.

Before biological or biogeochemical experimentation, sediments are often manipulated and defaunated with the use of many different approaches and only modest consideration of treatment effects on sediment biogeochemistry and fluxes. Mesocosm experiments require large quantities of sediment and no standard protocol to defaunate and equilibrate muddy sediments before initiation of experiments has been determined.

Using fine-grained sediments, we examined a number of treatments: (1) intact with macroinfauna; (2) intact, macroinfauna individually removed; (3) homogenized surface sediment with macrofauna; (4) homogenized deep sediment without macroinfauna; and (5) intact deep sediment without macroinfauna. In weekly batch core flux incubations, we measured dissolved oxygen, dinitrogen gas, ammonium (NH₄ ), nitrate plus nitrite (NO₃⁻ NO₂⁻), silicate (Si), and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) fluxes over a 5-week period. In addition, we determined porewater ammonium concentrations over time.

Different sediment preparation techniques, with the same muddy sediment, significantly affected nutrient and gas fluxes, and the amount of nutrient and gas fluxes differed between sediment preparation techniques. Severely manipulated sediments, such as homogenized treatments, had high initial effluxes but eventually equilibrated to lower and more constant nutrient and gas fluxes. Moreover, biogeochemical flux changes for all treatments became similar after about 2 to 3 weeks. Sieved sediments exhibited low fluxes over the entire 5-week period, and flux rates did not change over time. A feasible method for sediment preparation for mesocosm studies is to use homogenized deep sediment equilibrated over an almost 2-week period. Overall, sediment preparation and the time after sediment manipulation affect sediment biogeochemical processes and must be considered before initiating experiments.

Estuarine water bodies provide a land to sea (freshwater to saltwater) transition zone. Protected from the full force of waves, winds, and storms by topographic features, e.g., reefs and barrier islands, estuaries provide habitats for countless numbers of plant and animal species. An estuary's wetlands, including salt marshes, naturally improve water quality by acting as filters. Thus, there are societal benefits to preserving estuaries. The U.S. government, in fact, passed the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, creating the National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) System. The present study documents temporal land cover change occurring during the period 1974–2001 within the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (GBNERR)—the 24th NERR, designated in 1999. Occupying an area of 7284 hectares, it is one of the largest relatively undisturbed estuarine marsh–pine savanna habitats remaining on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Results were obtained by applying both unsupervised classification and change detection techniques to data derived from Landsat satellite imagery acquired in 1974, 1991, and 2001, respectively. Land cover classes included open water, herbaceous wetland, forest, and barren land. For change detection analysis, change matrices were derived from postclassified pairs of successive image dates, yielding two change matrices. A map of overall cover change between 1974 and 2001 was also produced. Submersion of wetlands by water, attributed to a combination of factors, including rising sea levels, land subsidence, and historical geomorphologic changes that increased wave action and decreased sedimentation, caused a majority of the observed changes. Such a broad land cover analysis provides resource managers with information regarding the estuary's land cover types and spatial distributions, allowing for more informed decisions with regard to preserving biodiversity and planning restoration efforts.

In the catalogue of sea-level indicators, beachrock plays a significant role because of its wide distribution and extension on long stretches of coastlines. Most publications, however, deal with beachrock cements rather than their incorporation into the coastal environment and its evolution. The relic character and age of most beachrocks has been overlooked, and beachrocks are called “modern” because of their position at or close to sea level. The question arises as to why we have so many beachrocks in a state of destruction, but nearly none in statu nascendi today. An examination of the extension and thickness of cementation, and of the independent indicators of the sea-level history in beachrock occurrences suggests that the relation of beachrock cementation to the tidal levels or to a water table in the beach sediments is very doubtful. There are many more arguments and proofs that place beachrock cementation within the supratidal environment. Only by taking into consideration all aspects of coastal evolution at a certain site can beach-rock be used as a tool for identifying part of a coast's evolutionary history.

Investigations into eutrophication of Ngau Mei Hoi Bay, Hong Kong, were carried out in July and December 1996. The results show that Ngau Mei Hoi Bay can be classified as hypereutrophic. During summer phytoplankton blooms (average chlorophyll a = 33.96 μg L⁻¹), high oxygen saturation (up to 145.3%), high pH (7.8–8.4), and nutrient depletion (mean NO₃ NO₂ = 0.89 μg L⁻¹) at the surface in association with hypoxic (dissolved oxygen concentration was down to 0.9 mg L⁻¹), low pH (down to 4.9), and high nutrient (mean NO₃ NO₂ = 96.28 μg L⁻¹) conditions at the bottom layer were observed. This typical phenomenon of eutrophication resulted from nutrient enrichment by anthropogenic activities, water column stratification formed by spreading of the Pearl River plume at the surface, and outer shelf water intrusion at the bottom. The perniciousness of the hypereutrophication and future monitoring needs for environmental management are also discussed.

In the southernmost Brazilian port of Rio Grande, coastal reclamation actions for land expansion seaward have been going on for nearly 300 years. Mercury contamination of man-made–ground deposits was detected at all coastal reclamation sites. For most polluted sites, the mercury concentration was up to 300 times higher than the local background concentration. Use of city waste and garbage for coastal reclamation is the main source of mercury pollution. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the most significant source of mercury was the felt manufacture wastes. In the 20th century, sources of mercury in city garbage were more diverse, with mercury-based medicaments probably contributing significantly. Heavily polluted deposits represent sources of secondary mercury contamination for nearly all components of the coastal environment: sediment, air and atmospheric deposits, fish, and vegetation.