Long-term studies (1989–2007) of the gravel beaches in Prince William Sound, Alaska, conducted as part of the Exxon Valdez oil spill monitoring programs, provide the basis for understanding the geomorphology and sediment dynamics of these intermittently exposed, coarse-grained gravel beaches. There are key differences between these beaches and open-ocean gravel beaches, including bermlike ridges that occur at different levels on the beach as a result of the diurnal inequality of the tides. The 1964 earthquake, with up to 3.5 m of uplift, provided information on sediment transport patterns and rates. In less than 25 years, a stable cobble/boulder armor formed on the upper and lower platforms, and the beaches reached a steady-state or graded condition. Eighteen years after the spill, oiled sediments were still present at depths greater than about 25 cm on beaches with a stable armor in the middle and lower intertidal zones. Cleanup efforts to remove the deep oil penetration into the porous gravel of the upper intertidal zone provided an indicator of short-term rates of sediment erosion and deposition. Where the high-tide berms were pushed onto the middle intertidal zone, they quickly reformed, usually after a few storms. However, the storm berm that was relocated for 2000 m along one of the most exposed shorelines in Prince William Sound took 6 years to recover. Data on the occurrence of gravel beaches in North America show that they are most common (comprise 48% of the shoreline) on paraglacial, leading-edge coasts and least common on nonparaglacial, trailing-edge coasts (∼2% of the shoreline).

The coastline of Hai Hau District, located on the northeast coast of Vietnam with about 30 km of shoreline, is chronically eroding. Previous studies have tried to highlight the main causes of the erosion along this coastline, and several hypotheses exist. To examine the hypothesis that gradients in the longshore sediment transport rate and cross-shore fine sediment lost offshore are the main causes generating the serius erosion at Hai Hau Beach, a newly developed numerical model of shoreline change based on the one-line theory was applied and compared with data. Sea dike segments, reinforced by stones and mortar, were modeled using a seawall boundary condition, and the sediment continuity equation was modified to take into account the offshore transport of fine-grained sediment. The simulated shorelines agreed well with the measured shorelines, both for the calibration and validation periods. The calculated sediment budget shows that the net sediment transport is in the southward direction and that a large amount of fine-grained sediment is lost into deep water. These two sinks of sediment are believed to be the main causes of the serious erosion at Hai Hau Beach.

Animal geography's focus on the shared “actant” behaviour of animals and people contributes an important reexamination of animal ecology, including possibilities of animal foraging “strategies” and codependent behaviour with people. This paper studies avian inter- and intraspecies competition for human-proffered food (HPF) using a case study of eight species of gulls, corvids, and pigeons in coastal towns of Sussex, United Kingdom. An integrated ecological and social survey also recorded unique and individual bird behaviours in relation to human feeding practices, human impacts on inter- and intraspecies conflicts, and avian presence. Human feeding strategies included species preferences (ducks and doves), individual bird targeting, and aggressive reactions to, and retreats from, bird aggression (herring and lesser black-backed gulls). Feeders' presence and behaviour increased avian presence in nonhabitat areas, dominance of larger species (especially herring gulls) over smaller species, conflicts between similarly sized species, intraspecies competition, and avian attacks on people. Unlike the gulls and corvids, doves and ducks sought refuge near people, and doves used superior agility to out-manoeuvre gulls. Birds exhibited anticipatory behaviour by occupying areas of frequent feeding during nonfeeding periods and approaching nonfeeding humans, in relation to posture, arm movements, and handling of baggage. These codependent, avian-human behaviours contribute a new look at urban avian ecology.

We report on the integration of subaerial and subaqueous surveys, on the basis of, respectively, SPOT satellite images and data acquired from a combined side-scan and profiler sonar system, of a barrier island on the west-central coast of Taiwan. Our results establish a case study of a natural barrier island (i) the morphology and position of which have been dramatically affected by human alteration of a sediment-supplying river during the 200-year interval 1790–1990, but (ii) whose partial destruction and migration have been mitigated significantly in recent years by a combination of tectonic and climatic events. These events have been shown elsewhere to have increased riverborne supply of sediment to the Taiwan coast, and we propose that this development, in turn, contributed to the observed stabilization of the barrier island in size and location.

The changes in cadmium ion bioabsorptive properties were investigated for the brown microalgae Isochrysis galbana (T-Iso) in various saline solutions (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 parts per thousand, or ppt) and pH environments (pH 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8) modeling those of coastal and intertidal waters. Optimal saline growth conditions for T-Iso were observed at 30 ppt. Under these optimal saline conditions, the effective concentration at 50% lethality for cadmium ion for T-Iso is 2.3 parts per million (ppm), with a maximum intracellular absorption of 8.6 fg/cell. T-Iso maximal surfacial cadmium binding was determined from Langmuir isotherm plots; Q_max = 98 mg/g (pH 6.00, 0 ppt), falling to 19 mg/g in higher salinities (pH 6.00, 50 ppt). The Freundlich constants n and K_f followed a similar cadmium binding trend: at 0 ppt, K_f = 16.6 and n = 2.83, while at higher salinities (50 ppt), the values dramatically decreased to K_f = 3.64 and n = 1.34. Direct relationships between ln Q_max (98, 70, 45, 28, 23, and 19) and ln K_f (16.6, 12.8, 8.36, 4.63, and 3.64) versus respective salinity (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 ppt) produced linear correlations. The pseudo-second-order binding kinetic rate in distilled water is 8.5 × 10⁻³ g/mg/min, while in saline conditions (30 ppt) the rate decreased to 4.4 × 10⁻³ g/mg/min. The percentage of adsorption loading capacity of the algae in the water column increases with initial cadmium exposure: the highest percentage of adsorbance (C₀ = 25 ppm) in 0 ppt is 92%, while under equivalent conditions in saline water (50 ppt), adsorption falls to 31%.

STANLEY, J.-D. and BERNHARDT, C.E., 2010. Alexandria's Eastern Harbor, Egypt: Pollen, microscopic charcoal, and the transition from natural to human-modified basin.

Pollen and microscopic charcoal examined in Holocene sediment core samples record major environmental modifications affecting Alexandria's Eastern Harbor through time. We assess whether such changes on Egypt's coastal margin were influenced primarily by natural, or natural plus human, or primarily human factors. We focus on (1) the times when pollen assemblages and microscopic charcoal content changed in the core, (2) how they changed, and (3) why this occurred. The analysis takes into account the core's stratigraphy, regional climate variability, human history, and local archaeological record.

Four pollen–microscopic charcoal zones are identified. The earliest change occurred at ca. 6000 YBP, during Egypt's earlier Predynastic (Neolithic) period, coinciding with a lithologic break from sand to muddy sand. Pollen during this time indicates a transition to a much drier climate rather than effects of human activity. The second change in pollen occurred 3600–2900 YBP, during a period of continued aridity with no lithologic variation in this core interval. Pollen (cereal taxa, agricultural weeds, grape) and a sharp increase in microscopic charcoal indicate that human activity became prevalent at least 700 y before Alexander the Great's arrival in this region, and these results highlight the transition from a largely natural climate–controlled environment to one influenced by both climate and anthropogenic activity. The third shift up-core in pollen assemblages is dated at ca. 2300 YBP, at the boundary between a sand and mud unit. It coincides with construction by the Ptolemies of the Heptastadion between Alexandria and Pharos Island. From this time onward, harbor sediment in the nearly enclosed catchment basin indicates a near-continuous record of dominant proximal human activity.

The trace element content of zircon grains from Holocene beach sands from the Rio Grande do Sul state in southern Brazil was investigated in order to discuss their probable primary source. Zircon grains from 10 samples were separated and analysed by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (LA ICP-MS) for rare earth elements (REE), niobium (Nb), uranium (U), thorium (Th), yttrium (Y), hafnium (Hf), and tantalum (Ta) and by microprobe and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for silicon (Si), zirconium (Zr), and phosphorus (P). The results obtained are similar to those suggested by the zircon classification developed by Belousova et al. (2002, Igneous zircon: trace element composition as an indicator on source rock type. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 143, 602–622), nevertheless, additional information and a more detailed characterisation of zircon sources were yielded. The probable geotectonic setting and geochemical affinity of zircon igneous sources were predicted mainly based on thorium/uranium (Th/U), yttrium/holmium (Y/Ho), and niobium/tantalum (Nb/Ta) ratios; lanthanum (La) and niobium (Nb) contents; and REE patterns of zircons. The statistical groups identified by multivariate analysis were an additional useful tool for identifying compositional groups of zircons. Zircon grains from the studied sediments are probably derived from an association of subalkaline to alkaline granitic rocks with their mafic counterparts and metamorphic rocks of amphibolite to granulite facies. The metamorphic sources were more important in the southern sector of the studied coastal segment, whilst in the northern sector zircons from A-type granites are more abundant. The so-called Pelotas Batholith, situated in the eastern part of the Sul-rio-grandense Shield, which is composed mainly of a postcollisional granitic association of Neoproterozoic age and Paleo to Neoproterozoic high-grade metamorphic sequences, is proposed as the probable source of the studied zircons. The compositional variations of zircons from the southern to the northern sector are coherent with the hypothesis that the studied sediments came from relatively near continental source areas, probably transported by several small streams and rivers during phases of sea-level low stands. The chemical composition of zircons, particularly trace element contents and ratios, can be a powerful tool for determining the primary sources of detrital zircons.

In predicting the impact of human disturbance on coastal wetland environments and understanding ecological response to changing intertidal conditions, there is a need to understand the relationship between species distribution and elevation dependent tidal inundation. The intent of this paper is to examine the relationship between vegetation distribution patterns and the extent of tidal inundation modelled using fine scale elevation data. Field surveys were undertaken at Towra Point, Botany Bay, Australia using high precision global positioning system (GPS) and theodolite survey to record species location and obtain horizontal mapping accuracy required for modelling localised wetland topography. Species survival and growth is governed by physiological factors that are determined by tidal inundation frequency and extent. The coupling of local tidal parameters with a detailed wetland elevation survey enabled the modelling of inundation extent. Species distributional ranges at Towra Point corresponded with modelled tidal extent, and results indicated the presence of species zonation. Fine scale representation of localised terrain features within the surface model also demonstrated the impact of altered topography on vegetation distribution patterns. The spatial analysis methods applied in this study depicted variations in inundation patterns under the differing tidal phases that influence physiological conditions throughout the wetland.

The climates of wave-related nearshore processes important to coastal erosion have been investigated based on analyses of wave data measured at six sites along the Mediterranean coast of Egypt, spanning 0.92 to 5.25 years. Wave climates along this 900-km coastline are nearly identical in their significant wave heights, periods, and directions. The evaluated nearshore processes that depend on combinations of deep-water wave heights and periods are found to respond to seasonal changes in wave conditions. These processes include the climates of breaker heights on beaches, beach face slopes, the morphodynamic classification of beaches, swash runup elevations induced by storm waves, the depth of closure of beach profiles, and calculated sediment transport rates. The seasonal changes observed in the wave-related nearshore processes are ultimately responsible for the episodic morphologic changes identified in the beach and seabed environments of the Nile Delta. The largest storm waves measured during the study period had deep-water significant wave heights of 7.7 and 6.8 m at the Dabba and Abu Qir coastlines, respectively.

In recent years, mangrove expansion has become a coastal management issue in the North Island of New Zealand. Little is known about the spatial evolution and forest structure of temperate mangrove forests in New Zealand or about the associated rates of sedimentation. The extent of mangrove colonization in both a large (Waikareao Estuary) and small (Welcome Bay) embayment within Tauranga Harbour were documented. Forest structure and growth rates were described using tree height, stem density, pneumatophore density, and seedling establishment. Surface elevation changes within mangrove habitat were determined from erosion pin measurements and, on bare intertidal flats, using buried baseplates. Sediment texture and availability was also assessed using sediment traps. Results show that in 1943, mangrove vegetation covered <1% of either embayment, with ongoing expansion resulting in mangrove habitat occupying 9% of Welcome Bay and 6% of Waikareao Estuary in 2003. Mean plant heights were all <1.5 m, with vertical plant growth of 3 cm y⁻¹ to 7.5 cm y⁻¹. Pneumatophore densities ranged from ∼200 per m² to ∼540 per m², and seedling densities of <1 per m² to 14 per m², with seasonal variation, were documented. Surface elevation changes within mangrove habitat ranged from 0 to 21 mm y⁻¹, compared with −16 to 15 mm y⁻¹ on adjacent bare flats. Surface sediment within the mangrove habitat was mostly muddy, whereas bare flats were dominated by fine sand. Sediment-trap results provided accumulation rates of up to 32,000 g m⁻² mo⁻¹ on bare flats, and close to 29,000 g m⁻² mo⁻¹ within the fringing mangrove vegetation. In this study, mangrove vegetation was found to successfully trap and hold muddy sediments, resulting in increased surface elevation. Rising surface elevation from fine sand deposition is also occurring on bare tidal flats in front of mangrove vegetation at some sites.

Bathymetric data based on sounding surveys and intertidal elevations measured using Real-Time Kinematic Global Positioning System methodology were analyzed using Geographical Information System techniques to examine the morphological evolution of the tidal island Jiu Duan Sha (JDS) in the Yangtze estuary. It was found that, from 1958 to 2005, the area and sediment volume of JDS increased by 96% and 156% above the 5 m isobath and by 331% and 504% above the Lowest Astronomic Tide (LAT). Specifically, the maximum elevation of the island increased from 0.3 to 4.9 m above the LAT, and the salt marsh increased from 0% to 40% of the intertidal area. The dominant factor controlling the growth of this wetland was found to have varied with time. The growth was mainly due to the deposition of riverine sediment before the 1970s but was primarily the result of the merging of a shoal into JDS between 1971 and 1994 and, later, the local engineering projects between 1994 and 2005. It was concluded that human activities are playing an increasingly important role in the morphological evolution of tidal wetlands in the Yangtze estuary.

In the present paper, several physico-chemical characteristics of dune sands in a rapidly prograding delta environment on the east coast of the Saros Gulf, northwest Turkey, are presented. For accurate characterization and classification of coastal dunes 4 km long and maximum 500 m wide, the pH, CaCO₃ content, electrical conductivity, organic matter content, and x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy data were assessed. In terms of dune classification, our results showed the presence of three distinctive coastal dune types: (1) foredune, (2) semistable gray dune, and (3) stationary dark dune. Field observations combining with aerial photo and satellite image interpretations for the period between 1962 and 2007 also revealed dune loss and migration in the dunefield as a consequence of bidirectional effects of south-westerly and northwesterly winds and wind-force rise of lagoon waters.

The evolution of the coast of Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, and its erosion problems have been governed by multiple factors, including its tectonic setting with an earthquake in 1931 that altered land elevations along its shore, ranging from a 2-m uplift at its north end to 1-m subsidence at its south. Human environmental impacts have also been important, including the deforestation of the watersheds of rivers and the mining of gravel and sand from their channels, having decreased the sediment supplies to the beaches. Significant erosion has occurred at the south end of the Hawke's Bay shore, attributed in part to its subsidence in 1931, together with the net northward longshore transport of the beach sediment that is greater than the volumes being supplied by the rivers, the beach-sediment budget being significantly “in the red.” Midway along the Bay's shore, the construction of the Port of Napier's breakwater in 1887–90, extending seaward from the Buff Hill headland within that city, is interpreted by some investigators to have been the cause of the erosion experienced at Westshore, a development located immediately north of the breakwater. The assumption has been that this erosion was the result of the breakwater having blocked the northward longshore transport of sediment that formerly had bypassed Bluff Hill, this being an example of down-drift beach erosion. However, a reexamination of the history of the Port's development, the resulting shoreline changes, differences in beach gravels on the shores north and south of Bluff Hill, as well as other evidence, support the conclusion that the breakwater was not the cause of the erosion; instead, the impacts to Westshore at the time of the breakwater construction can be attributed primarily to a series of major storms, which produced erosion at a number of sites along the Hawke's Bay shore. There has been minimal erosion at Westshore since the completion of the breakwater a century ago, its northward extending arm acting to shelter the development from the waves of major storms. Investigations by coastal scientists and engineers of the Hawke's Bay coast, together with a comprehensive beach-survey monitoring program, support its sound management based on an understanding of the multiple factors that are important to its responses during storms, and to its long-term changes.

Reynolds stress in a tidal channel was measured for a period of 11 days in July and August 2003. A 50 to 100 cm/s ebb tide jet issues from Corkum Channel into Lunenburg Bay on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. An instrumented bottom pod was deployed in Corkum Channel on a sandy area in approximately 6 m mean water depth. We focus on measurements from two acoustic Doppler velocimeters: a SonTek ADVO and a Nortek Vector. The Vector displayed smooth transitions in 1-hour mean velocity and Reynolds stress. As expected, Reynolds stress magnitude was greatest during ebb tide. The ADVO velocity data were filtered to remove intermittent noise, apparently due to unexpected ambiguity velocity phase wraps. The unwrapping procedure improved estimates of mean streamwise velocity and Reynolds stress and reduced noise in the ADVO time series. The potential for bias in Reynolds stress estimates due to differential noise between acoustic Doppler velocimeter beams is considered.

The Livada torrent in Tinos Island (Cyclades, Aegean Sea), a fourth-order dendritic-type stream, has developed almost alongside the lithologic contact of granites (42% of drainage basin area) and schists (58%). The drainage network has not developed equally because of the differential permeability capacity and erosive susceptibility of the two rock types, the eastern part (schists) being more developed than the western (granitic) one. Within the study area, detailed coastal geomorphologic mapping, lithologic determination of fluvial and coastal pebbles and cobbles, and grain size distribution combined with mineralogical analysis of the sand fraction were performed. Chemical spheroidal weathering takes place through the joints of granite, forming tors and core stones. Tafoni are usually found closer to the coastline because of saltwater action. Near the shore, the coarse material (pebbles, cobbles) is almost exclusively composed of schists (90%) and only 10% of granite, as schists are highly and deeply fractured. The finer sandy material is composed mainly of quartz. Garnet, feldspar, magnetite, amphibole, biotite, and minerals of ophiolitic origin are minor constituents. Particle size analysis of fluvial and coastal sands between the 200–315-μm and 800–1000-μm grain size range showed a difference in percentage of quartz participation originating both from granite and schist. The predominance of grains of sand size rather than of boulders and cobbles of granitoid rocks in the stream sediments indicates that granitoid rocks disintegrate relatively faster than schists.

In 2001, the U.S. Geological Survey began conducting scientific assessments of coastal vulnerability to potential future sea- and lake-level changes in 22 National Park Service sea- and lakeshore units. Coastal park units chosen for the assessment included a variety of geological and physical settings along the U.S. Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of Alaska, Caribbean, and Great Lakes shorelines. This research is motivated by the need to understand and anticipate coastal changes caused by accelerating sea-level rise, as well as lake-level changes caused by climate change, over the next century. The goal of these assessments is to provide information that can be used to make long-term (decade to century) management decisions. Here we analyze the results of coastal vulnerability assessments for several coastal national park units.

Index-based assessments quantify the likelihood that physical changes may occur based on analysis of the following variables: tidal range, ice cover, wave height, coastal slope, historical shoreline change rate, geomorphology, and historical rate of relative sea- or lake-level change. This approach seeks to combine a coastal system's susceptibility to change with its natural ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions, and it provides a measure of the system's potential vulnerability to the effects of sea- or lake-level change. Assessments for 22 park units are combined to evaluate relationships among the variables used to derive the index. Results indicate that Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico parks have the highest vulnerability rankings relative to other park regions. A principal component analysis reveals that 99% of the index variability can be explained by four variables: geomorphology, regional coastal slope, water-level change rate, and mean significant wave height. Tidal range, ice cover, and historical shoreline change are not as important when the index is evaluated at large spatial scales (thousands of kilometers).

The dataset from the SUPERTANK laboratory experiment was analyzed to examine wave runup and the corresponding upper limit of beach-profile change. Thirty SUPERTANK runs were investigated that included both erosional and accretionary wave conditions with random and monochromatic waves. The upper limit of beach change U_L was found to approximately equal the vertical excursion of total wave runup, R_tw. An exception was runs where beach or dune scarps were produced, which substantially limit the uprush of swash motion to produce a much reduced total runup. Based on the SUPERTANK dataset, the vertical extent of wave runup above mean water level on a beach without scarp formation was found to approximately equal the significant breaking wave height, H_bs. Therefore, a new and simple relation R_tw = H_bs is proposed. The linear relationship between total runup and breaking wave height is supported by a conceptual derivation. In addition, the relation is extended to U_L = R_tw = H_bs to approximate the upper limit of beach change. This formula accurately reproduced the measured upper limit of beach change from the three-dimensional experiments in the Corps' large-scale sediment transport facility. For the studied laboratory cases, predictions of wave runup were not improved by including a slope-dependent surf-similarity parameter. The limit of wave runup was substantially less for monochromatic waves than for random waves, attributed to absence of low-frequency motion.