Marine ecosystems - Coastal management

Title

ICZM and coastal defence perception by beach users: Lessons from the Mediterranean coastal area

Reference

Ocean & Coastal Management
Volume 54, Issue 11, November 2011, Pages 821-830

Author(s)

E. Koutrakis , A. Sapounidis, S. Marzetti, V. Marin, S. Roussel, S. Martino, M. Fabiano, C. Paoli, H. Rey-Valette, D. Povh, C.G. Malvárez

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Member States of the European Union and the Mediterranean Regional Sea need to elaborate national strategies for coastal management according to ICZM principles and to undertake national stock-taking, which must consider major actors, laws and institutions influencing the management of their national coastal zone. However, different approaches to coastal management and defence and various degrees of development and implementation of national ICZM strategies can be found. The research presented in this article aims to analyze the different situations and to contribute to the further development of a common approach in terms of methodology to establish stakeholder and users participation in ICZM. An extensive survey was conducted in five pilot sites along the European Mediterranean coastal zone (Greece, Italy and France) show beach visitors' perception of ICZM, coastal erosion and coastal defence systems, and beach visitors' Willingness To Pay (WTP) for beach defence. The survey yielded important information for coastal and beach managers. Surprisingly, the level of awareness about generic Coastal Zone Management was found to be rather low in all regions except Riccione Southern beach, Emilia-Romagna Region. In the Languedoc-Roussillon Region, this is justified by the fact that most of the respondents were not local people or beach visitors (other than recreational day-visitors). As regards coastal erosion it appears significant that, despite the lack of awareness demonstrated overall by stakeholders in the Region of East Macedonia and Thrace, visitors respond very positively to definitions and show awareness of the erosion process in their coastal system. In conclusion, in order to raise public awareness about ICZM, erosion and coastal defence systems, it is suggested that education, training and public awareness should be promoted as well as identification of local needs for the implementation of specific demand-driven studies.

Policy theme(s)

Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Stakeholder/public engagement
Marine ecosystems >> Coastal management              

Keywords

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096456911100144X
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manosk@inale.gr

Title

Ecologically Informed Engineering Reduces Loss of Intertidal Biodiversity on Artificial Shorelines

Reference

Environ. Sci. Technol., 2011, 45 (19), pp 8204–8207
DOI: 10.1021/es201924b

Author(s)

Mark A. Browne and M. Gee Chapman

Study type

Peer Review Journal 

Abstract

Worldwide responses to urbanization, expanding populations and climatic change mean biodiverse habitats are replaced with expensive, but necessary infrastructure. Coastal cities support vast expanses of buildings and roads along the coast or on "reclaimed" land, leading to "armouring" of shorelines with walls, revetments and offshore structures to reduce erosion and flooding. Currently infrastructure is designed to meet engineering and financial criteria, without considering its value as habitat, despite artificial shorelines causing loss of intertidal species and altering ecological natural processes that sustain natural biodiversity. Most research on ameliorating these impacts focus on soft-sediment habitats and larger flora (e.g., restoring marshes, encouraging plants to grow on walls). In response to needs for greater collaboration between ecologists and engineers to create infrastructure to better support biodiversity, we show how such collaborations lead to small-scale and inexpensive ecologically informed engineering which reduces loss of species of algae and animals from rocky shores replaced by walls. Adding experimental novel habitats to walls mimicking rock-pools (e.g., cavities, attaching flowerpots) increased numbers of species by 110% within months, in particular mobile animals most affected by replacing natural shores with walls. These advances provide new insights about melding engineering and ecological knowledge to sustain biodiversity in cities.

Policy theme(s)

Marine ecosystems >> Biodiversity
Marine ecosystems >> Coastal management

Keywords

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

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http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es201924b
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Mark.browne@ucd.ie

Title

Anthropogenic Disturbance Can Determine the Magnitude of Opportunistic Species Responses on Marine Urban Infrastructures

Reference

PLoS ONE 6(8): e22985. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0022985
EU funded

Author(s)

Laura Airoldi, Fabio Bulleri

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Background: Coastal landscapes are being transformed as a consequence of the increasing demand for infrastructures to sustain residential, commercial and tourist activities. Thus, intertidal and shallow marine habitats are largely being replaced by a variety of artificial substrata (e.g. breakwaters, seawalls, jetties). Understanding the ecological functioning of these artificial habitats is key to planning their design and management, in order to minimise their impacts and to improve their potential to contribute to marine biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Nonetheless, little effort has been made to assess the role of human disturbances in shaping the structure of assemblages on marine artificial infrastructures. We tested the hypothesis that some negative impacts associated with the expansion of opportunistic and invasive species on urban infrastructures can be related to the severe human disturbances that are typical of these environments, such as those from maintenance and renovation works.
Methodology /Principal Findings:Maintenance caused a marked decrease in the cover of dominant space occupiers, such as mussels and oysters, and a significant enhancement of opportunistic and invasive forms, such as biofilm and macroalgae. These effects were particularly pronounced on sheltered substrata compared to exposed substrata. Experimental application of the disturbance in winter reduced the magnitude of the impacts compared to application in spring or summer. We use these results to identify possible management strategies to inform the improvement of the ecological value of artificial marine infrastructures.
Conclusions/Significance: We demonstrate that some of the impacts of globally expanding marine urban infrastructures, such as those related to the spread of opportunistic, and invasive species could be mitigated through ecologically-driven planning and management of long-term maintenance of these structures. Impact mitigation is a possible outcome of policies that consider the ecological features of built infrastructures and the fundamental value of controlling biodiversity in marine urban systems.

Policy theme(s)

Marine ecosystems >> Biodiversity
Marine ecosystems >> Coastal management

Keywords

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

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http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0022985
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Laura.airoldi@unibo.it

Title

Challenging paradigms in estuarine ecology and management

Reference

Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
Volume 94, Issue 4, 20 October 2011, Pages 306-314

Author(s)

M. Elliott and A.K. Whitfield

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

For many years, estuarine science has been the ‘poor relation’ in aquatic research - freshwater scientists ignored estuaries as they tended to get confused by salt and tides, and marine scientists were more preoccupied by large open systems. Estuaries were merely regarded by each group as either river mouths or sea inlets respectively. For the past four decades, however, estuaries (and other transitional waters) have been regarded as being ecosystems in their own right. Although often not termed as such, this has led to paradigms being generated to summarise estuarine structure and functioning and which relate to both the natural science and management of these systems. This paper defines, details and affirms these paradigms that can be grouped into those covering firstly the science (definitions, scales, linkages, productivity, tolerances and variability) and secondly the management (pressures, valuation, health and services) of estuaries. The more ‘science’ orientated paradigms incorporate the development and types of ecotones, the nature of stressed and variable systems (with specific reference to resilience and redundancy), the relationship between generalists and specialists produced by environmental tolerance, the relevance of scale in relation to functioning and connectivity, the sources of production and degree of productivity, the biodiversity-ecosystem functioning and the stress-subsidy debates. The more ‘management’ targeted paradigms include the development and effects of exogenic unmanaged pressures and endogenic managed pressures, the perception of health and the ability to manage estuaries (related to internal and external influences), and the influence of all of these on the production of ecosystem services and societal benefits.

Policy theme(s)

Marine ecosystems >> Coastal management

Keywords

estuaries; paradigms; ecology; management

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272771411002289
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a.whitfield@saiab.ac.za

Title

Storm impacts along European coastlines. Part 2: lessons learned from the MICORE project

Reference

Environmental Science & Policy
Article in Press, Corrected Proof - Note to users

Author(s)

Paolo Ciavola, Oscar Ferreira, Piet Haerens, Mark Van Koningsveld and Clara Armaroli

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

This paper describes the MICORE approach to quantify for nine field sites the crucial storm related physical hazards (hydrodynamic as well as morphodynamic) in support of early warning efforts and emergency response.
As a first step historical storms that had a significant morphological impact on a representative number of sensitive European coastal stretches were reviewed and analysed in order to understand storm related morphological changes and how often they occur around Europe. Next, an on-line storm prediction system was set up to enable prediction of storm related hydro- and morphodynamic impacts. The system makes use of existing off-the-shelf models as well as a new open-source morphological model. To validate the models at least one year of fieldwork was done at nine pilot sites. The data was safeguarded and stored for future use in an open database that conforms to the OpenEarth protocols.
To translate quantitative model results to useful information for Civil Protection agencies the Frame of Reference approach (Van Koningsveld et al., 2005) and (Van Koningsveld et al., 2007) was used to derive Storm Impact Indicators (SIIs) for relevant decision makers. The acquired knowledge is expected to be directly transferred to the civil society trough partnerships with end-users at the end of the MICORE project.

Policy theme(s)

Marine ecosystems >> Coastal management
Natural hazards >> Climatic hazards

Keywords

Coastal storms, Coastal risk, Coastal erosion, Coastal flood, Morphological impacts, Early Warning Systems, Storm impact indicators

Entry Source:

Referred to in EC doc:

To be filled in later by editorial team

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S146290111100075X
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cvp@unife.it

Title

Reference

Estuaries and Coasts
Volume 34, Number 3, 483-493, DOI: 10.1007/s12237-011-9390-x EU funded

Author(s)

John Day, Carles Ibánez, Francesco Scarton, Didier Pont, Philippe Hensel, Jason Day and Robert Lane

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Abstract We report on a decadal trend of accretionary
dynamics in the wetlands of several northwesternMediterranean
deltas and a lagoon system, all of them with high rates of
wetland loss. Wetland vertical accretion and surface
elevation change were measured at 55 riverine, marine,
and impounded sites in four coastal systems: the Ebro
delta, Spain; the Rhône delta, France; and the Po delta
and Venice Lagoon, Italy. Vertical accretion and elevation
change ranged between 0 and 25 mm year−1 and were
strongly correlated. The highest rates of elevation gain
occurred at riverine sites where vertical accretion was
highest. We conclude that areas with high sediment input,
mainly riverine, are the only ones likely to survive
accelerated sea-level rise, especially if recent higher
estimates of 1 m or more in the twenty-first century prove
to be accurate. This is the first study where the importance
of river input on wetland survival has been demonstrated
at a decadal time scale over a broad geographical area.

Policy theme(s)

Climate change and energy>> Climate change adaptation>>Flooding and water management
Marine ecosystems>>Coastal management
Water>>Flooding

Keywords

Deltas, Sediment input, Flood pulse, Sea-level rise, Mediterranean wetlands

Entry Source:

N/A

Referred to in EC doc:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

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http://www.springerlink.com/content/j115kqu5rm103355/
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johnday@lsu.edu

Title

Surveillance of adenoviruses and noroviruses in European recreational waters

Reference

Water Research
Volume 45, Issue 3, January 2011, Pages 1025-1038

Author(s)

Peter Wyn-Jones , Annalaura Carducci, Nigel Cook, Martin D'Agostino et al

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Exposure to human pathogenic viruses in recreational waters has been shown to cause disease outbreaks. In the context of Article 14 of the revised European Bathing Waters Directive 2006/7/EC (rBWD, CEU, 2006) a Europe-wide surveillance study was carried out to determine the frequency of occurrence of two human enteric viruses in recreational waters. Adenoviruses were selected based on their near-universal shedding and environmental survival, and noroviruses (NoV) selected as being the most prevalent gastroenteritis agent worldwide. Concentration of marine and freshwater samples was done by adsorption/elution followed by molecular detection by (RT)-PCR. Out of 1410 samples, 553 (39.2%) were positive for one or more of the target viruses. Adenoviruses, detected in 36.4% of samples, were more prevalent than noroviruses (9.4%), with 3.5% GI and 6.2% GII, some samples being positive for both GI and GII. Of 513 human adenovirus-positive samples, 63 (12.3%) were also norovirus-positive, whereas 69 (7.7%) norovirus-positive samples were adenovirus-negative. More freshwater samples than marine water samples were virus-positive. Out of a small selection of samples tested for adenovirus infectivity, approximately one-quarter were positive. Sixty percent of 132 nested-PCR adenovirus-positive samples analysed by quantitative PCR gave a mean value of over 3000 genome copies per L of water. The simultaneous detection of infectious adenovirus and of adenovirus and NoV by (RT)PCR suggests that the presence of infectious viruses in recreational waters may constitute a public health risk upon exposure. These studies support the case for considering adenoviruses as an indicator of bathing water quality.

Policy theme(s)

Environment and health >> Health risks >> Water safety
Marine ecosystems >> Coastal management
Water >> Water quality >> Water pollution and safety

Keywords

Adenoviruses, Noroviruses, Bathing water, River water, Sea water, Recreational water, Water quality

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135410007104
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pyw@aber.ac.uk

Title

A clear delimitation of coastal waters facing the EU environmental legislation: from the Water Framework Directive to the Marine Strategy Framework Directive

Reference

Environmental Science & Policy
Volume 14, Issue 4, June 2011, Pages 432-444

Author(s)

Camino Liquete, Francesca Somma and Joachim Maes

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

The definition of coastal waters in relation to the European Union (EU) environmental legislation was clearly stated in the Water Framework Directive. In compliance with this Directive, most of the EU Member States have delineated their coastal waters' boundaries. However, these delineations are not as complete and homogeneous as could be expected. Hence, there is a need for a comprehensive and unambiguous delimitation of European coastal waters. This paper aims at bridging this gap, providing a pan-European mapping of coastal waters, covering 553,817 km2 in 30 seaside countries, 340,524 km2 of which pertain to the 22 EU Member States connected to the sea. For this purpose, a comprehensive geographical analysis of the national baselines and transitional waters distribution was performed. A pan-European baseline of 63,340 km was delineated, together with the coastal waters delimitation (the final GIS layers are provided as supplementary material of this article). The results show significant differences between the available national declarations of coastal waters and the areas identified in this work (almost 12% of the compared area), the former defining an additional 29,337 km2 of coastal waters with respect to the latter. The largest deviations seem to be due either to misinterpretations of the definition of coastal waters, or to one-sided national modifications. A clear identification of European coastal water boundaries is crucial for the Water Framework Directive and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive implementations, which depend on an accurate ecological/environmental assessment of those waters.

Policy theme(s)

Marine ecosystems >> Coastal management
Water >> River basin management (WFD)

Keywords

Coastal water, Coastal zone planning, Coastal environment, Territorial sea, Transitional water, Maritime boundary, Administrative boundary, Baseline, Ecological assessment, Environmental assessment, Water Framework Directive,
Marine Strategy Framework Directive

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1462901111000165
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camino.liquete@jrc.ec.europa.eu

Title

Regionally differentiated contribution of mountain glaciers and ice caps to future sea-level rise

Reference

Journal name: Nature Geoscience
Volume:4, Pages: 91–94 (2011)
DOI: doi:10.1038/ngeo1052

Author(s)

Valentina Radić & Regine Hock

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

The contribution to sea-level rise from mountain glaciers and ice caps has grown over the past decades. They are expected to remain an important component of eustatic sea-level rise for at least another century, despite indications of accelerated wastage of the ice sheets. However, it is difficult to project the future contribution of these small-scale glaciers to sea-level rise on a global scale. Here, we project their volume changes due to melt in response to transient, spatially differentiated twenty-first century projections of temperature and precipitation from ten global climate models. We conduct the simulations directly on the more than 120,000 glaciers now available in the World Glacier Inventory, and upscale the changes to 19 regions that contain all mountain glaciers and ice caps in the world (excluding the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets). According to our multi-model mean, sea-level rise from glacier wastage by 2100 will amount to 0.124±0.037m, with the largest contribution from glaciers in Arctic Canada, Alaska and Antarctica. Total glacier volume will be reduced by 21±6%, but some regions are projected to lose up to 75% of their present ice volume. Ice losses on such a scale may have substantial impacts on regional hydrology and water availability.

Policy theme(s)

Climate change and energy >> Climate change adaptation >> Flooding and water management
Marine ecosystems >> Coastal management

Keywords

N/A

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/v4/n2/abs/ngeo1052.html
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vradic@eos.ubc.ca

Title

A global ranking of port cities with high exposure to climate extremes

Reference

Climatic Change
Volume 104, Number 1, 89-111, DOI: 10.1007/s10584-010-9977-4

Author(s)

Susan Hanson, Robert Nicholls, N. Ranger, S. Hallegatte, J. Corfee-Morlot, C. Herweijer and J. Chateau

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

This paper presents a first estimate of the exposure of the world's large port cities (population exceeding one million inhabitants in 2005) to coastal flooding due to sea-level rise and storm surge now and in the 2070s, taking into account scenarios of socio-economic and climate changes. The analysis suggests that about 40 million people (0.6% of the global population or roughly 1 in 10 of the total port city population in the cities considered) are currently exposed to a 1 in 100 year coastal flood event. For assets, the total value exposed in 2005 across all cities considered is estimated to be US$3,000 billion; corresponding to around 5% of global GDP in 2005 (both measured in international USD) with USA, Japan and the Netherlands being the countries with the highest values. By the 2070s, total population exposed could grow more than threefold due to the combined effects of sea-level rise, subsidence, population growth and urbanisation with asset exposure increasing to more than ten times current levels or approximately 9% of projected global GDP in this period. On the global-scale, population growth, socio-economic growth and urbanization are the most important drivers of the overall increase in exposure particularly in developing countries, as low-lying areas are urbanized. Climate change and subsidence can significantly exacerbate this increase in exposure. Exposure is concentrated in a few cities: collectively Asia dominates population exposure now and in the future and also dominates asset exposure by the 2070s. Importantly, even if the environmental or socio-economic changes were smaller than assumed here the underlying trends would remain. This research shows the high potential benefits from risk-reduction planning and policies at the city scale to address the issues raised by the possible growth in exposure.

Policy theme(s)

Climate change and energy >> Climate change adaptation >> Flooding and water management
Natural hazards >> Climatic hazards
Marine ecosystems >> Coastal management

Keywords

N/A

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://www.springerlink.com/content/g02124153m05410k/
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s.e.hanson@soton.ac.uk

Title

Coastal and marine ecosystem services valuation for policy and management: Managed realignment case studies in England

Reference

Ocean & Coastal Management
Volume 54, Issue 3, March 2011, Pages 212-224

Author(s)

Tiziana Luisetti, R. Kerry Turner, Ian J. Bateman, Sian Morse-Jones, Christopher Adams and Leila Fonseca

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

The recognition of the economic value of nature and the services it provides to humanity has become increasingly essential in the context of coastal zone management. In this paper we review the progress to date on both the necessary conceptual framework and empirical valuation studies required to bolster decision support systems (DSS) targeted at integrated coastal zone management goals. We highlight the importance of using an ecosystem services approach and recommend some basic sequential, although overlapping, analytical steps for appropriate environmental valuation and policy assessment: spatial explicitness; marginal changes; double counting; non-linearities; and threshold effects. We illustrate the practical use of the DSS by reviewing an existing UK case study on managed coastal realignment along the Eastern coast of England, and a new UK case study on managed realignment implemented in a southern area on the same coast. Comparing the two studies, the importance of spatial explicitness and the need for a sequential decision support system when dealing with ecosystem services valuation and project policy appraisal become particularly evident.

Policy theme(s)

Environmental economics >> Ecosystem services
Marine ecosystems >> Coastal management

Keywords

N/A

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0964569110001961
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tiziana.luisetti@uea.ac.uk