Oil spills can harm marine life in the oceans, estuaries, and wetlands. To limit the damage by a spill and facilitate cleanup efforts, emergency managers need information on spill location, size and extent, direction and speed of oil movement, and wind, current, and wave information for predicting oil drift and dispersion. The main operational data requirements are fast turn-around time and frequent imaging to monitor the dynamics of the spill. Remote sensors on satellites and aircraft meet most of these requirements by tracking the spilled oil at various resolutions, over wide areas, and at frequent intervals. They also provide key inputs to drift prediction models and facilitate targeting of skimming and booming efforts. Satellite data are frequently supplemented by information provided by aircraft, ships, and remotely-controlled underwater robots. The Sea Princess tanker grounding off the coast of Wales and the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico provide good examples for studying the effectiveness of remote sensors during oil-spill emergencies.

Artificial beach nourishment can significantly modify original beach colour, altering an important component of the coastal landscape; this can produce deleterious environmental effects and potentially induce controversies among stakeholders, leading even to litigation. This paper reviews some of these impacts, discusses chromatic compatibility of borrow sediments, and proposes techniques to assess it. Further, it evaluates the preference of beach users towards different sand colours through 320 interviews held at natural and nourished beaches in Italy using Munsell and CIE L*a*b* colour spaces. Results show that colour acceptance is significantly related to sand lightness, though in some cases different preferences were due to memories and sensations related to the colour of original or idealised beaches. The study confirmed the preference of beach users towards light-colour sand and showed that nourishments that use sediment of a new colour can influence the degree of appreciation of light and dark sands. Results from this study were further applied to the specifications of a bid for a beach fill project, setting the colorimetric coordinates in CIE L*a*b* space for sediments considered suitable for the nourishment of a particular beach in Tuscany.

Ecogeomorphological modeling in salt marshes faces distinct challenges due to tidal oscillation and variability, fieldwork logistics, and the inherent dynamic nature of these environments. Recently developed technologies and methods introduce the capability to create fine-scale, system-wide databases to quantitatively characterize salt marsh geomorphology in support of improved understanding of the evolution of intertidal systems. This study combines the use of 20-cm AIMS-1 multispectral imagery flown at spring high and low tides with a LIDAR–derived digital elevation mode (DEM) of a New England estuarine system to quantify relationships among marsh features, their metrics, elevations, and tidal datums. The methods used to quantify features across an intertidal watershed in its entirety represent a significant advance in support of future development of process-driven models to explain these observations.

Geomorphological analyses of the distribution of marsh features at the Great Marsh, Massachusetts, study area support field observations that water-filled ponds are concentrated in regions of the marsh around and above mean higher high water (MHHW), whereas drained ponds and pannes are distributed across the marsh platform; pannes are most abundant in the high marsh. These analyses are complicated by human interference in the form of ditches, which have the general effect of both draining ponds and inhibiting pond formation, altering the natural distribution of drained ponds, pannes, and water-filled ponds. However, the geomorphic distribution of pannes and ponds indicates strong elevational control on feature formation, most likely as a function of depth and duration of inundation.

Continued climate change, sea-level rise, and coastal development have lead to concern about shoreline dynamics beyond oceanfront areas, encompassing more sheltered coastal water bodies such as estuaries. Because estuaries are critically important ecosystems, understanding coastline changes in these areas is necessary to evaluating resource risks. A transect-based approach is commonly used to quantify shoreline change on linear (i.e., ocean) shorelines; however, due to the complex morphology of the study area, a point-based approach was developed and applied in this study. Shoreline-change rates and additional parameters (i.e., wave energy and shoreline composition) were determined using 1958 and 1998 aerial photography and available datasets. From this data, the average shoreline change in the study area is −0.24 m yr⁻¹, with 88% of the shoreline eroding. Of the parameters analyzed, shoreline composition appears to have an important control on shoreline erosion, whereas wave energy is not significantly correlated with shoreline-change rates.

Climate change will have pervasive effects on the world's coasts, but at broad scales these changes have typically proven difficult to analyse in a systematic manner. This paper explores an outcome-driven deductive methodology for geomorphological analysis that recognises the nonlinearity of coastal morphology and organises current knowledge and understanding using fuzzy logic concepts. Building on recent large-scale coastal investigations and with reference to a case study of the East Anglian coast, U.K., the methodology defines the active coastal system using a flexible generic classification and integrates expert opinion, using the notion of possibility, as a basis for the assessment of potential future geomorphological response to changes in sea level and sediment supply.

Preliminary results for the East Anglian coast suggest that the constraining of the active coastal system by sea defences is already having, and will continue to be, a significant influence on coastal evolution irrespective of the rate of sea-level rise. Therefore, significant potential exists to guide future coastal evolution toward preferred outcomes by using this approach as a component of adaptive shoreline management. This methodology could be applied to a wide range of problems both in geomorphology and other subjects.

The coastal lagoon adjacent to the River Murray mouth has been filling with sediment brought in from the ocean by tidal currents for at least the last 170 years. Recently, reduced river flows have led to an increase in the rate of infilling, and in 2002 a program of dredging commenced in the lagoon to remove the millions of cubic metres of sediment that had accumulated there. Elsewhere, researchers have argued that it should be possible to manipulate the natural tidal asymmetry and, in doing so, alter the balance between ebb and flood dominance in a coastal lagoon. If this is possible in practice, it should be feasible to move a lagoon towards a self-flushing mode through a program of strategic dredging.

Geographic Information Systems (GISs) were used to interpret bathymetric survey data in the lagoon so that channel characterisation, changes to sediment volume, and basin hypsometry could be analysed. Analysis of water-level data in the lagoon showed that flood durations were usually shorter than ebb durations, which demonstrated the occurrence of flood dominance. It was also found that the degree of flood dominance has reduced since dredging. The dredging has led to fewer, deeper channels and hence a reduction in the degree of flood dominance. The main conclusion is that it has been possible to manipulate the tidal asymmetry through the use of dredging and move the lagoon system towards ebb dominance and, therefore, natural flushing.

This paper advances a piecewise polynomial-based concept of beach profile geometric representation, the Piecewise Weighted Polynomial Interpolation Function (PWPIF) expression. Conventional monotonic power function or exponential function expressions of beach profile do not correlate well with actual field conditions. An alternative approach, the cubic spline interpolation function, has problems with overfluctuation. The PWPIF expression is both a conceptual and practical beach profile geometric model with a higher degree of approximation to reality in that (i) it correctly expresses the undulated morphology (e.g., bar-trough); (ii) it copes well with the overfluctuation that the cubic spline interpolation curve sustains; (iii) it gives a more realistic representation of beach profiles without missing important morphological information contained in seemingly irregular variation appearances, as it makes full use of all the gathered topographical information in establishing its coefficients; and (iv) it represents a flexible and all-inclusive approach towards expressing multiple beach profile types. The PWPIF expression has been tested against 667 sets of beach profile data measured from actual field as well as laboratory conditions. As a spatial model, it can act as a more-realistic geometric framework in beach analysis, helping to characterise beach morphological elements (beach position, slope, and volume). Temporal analysis of profile changes also benefits from this geometric model.

The geochemical association of some trace metals (Fe, Mn, Ni, Cu, Cr, and Pb) were sequentially extracted from bulk sediments of the Chilika lagoon, India. The low elemental concentration, except Pb, in the exchangeable phase suggests poor availability to bottom dwellers. However, slightly higher abundance of Pb in the exchangeable phase at station 4 (9.9%) and station 6 (9.5%) is mainly related with waste from major fishing jetties. The carbonate-bound phase reflects heavy metal distribution of detrital origin along with biological decomposition in the lagoon. A relatively higher percentage of Mn in the reducible phase is attributed to the flocculation of its colloids. The concentrations of Cu, Ni, and Pb show their higher affinity to the organic-bound fraction. The absolute metal concentrations in the residual fraction was Fe > Mn > Ni > Cu > Pb > Cr, which reflects the predominance of physical weathering, a high erosion rate, and a high sedimentation rate in the lagoon. According to Risk Assessment Code, Pb, Cr, and Mn at almost all sites remain in the medium-risk category and can pose some environmental problems, mainly to the benthic community. Multivariate statistics (i.e., factor analysis, FA) was applied to the data set of geochemical fractionation of heavy metals in sediments of a coastal wetland. In this study we present the usefulness of the FA technique for evaluation and interpretation of a large, complex metal fractionation dataset and the apportionment of pollution sources and factors, with a view toward better information on chemical processes occurring in brackish environments. The roles of textural characteristics, organic precipitation, oxy-hydroxide formation and the processes of flocculation and adsorption into fine sediments in different geochemical phases were evaluated. The interpretation of the distribution of metals in different phases related to the relative location of sampling and the environmental characteristics of the fluvial as well as the lagoonal environment.

This study assessed the effect of deficit irrigation and ion deposition in the substrate for pepper plants (Capsicum annuum L.). The results indicated that development of plants in the control treatment can substitute for those plants exposed to severe water deficit (I_0.25). Five irrigation regimes were applied: I_1.0, I_0.75 (well-watered and leaching fraction [LF]  =  0.42, LF  =  0.29, in turn), I_0.50 (moderate stress and LF  =  0.07), and I_0.25 (severe stress and not including leaching water). In the control treatment, only the full evapotranspiration demand of the plants was provided throughout the whole growing season, but percolation did not exist, causing soluble ions to increase. The values of the crop water stress index (CWSI) were determined for all treatments. The degree of water deficit and ion deposition in the substrate had significant effects on the growth and yield of peppers. Salt deposition restricted plant development, and plants remained small, similar to the plants growing under severe water deficit in the I_0.25 treatment. Proper irrigation water management is essential for areas where a shortage of good quality water exists. Therefore, leaching water within the irrigation water plays a critical role in minimizing negative irrigation-caused impacts on plant development and the environment. In dealing with a major salinity problem for peppers, the leaching fraction should be at least 0.29 to maintain an acceptable yield. For CWSI to be less than 0.22, seasonal irrigation water should be at least 664 mm. The results presented have important implications for maintaining plant quality and yield, and show the need to adjust the irrigation schedule to avoid salt accumulation in the root zone.

Over the last 30 years, oil spills have contributed significantly to coastal and marine pollution, causing disturbance of the coastal environment. This recurrent hazard has increasingly been taken into account through prevention plans in Coastal Zones Integrated Management. Numerous studies have attempted to analyse the effects of oil pollution, in particular to identify those areas that are the most vulnerable. Although several studies have considered both environmental and socioeconomic issues, most of them have focused only on environmental vulnerability.

The aim of our research is to formalise an alternative approach to map global vulnerability, using both environmental and socioeconomic factors. This article describes and discusses the methodology used to identify the critical variables required to assess coastal vulnerability to oil spills. The first part introduces previous research and identifies the parameters that have been used to map this type of vulnerability. The study area is presented in the second part of the paper. The third part presents the method we used to compute a spatialised vulnerability index that is based on a multicriteria analysis including both environmental and socioeconomic parameters. The final part of this paper describes and discusses the results of the implementation of this method on Noirmoutier Island located off the west coast of France. The resulting synthetic mapping for risk monitoring, carried out using a geographical information system, seems to be a relevant and useful complementary tool to improve the management of oil spill crises.

Earthen levees are designed for little wave overtopping during a design storm, but excessive overtopping and overflow can occur due to the combined effects of an extreme storm, sea level rise, and land subsidence. The transition from little wave overtopping to excessive wave overtopping and overflow on an impermeable smooth levee is examined in wave-flume experiments consisting of 107 tests. Existing empirical formulas are shown to be applicable to the cases of excessive wave overtopping and overflow in these tests. A numerical model based on time-averaged continuity, momentum, and wave action equations is connected to a new probabilistic model for the wet-and-dry zone, in order to predict the cross-shore variations of the mean and standard deviation of the free surface elevation and depth-averaged fluid velocity from outside the surf zone to the inner slope of the levee. The new model is calibrated to predict the measured overtopping and overflow rates within a factor of about two. The agreement is also shown to be similar for the water depths and velocities measured in the wet-and-dry zone on six different structures in 100 Dutch tests. The developed hydrodynamic model is coupled with new formulas for suspended-sand and bedload transport rates to predict dune erosion and overwash. The coupled model is compared with two small-scale tests on dune erosion with minor overwash, three large-scale tests on dune erosion, and field data on dune erosion and overwash due to severe storms lasting several days. The overwashed-dune profiles are predicted reasonably well, but the coupled model will need to be evaluated using measurements of wave overtopping and overwash rates.

A primary cause of wetland loss in the Louisiana coastal zone has been the construction of flood control levees along the Mississippi River. These levees restrict the inputs of freshwater, nutrients, and sediment that historically replenished these wetlands. Wetland loss is compounded by other factors such as storms, introduced herbivores, and saltwater intrusion. How do such simultaneous changes in fertility and disturbance regimes affect the vegetation of coastal wetlands? Will proposed restoration strategies, such as freshwater diversions and protection from herbivores, increase the productivity and accretion rates of coastal wetlands without sacrificing plant species diversity? During this 2-year study, we applied five disturbance treatments (control, fire, herbivory, single vegetation removal, and double vegetation removal) and four fertility treatments (control, sediment addition, fertilizer addition, and sediment fertilizer addition), using a split-plot factorial design with herbivory exclosures as main plots and species richness and total aboveground biomass as dependent variables. We found that nutria, the principal vertebrate herbivore of the marsh, limited biomass production. Other disturbances decreased biomass, but only to a limited extent in the absence of herbivores. The sediment fertilizer treatment, which simulated the additional nutrients and substrate material that a freshwater diversion might deliver, significantly increased biomass production. Fertilizer significantly increased the biomass only in the absence of herbivores. We had limited success in predicting species richness after 2 years. Only the most severe disturbance decreased species richness, whereas fertilizer addition seemed to have a minor effect (p  =  0.08). Sediment- and nutrient-rich waters from freshwater diversions will likely mitigate negative impacts of nutria grazing on biomass and have no effect on species richness. However, it should be noted that freshwater diversions will have the most impact if nutria populations are reduced.

Tidal wetland restoration of up to 54 km² of diked subsided former salt ponds over the next 50 years is the major component of the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, in the southern arm of the San Francisco Bay estuary. Re-creation of functioning vegetated marshes relies on capturing recirculated estuarine mud in the ponds to allow the surface to rise to mature marsh elevations. This sediment demand creates a vast new sediment sink within the estuary and raises two important questions; is there sufficient sediment to re-create tidal marshes within the desired time frame, and how will the evolution of intertidal habitats of the entire South Bay be affected? To answer these questions, a hybrid morphologic model using sediment budget analysis was developed to predict the 50-year evolution of the estuary for no action and managed restoration scenarios. The model predicts that restoration of tidal marsh within the restored ponds will not be sediment limited. Significant loss of offshore mudflats and associated shoreline erosion are predicted with or without restoration. There will be a significant increase in tidal marsh habitat with managed restoration and an increased loss of mudflats, partially balanced by creation of transitional mudflats in the ponds. Uncertainty in the sediment budget components and their significance in predicting habitat change are analyzed using sensitivity analysis. The analysis shows that variability in the magnitude of predicted sea-level rise and suspended sediment inflow from Central San Francisco Bay induce the greatest uncertainty in predicted mudflat area.

We discuss geomorphic processes in the vicinity of river mouths of the central west coast of India using the Venkatapur River as a representative. Multidate satellite image analyses, wave-refraction patterns, time-series beach section studies, and sediment characteristics were used to understand the geomorphic processes operating in the region. Multidate image analyses indicated a significant readjustment of mouth configuration as well as shoal features; spit growth northward across the Venkatapur River and other rivers of the region, e.g., the Gangavali, the Sharavati; a shift of the river mouth northward; narrowing of the river mouths; and development of submerged bars across the river mouths, etc. The beaches to the north of the Venkatapur River mouth showed erosion (retreated landward), whereas the beaches on the southern side of the river mouth accreted (grew seaward/alongshore). In general, the beaches showed accretion during postmonsoon and premonsoon intervals, and erosion during monsoon. Sediments on the beach are medium to very fine grained (1.38–3.45 Ø) and moderately to poorly sorted (σ  =  0.3–0.81), suggesting low-energy conditions during deposition. During the premonsoon period, resuspension of sediments occurs, and these sediments move landward and into the estuary, especially during high tide. Wave-refraction pattern shows wave divergence in the mouth of the river and wave convergence away from the river on either side during the premonsoon (March to May) period, leading to a wave shadow area in front of the river mouth. These processes lead to sedimentation in the estuary and dynamic changes in the vicinity of the river mouth.

Spartina patens (W. Aiton) G.H. Muhlenberg is a New World tropical-, subtropical-, and temperate-zone rhizomatous grass that often is a dominant species in coastal environments. It occurs in habitats ranging from foredunes to saturated soil conditions in high marshes and swales. Herein, we present a review of the extensive literature of this important species. Spartina patens occurs where salinity ranges from 1 to 27 ppt, but it will tolerate salinities up to 40 ppt for brief periods. It tolerates moderate tidal inundation, low nutrient levels, and low to moderate sand coverage. Also known as marshhay cordgrass, it may account for almost all net productivity in high marshes on the Gulf of Mexico coast of Louisiana. High marshes dominated by S. patens are affected by flooding depths associated with global warming and rising sea levels. It is a valuable species for coastal restoration projects for it quickly invades dredged material and storm washover sites. Spartina patens provides cover for wildlife and forage for livestock.

A SIBEO (Spanish acronym for sistema de bombeo por energía de oleaje) wave-driven seawater pump is proposed for managing the volume and salinity of a coastal lagoon on the Mexican Pacific coast. The observed variation in volume and salinity of the Lagartero lagoon during most of the year when the sandbar is closed is adequately reproduced by a model that assumes an evaporation–precipitation controlled closed basin. The model was employed to examine the use of a SIBEO for controlling the lagoon volume and salinity. Continuous seawater pumping maintains a water level that favors the greatest number of sandbar openings at the end of the rainy season and thus the intake of shrimp larvae, while not significantly affecting the observed yearly salinity cycle. The possible effects of the SIBEO seawater pumping on lagoon eutrophication and shrimp production are discussed in this article. It seems likely that SIBEO seawater pumping will help curb eutrophication and significantly increase shrimp production in the lagoon.

Fish kills are reported throughout the nation and a great deal of research is conducted in an attempt to determine the cause of these mortality events. Low dissolved oxygen concentrations, eutrophication, and/or harmful algal blooms are most commonly cited as causative factors. Lake Madeline and Offatt's Bayou on Texas' upper coast have low mixing environments due to their relatively small areal size, deep basins, small tidal inlets, and restricted exchange with the nearby Galveston Bay estuary complex. These physical attributes, along with near annual fish kills, make them an ideal study area for understanding the causes and effects of hypoxia and phytoplankton blooms on fish kills. We measured physical, chemical, and biological parameters twice weekly over the course of two summers. Fortuitously, a fish kill occurred in the summer of 2005 but not in 2006, which allowed us to narrow down the likely contributing factors that led to the kill, consisting of >10,000 Brevoortia partonus (Gulf menhaden). Large amounts of detritus from a cyanobacterial bloom, in conjunction with the strong stratification and hypoxic bottom waters, led to the fish mortality event in 2005. While the system was also stratified during the summer of 2006, chlorophyll and phaeophytin concentrations were 15-fold lower and no fish kill was observed. The combination of factors that led to the observed fish kill demonstrates the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to investigating the causes of ecological disturbances.

The characteristics of wave breaking for periodic water waves on a gravel beach are investigated by means of a laboratory experiment that employs a wave flume. Until now, most studies of breaking waves have concentrated on impermeable or sandy beaches. While considerable knowledge has been acquired in this regard, scant experimental data are available regarding the characteristics of waves breaking on gravel beaches. Additionally, waves breaking on a gravel beach can be affected by its groundwater table because the beach has a relatively higher permeability than an impermeable or sandy beach. The associated impact of the seepage flow on wave transformation must also be taken into account. To simulate groundwater, a specially designed water-level control tank is used. The breaking of waves is studied in 835 hydraulic model tests, including the effects of groundwater and bottom slope. The experimental results of the breaking index, which includes the breaking wave height and breaking water depth on a gravel beach, are compared with the existing breaking wave formula for computing breaker height and depth. The experimental results indicate that breaking wave heights and water depths are less than those that would take place on a sandy beach. Furthermore, the higher the groundwater table, the higher the breaking wave height and water depth.

Field observations and grain-size analyses have been conducted on the formation and development of tidal couplets, as well as sedimentation before and after the storm surge of the Typhoon No. 11 of 1997 (Typhoon Winnie) on the tidal flats of central Jiangsu Province, China. The observations and measurements indicate that thin couplets (thickness 10⁻¹–10⁰ mm) form during normal flood–ebb cycles, whereas thick tidal couplets (thickness 10⁰–10¹ cm) form during spring–neap cycles. The results also suggest that, even during storm-surge conditions, sediment deposition still occurs on some high tidal flats. Compared with normal tidal-flat sedimentation, storm sedimentation is associated with coarser particle sizes, poorer sorting, more rounded particles, and clearly graded parallel- or cross-bedded sequences.

This study reports cases of stranded cetaceans observed along the northern coast of Tunisia from December 2005 to February 2008. A total of nine toothed whales were examined, belonging to four different species: sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), and long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas). This is the first record of the latter species in the area. Biometric data of stranded animals were also recorded; teeth, tissues, and selected organs were sampled; and a postmortem examination was performed whenever the conditions allowed it. These data may provide important information on basic biology, mortality events, and cetacean-fisheries interactions along a scarcely studied Mediterranean coastline.