Implementing a vegetation-based risk index to support management actions in Mediterranean coastal dunes

Coastal dunes play a crucial role in mitigating sea-related impacts and safeguarding coastlines. However, increasing human influence and natural factors such as sea-level rise underscore the need for effective coastal risk assessment methodologies. This study introduces a comprehensive coastal risk index covering 24 kilometers of the Italian coastline within the protected area of San Rossore Park (Tuscany, Italy). The study area, distinguished by its notable coastal dune ecosystems, holds naturalistic, cultural, and economic importance. Nevertheless, diverse uses, zoning, and human impact variables pose challenges. By incorporating geological, socioeconomic, cultural, and ecological parameters, the index integrates a range of data sources and field observations. This research focused on developing and applying a vegetation-based risk index (VRI) within a geographic information system (GIS) framework, recognizing the ecological importance of dune vegetation in mitigating coastal erosion. Analysis revealed varying risk levels within the study area. Half of the San Rossore Park coastline exhibited low risk values, 37.5% had moderate risk values, and 12.5% had high risk values. The publicly accessible northernmost section displays excellent preservation of dune habitats but faces heightened risk due to anthropogenic impacts. Conversely, the central-southern portion, inaccessible to the public, registers high-risk levels linked to variables associated with coastal erosion. Furthermore, the results highlight areas with heightened cultural and ecological vulnerabilities aligned with elevated risk levels. The index facilitates clear and intuitive cartographic representations of coastal risk, identifying variable categories that substantially influence on risk determination. Tailored strategies, including mitigating human pressure in the northern sector and implementing erosion management in the central-southern region, are recommended. In summary, this study not only provides a practical tool for assessing and managing coastal areas and directing attention to specific threats but also supports stakeholders in informed decision-making. The VRI enhances global sustainable coastal conservation, deepening our understanding of coastal risks and providing valuable insights for effective management strategies

Mesoscale Morphological Change, Beach Rotation and Storm Climate Influences along a Macrotidal Embayed Beach

Abstract: Cross-shore profiles and environmental forcing were used to analyse morphological change of a headland bay beach: Tenby, West Wales (51.66 N; −4.71 W) over a mesoscale timeframe (1996–2013). Beach profile variations were attuned with longer term shoreline change identified by previous research showing southern erosion and northern accretion within the subaerial zone and were statistically significant in both sectors although centrally there was little or no significance. Conversely a statistically significant volume loss was shown at all profile locations within the intertidal zone. There were negative phase relationships between volume changes at the beach extremities, indicative of beach rotation and results were statistically significant (p < 0.01) within both subaerial (R2 = 0.59) and intertidal (R2 = 0.70) zones. This was confirmed qualitatively by time-series analysis and further cross correlation analysis showed trend reversal time-lagged associations between sediment exchanges at either end of the beach. Wave height and storm events displayed summer/winter trends which explained longer term one directional rotation at this location. In line with previous regional research, environmental forcing suggests that imposed changes are influenced by variations in southwesterly wind regimes. Winter storms are generated by Atlantic southwesterly winds and cause a south toward north sediment exchange, while southeasterly conditions that cause a trend reversal are generally limited to the summer period when waves are less energetic. Natural and man-made embayed beaches are a common coastal feature and many experience shoreline changes, jeopardising protective and recreational beach functions. In order to facilitate effective and sustainable coastal zone management strategies, an understanding of the morphological variability of these systems is needed. Therefore, this macrotidal research dealing with rotational processes across the entire intertidal has significance for other macrotidal coastlines, especially with predicted climate change and sea level rise scenarios, to inform local, regional and national shoreline risk management strategies. Keywords: mesoscale morphological change; beach rotation; storm climat

Determinación de la vulnerabilidad y el riesgo costero mediante la aplicación de herramientas SIG y métodos multicriterio en la línea de costa

A scientific consensus exists regarding the significant impact on the global climate, including changes in rainfall patterns and&nbsp;sea level rise, among others. Although the magnitudes of these changes still are not clear, the analyses of the vulnerability and&nbsp;risk along the littorals represent the first step to design an adaptation plan of the climate change. With this in mind, the selected&nbsp;study area was the District of Cartagena de Indias, Colombian Caribbean Coast. It is located in the coordinates 10°45’N-75°15’W&nbsp;and 10°10’N-75°45’W and its littoral has an approximate length of 370 km. A detailed evaluation of the vulnerability and&nbsp;the risk by erosion along &nbsp;his littoral was carried out, considering physical, social, conservational and heritage aspects. The&nbsp;analysis was made by semiquantitative approximation method, applying relative indexes: geomorphologic unit, width, the&nbsp;slope and &nbsp;ype of beach, degree of exhibition of the coasts to the waves, between others. Initially, the available information&nbsp;was of shoreline retreat, land uses, conservation and heritage. The results showed erosion rates bigger than 3 m year-1 in critical&nbsp;sectors (Playetas and Tierrabomba), between 1994 and 2011, and the land &nbsp;se and local and regional economy were affected.&nbsp;41% of coastline was classified with low and very low risk, 32.15% with moderate risk, whereas 13.69% and 13.27% had&nbsp;values of high and very high risk respectively. &nbsp;nder climate change conditions, sea level rise and sediment imbalance, the coastal erosion along of the District of Cartagena de Indias will be intensified by the shoreline retreat in a short, medium and long term. The adaptation must be a priority strategy, to being considered &nbsp;ith alternatives of relocation, sustainable protection and littoral zoning to human settlement, land uses and future applications.Existe un consenso científico de que el clima global está afectado significativamente con cambios en los patrones de precipitación&nbsp;y aumento en el nivel del mar, entre otros. Aunque existe una gran incertidumbre asociada a las magnitudes de estos cambios,&nbsp;los análisis de la vulnerabilidad y riesgo a lo largo de los litorales son un primer paso dirigido a sentar bases para el desarrollo&nbsp;de un plan de adaptación ante el cambio climático. Con tal fin &nbsp;se seleccionó como área de estudio el litoral del distrito de&nbsp;Cartagena de Indias, en el Caribe colombiano, localizado entre las coordenadas 10°45’N-75°15’W y 10°10’N -75°45’W, con&nbsp;una longitud aproximada de 370 km. Se llevó a cabo una evaluación detallada de la vulnerabilidad y el riesgo por erosión a lo&nbsp;largo de este litoral desde el punto de vista físico, social, de la conservación y del patrimonio. El análisis se efectuó mediante&nbsp;una aproximación semicuantitativa, aplicando índices relativos como unidad geomorfológica, ancho, pendiente y tipo de playa,&nbsp;grado de exposición de la costa el oleaje, entre otros. Se contó con datos cuantitativos de retroceso costero y variables asociadas&nbsp;a usos del suelo, conservación y patrimonio. Como resultado se determinó que entre 1994-2011 las tasas de erosión alcanzaron&nbsp;valores mayores a 3 m año-1 en sectores críticos (Playetas y Tierrabomba), afectando los usos del suelo y la economía local y regional. El 41 % de la línea de costa se clasificó como de riesgo bajo y muy bajo, el 32.15 % con riesgo moderado, mientras que 13.69 % y 13.27 % correspondieron a valores de riesgo alto y muy alto respectivamente. Bajo las condiciones de cambio climático, ascenso en el nivel del mar y desbalance sedimentario, a corto, mediano y largo plazo la erosión encontrada en la línea de costa del distrito de Cartagena de Indias se intensificará con el retroceso de la misma. La adaptación debe ser una estrategia prioritaria a ser considerada, con alternativas de relocalización y protección sostenible, y estudios de detalle con el fin de zonificaciones para asentamientos, usos y aprovechamientos futuros del litoral. &nbsp; &nbsp

Litter impacts on scenery and tourism on the Colombian north Caribbean coast

This paper provides the location, scenery and litter evaluation of 35 Colombian Caribbean beaches (9 remote, 9 village, 14 urban and 3 resort). Four litter grades were found. A: excellent (5); B: good (8); C: fair (19) and D: poor (3). A Decision Value parameter (D), for scenery gave: Class I - extremely attractive/natural, D > 0.85, 6 sites; Class II - attractive/natural sites, D = 0.85 -0.65, 2 sites; Class III - mainly natural sites, few outstanding features, D = 0.65-0.4, 1 site; Class IV - mainly unattractive sites, D = 0.4 to zero, 6 sites; Class V - very unattractive sites, D = <0, 20 sites. Litter amounts placed most beaches into a poor scenic category and many scenic beaches could jump a grade by means of clean-ups. A graphic methodology highlighted beaches with contradictory results for litter/scenic grades. Tourists abhor littered beaches and clean-ups would improve scenery scores

Mapping of Yucca gloriosa invasion along Mediterranean coastal dunes using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)

Invasive Alien Plants (IAPs) are defined as those species whose introduction and/or spread outside their natural distribution can threaten the biological diversity of an ecosystem. They represent a severe threat to biodiversity and can severely alter the performance of crucial ecosystems such as coastal dunes. Coastal dunes are composed of specialized fauna and flora, converting them into strategic ecosystems due to their unique ecological functions. Coastal dunes are one of the most invaded European environments, with a total flora composed of up to 7% of IAPs. One of these IAPs is Yucca gloriosa L. (Asparagaceae), a homoploid hybrid native plant from the United States of America introduced to Europe for ornamental purposes. For Italy, Y. gloriosa is a typical invasive species related to fixed dunes dominated by Juniperus sp. pl. (with which it competes). Concerning biological invasions, maybe the most effective management strategy is early detection and mapping. In that sense, this work explores and tests the potential of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for detecting, mapping, and managing the Y. gloriosa invasion along the Mediterranean coastal dunes of a protected area located in Tuscany (Italy). In detail, this work focuses on four aspects: i) determine the suitability of RGB images to map Y. gloriosa, ii) identify the best time of data acquisition, iii) detect changes affecting the occurrence and cover of Y. gloriosa, and iv) propose a set of management actions to preserve a coastal dune ecosystem subjected to plant invasion. The UAV images allowed the generation of ultra-high spatial resolution maps to assess the Y. gloriosa invasion and distribution along the surveyed sandy dunes. The morphological characteristics of this plant – especially at the foliar level – make the invasion of Y. gloriosa particularly suitable for being evaluated and managed using UAV mapping, especially in coastal dunes vegetation that can be a mosaic of different plant communities hard to identify when airborne or satellite images are used. According to the obtained results, the spring season is the perfect time to collect data because light conditions are ideal, with minimal shading effects. Also, due to the peculiar morphology of Y. gloriosa leaves, the timing of data collection seems not crucial for mapping this IAP on coastal dune habitats. Despite the massive eradication action funded by a LIFE project during the period 2005-2009, Y. gloriosa is still present in the protected area and affects the priority habitat of juniper. This might be linked to the fact that Y. gloriosa is a perennial rhizomatous shrub capable of switching its photosynthesis from the C3 to CAM pathway and, therefore, withstand the harsh environmental conditions of dune ecosystems. The early detection using UAVs is the first line of defense against IAPs colonization over any ecosystem. From a conservation and management point of view, this work suggests the development of annual biomonitoring of Y. gloriosa to check its distribution over time and control its spread where it becomes particularly invasive. In this case, one possible strategy will be to keep the IAP in isolated nuclei of plants that are easier to remove with mechanical methods. In a broader view, the study area and the Mediterranean coast must include the ban on introducing non-native species as a strategy, adopting a short-term non-native Management Plan as urgent action

Monitoreo sismológico y estudio geoeléctrico somero para evaluar la geodinámica del volcán El Totumo

Introduction: A geoelectric and microsismological study was motivated by the increase of sismic activity as an energy source associated with volcanic muderuptions in Urabá (May 2017), Cartagena (June 2017) and in Canalete, Córdoba (December 2017). Thisseeks to evaluate the dynamics of the El Totumo volcano which is in the limits of the departments of Bolívar and Atlántico in the Caribbean region of Colombia. Objective: The aim of this work is to present the results of a geophysical study to determine anomalies related to the dynamics of the volcano. The rising mudflows towards the surface are expected to be detected by analyzing thetomographies; this situation generate risks for tourism in the region. Methodology: Two geophysical methods were applied here: Geoelectric Prospecting and Seismic Monitoring, with the aim of detecting the distribution of lithological materials in depth, as well as the most important structural features related to the distribution and mud ascent. All of the above was achieved through the analysis of tomographs that clearly reveal the danger generated by the ascending fine mud flows, plus the application of the SPAC (Spatial Autocorrelation) method that allowed the correlation of signal speeds with sedimentary strata, and clearly identify the alteration of the structural support of El Totumo volcano due to the pressure exerted by the&nbsp; surface rising mud. In both mentioned cases, a normal lithological distribution characteristic of the subsoil resistivities is observed by the Geophysical data processing. Results: However, neither anomalies or structural changes in the electrical tomographs nor traces of seismic nor seismological activity that would have altered the profile of shear wave velocities are observed. Conclusions: From the above can be drawn that there are no anomalies related to the dynamic behavior of the volcano in this period. The application of the same methodology for future studies of this type of phenomenon not only to the El Totumo volcano but also to any mud volcano is suggested for generating early alerts about the risks that its activity implies in&nbsp;&nbsp; of the people who live nearby.Introducción: El incremento de la actividad sísmica como fuente energética asociada a las erupciones volcánicas de lodo en Urabá (Mayo 2017), Cartagena (Junio 2017) y en Canalete, Córdoba (Diciembre 2017), motivó la realización de un estudio geoeléctrico y microsismológico, que busca evaluar la dinámica del volcán El Totumo&nbsp; en límites de los departamentos de Bolívar y Atlántico en la región Caribe de Colombia, por lo tanto el propósito de éste trabajo es presentar los resultados de un estudio Geofísico para determinar anomalías relativas a la dinámica del volcán. Objetivo: Se espera detectar a través de las tomografías los flujos de lodo en ascenso hacia la superficie situación que generaría riesgos para el turismo de la región. Metodología: Para este estudio se aplican dos métodos Geofísicos: Prospección Geoeléctrica y Monitoreo Sísmológico, con el fin de detectar la distribución de los materiales litológicos en profundidad, así como los rasgos estructurales más importantes relacionados con la distribución y ascenso de lodo. Todo lo anterior se logra mediante el análisis de Tomografías que revelan con claridad el peligro generado por los flujos de lodo fino en ascenso y el método SPAC (por sus siglas del Inglés, Spatial Autocorrelation) que permite correlacionar las velocidades de las señales con los estratos sedimentarios, e identificar con claridad la alteración del soporte estructural del volcán El Totumo debido a la presión ejercida por el lodo en ascenso a la superficie. Resultados: Al llevar a cabo el procesamiento de los datos Geofísicos en ambos casos, se observa una distribución litológica normal característica de las resistividades del subsuelo. No obstante, no se observan anomalías o cambios estructurales en las tomografías eléctricas, como tampoco rastros de actividad sísmica o sismológica que hubiesen alterado el perfil de velocidades de ondas de corte. Conclusiones: Por todo lo anterior se puede afirmar que no se presentan anomalías relativas al comportamiento dinámico del volcán en este periodo de tiempo, se sugiere aplicar la misma metodología para estudios futuros del mismo fenómeno no solo al volcán El Totumo sino a cualquier volcán de lodo con el fin de generar alertas tempranas sobre los riesgos que su actividad implica frente a los personas que habitan en sus proximidades

Contribución antropogénica a los cambios geomorfológicos y evolución reciente de la costa caribe colombiana

La evolución reciente del Caribe colombiano está asociada, entre otras causas, a una marcada influencia antropogénica sobre la morfología litoral. A lo largo de los 30 municipios costeros que conforman esta región, se encuentran áreas intervenidas por el hombre que al mismo tiempo son afectadas por retrocesos significativos en su línea de costa. La tendencia erosiva predominante es influenciada y multiplicada, en muchos de los casos, por una expansión humana desorganizada y los fenómenos que ésta trae consigo. Un análisis general en algunas áreas permitió identificar acciones realizadas por el hombre, su influencia e sus impactos negativos sobre la geomorfofogía y evolución reciente del sistema litora

CONTRIBUCIÓN ANTROPOGÉNICA A LOS CAMBIOS GEOMORFOLÓGICOS Y EVOLUCIÓN RECIENTE DE LA COSTA CARIBE COLOMBIANA

La evolución reciente del Caribe colombiano está asociada, entre otras causas, a una marcada influencia antropogénica sobre la morfología litoral. A lo largo de los 30 municipios costeros que conforman esta región, se encuentran áreas intervenidas por el hombre que al mismo tiempo son afectadas por retrocesos significativos en su línea de costa. La tendencia erosiva predominante es influenciada y multiplicada, en muchos de los casos, por una expansión humana desorganizada y los fenómenos que ésta trae consigo. Un análisis general en algunas áreas permitió identificar acciones realizadas por el hombre, su influencia e sus impactos negativos sobre la geomorfofogía y evolución reciente del sistema litora