Coastal Geomorphology

The dynamic environmental history and relative sea level (RSL) changes experienced on the Northwest Coast of North America during the early post-glacial period and the early Holocene resulted in significant archaeological visibility challenges for prospection of early coastal archaeological sites. This study offers an integrated methodological approach in support of locating palaeo-coastal sites by combining: (1) geomorphic interpretation of landscape attributes captured by LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) mapping; (2) GIS-based archaeological site potential mapping; and (3) local RSL history. The RSL history for the study site (Quadra Island, British Columbia, Canada) shows notable regression over the past 14,300 years from a highstand of at least 197 m resulting from post-glacial isostatic rebound. Late Pleistocene and early Holocene palaeo-shorelines are found inland from, and elevated above, modern sea level and represent key areas for archaeological prospecting. Bare-earth D...

The origin and growth of blind tidal channels is generally considered to be an erosional process. This paper describes a contrasting depositional model for blind tidal channel origin
and development in the Skagit River delta, Washington, USA. Chronological sequences of historical maps and photos spanning the last century show that as sediments accumulated at the river mouth, vegetation colonization created marsh islands that splintered the river into distributaries. The marsh islands coalesced when intervening distributary channels gradually
narrowed and finally closed at the upstream end to form a blind tidal channel, or at mid-length to form two blind tidal channels. Channel closure was probably often mediated through gradient reduction associated with marsh progradation and channel lengthening, coupled with large woody debris blockages. Blind tidal channel evolution from distributaries was common in the Skagit marshes from 1889 to the present, and it can account for the origin of very small modern blind tidal channels. The smallest observed distributary-derived modern blind tidal channels have mean widths of 0·3 m, at the resolution limit of the modern orthophotographs. While channel initiation and persistence are similar processes in erosional systems, they are different processes in this depositional model. Once a channel is obstructed and isolated from distributary flow, only tidal flow remains and channel persistence becomes a function of tidal prism and tidal or wind/wave erosion. In rapidly prograding
systems like the Skagit, blind tidal channel networks are probably inherited from the antecedent distributary network. Examination of large-scale channel network geometry of such
systems should therefore consider distributaries and blind tidal channels part of a common channel network and not entirely distinct elements of the system. Finally, managers of tidal
habitat restoration projects generally assume an erosional model of tidal channel development. However, under circumstances conducive to progradation, depositional channel development may prevail instead.

Publication is required by Alaska Statute 41, "to determine the potential of Alaskan land for production of metals, minerals, fuels, and geothermal resources; the ___location and supplies of groundwater and construction materials; the potential geologic hazards to buildings, roads, bridges, and other installations and structures; and shall conduct such other surveys and investigations as will advance knowledge of the geology of Alaska.

This paper links research questions in Quaternary geology with those in Palaeolithic archaeology. A detailed geological reconstruction of The Netherlands' south-west offshore area provides a stratigraphical context for archaeological and palaeontological finds. Progressive environmental developments have left a strong imprint on the area’s Palaeolithic record. We highlight aspects of landscape evolution and related taphonomical changes, visualized in maps for critical periods of the Pleistocene in the wider southern North Sea region. The Middle Pleistocene record is divided into two palaeogeographical stages: the pre-Anglian/Elsterian stage, during which a wide land bridge existed between England and Belgium even during marine highstands; and the Anglian/Elsterian to Saalian interglacial, with a narrower land bridge, lowered by proglacial erosion but not yet fully eroded. The Late Pleistocene landscape was very different, with the land bridge fully dissected by an axial Rhine–Thames valley, eroded deep enough to fully connect the English Channel and the North Sea during periods of highstand. This tripartite staging implies great differences in (i) possible migration routes of herds of herbivores as well as hominins preying upon them, (ii) the erosion base of axial and tributary rivers causing an increase in the availability of flint raw materials and (iii) conditions for loess accumulation in northern France and Belgium and the resulting preservation of Middle Palaeolithic sites.

Copyright (c) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

DOI: 10.1002/jqs.1549

Also: Hijma, M.P, K.M. Cohen, W. Roebroeks, W.E. Westerhoff, F.S. Busschers. 2012. Corrigendum Pleistocene Rhine–Thames landscapes: geological background for hominin occupation of the southern North Sea region. Journal of Quaternary Science, Vol 27, 336. DOI: 10.1002/jqs.2545

See also the Editorial of JQS 27 (1): http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jqs.1565/full

A one-page corrigendum appeared in JQS 27 (3).
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jqs.2545/full


The paper has appeared in JQS' new sample issue and is downloadable for non-subscribers too. FOLLOW THE LINK BELOW. The uploaded pdf on this site is only the corrigendum

The AD 1498 Meio earthquake (M8.2∼8.4) that occurred along the eastern Nankai trough, and the tsunami generated by the earthquake, induced major geomorphological and social changes along the Pacific coast of central Japan. Geological coring along the palaeochannel of the Hamana River, southern Shizuoka Prefecture, revealed that its river mouth was abruptly closed followed by a rapid change from river to marsh environment at the end of the 15th century. It is suggested that mass transport of sediments by the Meio tsunami forced the closure of the river mouth. The latter environmental change happened synchronously with the sudden decline of a famous port town, Hashimoto, formerly flourishing along the middle reach of Hamana River. Closure of the water route connecting Hashimoto with the Pacific Ocean potentially led to the decline and abandonment of the port town.

Management of highly dynamic coastal landscapes requires repeated mapping and analysis of observed changes. Modern mapping techniques such as lidar increased the frequency and level of detail in coastal surveys and new methods were developed to extract valuable information from these data using Geographic Information Systems. The brief presents techniques for analyzing and visualizing coastal topographic and shoreline change and sand dune dynamics using open source GRASS GIS.

This report outlines the results of the academic research on historical evolution of the Ems-Dollard estuary. We analyzed the channel-bar patterns and changes in channel volume over the last 200 years and the role of resistant layers in the estuary’s substrate. For this, historical bathymetry was derived from historical maps and a new map with position of resistant layers in the substrate of the estuary was compiled. Holocene clays and peats are resistant layers that locally delay morphological development and form scour holes in the channel bed. Pleistocene resistant layers are more resistant and affect the entire estuary. They limit channel depth and consequently cause widening, resulting in mid-channel bar formation and increased channel curvature. Furthermore, deeper channel confluences preferentially form where resistant layers were absent. The combined effects force the position and dimensions of confluences and bars. Where future sea-level rise may cause channel volumes to increase, antecedent geology will be more exposed, which could lead to unexpected changes in the channel pattern. Based on the demonstrated importance of resistant layers in the past, we recommend to account for them in the likely response of estuaries to sea-level rise. Resistant layer maps could be further improved, when more geological data is incorporated around the watershed between the Eastern and Western Ems.
Over the last two centuries, channel volumes (below NAP ~MSL) have decreased by 1 to 4.6 Mm3 /yr on average, this trend was interrupted in the 1960ies and 1970ies when sediment was extracted from the system. Gas-extraction induced subsidence and especially sea-level rise will cause morphological changes the coming century. Assuming that channel and shoal morphology do not change, 1.5 to 5.3 Mm3/yr of sediment would be needed (for 0.25 and 1.2 m respectively sea-level rise in 2100). Although this is in the same order of magnitude as natural sediment import in the channels over the last two centuries, it is unknown whether the sediments can be provided. Because the estuary needs sediment, sand extraction can best be avoided. Stimulating saltmarsh growth, as has been done in the past, could help flood protection and at the same time reduce suspended sediment concentrations. We recommend to study the effect of this measure on the shoals and channels.

Grande Riviere beach, located on the north coast of Trinidad, West Indies, is internationally recognised as a critical habitat/nesting ground for the endangered leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea). Episodic extreme flooding of the Grande Riviere River led to the shifting of the river mouth and resulted in backshore beach erosion, with the most recent recorded event occurring in 2012. Following this event, the construction of a sand dam to arrest further erosion which threatened coastal infrastructure, precipitated a host of new problems ranging from beach instability to public health threats. In January 2013, high energy swell waves naturally in-filled the erosion channel, and the beach recovery continued over the successive months, thereby rendering the intervention in the previous year questionable. This paper presents a geomorphological analysis of beach dynamics for Grande Riviere, within the context of this erosion event. Data on beach profiles, sediment and coastal processes were collected using standard geomorphological techniques. Beach topographic analysis and water quality tests on impounded water in the erosion channel were conducted. Results indicate that the event created an erosion channel of 4,843.42 m3 over a contiguous area of 2,794.25 m2. While swell waves were able to naturally infill the channel, they also eroded 17,762 m3 of sand overall across the beach. Water quality tests revealed that the impounded water was classified as a pollutant, and created challenges for remediation. Hydrologic and coastal geomorphologic interplay is responsible for the existence and sustainability of this coastal system. It is also evident that the beach system is able to recover naturally following extreme events. Our results demonstrate that effective and integrated management of such critical habitats remains dependent upon continuous monitoring data which should be used to inform policy and decision making.

Spatiotemporal patterns are difficult to portray through traditional methods, but the space-time cube allows time to be analyzed as a third dimension. The spatio-temporal GIS analysis of the MODIS data enables us to know about the varying degree of stubble burning in the regions of Punjab and Haryana. The said activity is one of the crucial reasons for the smog problem that is faced by the NCR (National Capital Region) every winter for last decade. With the help of spatio-temporal tools in GIS, the intensity and trends of the study area, that burns agricultural waste, can be assessed and analyzed.

Mobilité du trait de côte et destruction des vestiges archéologiques de la façade nord‑occidentale du Cap Bon (Tunisie)

Coastline mobility and destruction of archaeological remains of the north-western façade of Cap Bon (Tunisia)

Mourad Kouka and Soumaya Trabelsi

https://journals.openedition.org/mediterranee/11676

Pekalongan and Batang beach are located in the northern coast of Central Java Province. Due to the influence of Java sea wave, shoreline changes occured. This study aims to analyze the wave transformation, calculate the longshore sediment transport and shoreline change of Pekalongan and Batang during the period 1989-2002 by using numerical models. Furthermore, the model results are validated by using satellite imagery.

The 2004 tsunami transformed the coast of Indonesia. This research investigates a sand dune area in Lampuuk, Sumatra, that was scoured by tsunami flow. We assessed geomorphology one-year post-event and examine the timescale of vegetation recovery. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) evidence shows an eroded succession of thin dipping units, overlain by aeolian layers 0 to 50 cm thick. Incipient dunes were absent, indicating limited dune rebuilding at one-year post-tsunami, possibly resulting from channelised airflow and the absence of vegetation. Recolonisation by vegetation was initially limited but progressed rapidly between 2005 and 2011, highlighting the temporal non-linearity of recovery processes.

I am very pleased that my textbook Coastal Systems is currently listed as a resource on the Cambridge International website to support learners studying AS & A Level Geography 9696. ‘Coastal environments’ is one of the Advanced Physical Geography Options (Topic 8) available to learners. In the current COVID-19 pandemic, I have produced this short guide to online learning resources to assist teachers and learners in continuing to teach and learn about coastal environments.
In addition to the Coastal Systems textbook, which I assume is available online to learners through their institutional libraries as an e-book, I have also made around 50 videos to accompany the textbook which are freely available through my YouTube Channel.
To assist teachers and learners I have mapped the current Cambridge International AS & A Level Geography 9696 Syllabus and Learner Guide to the Coastal Systems resources including suggested reading in the Coastal Systems textbook and links to suggested videos that might be relevant to specific topics. I hope that both teachers and learners might find this useful.

The 560-km-long Kerala coast is characterised by long barriers with narrow beaches and steep cliffs. Distribution of cliffs from nine sections measuring a cumulative length of 63.5 km is evaluated in ArcGIS Software using topomaps and field survey data. The cliff sections in the southern coast comprise both permeable and impermeable rocks, whereas those along northern coast are comprised of either Precambrian crystalline and/or Tertiary formations. Notches, caves and even small arches are developed in Cannanore, Dharmadam and Kadalundi cliffs, where only primary laterites are exposed to wave attack. Stacks composed of laterite and Precambrian crystallines found in nearshore of cliffed coast indicate recession of shoreline. Mass wasting, mudslide and mudflow type of cliff failures are common in permeable to semi-permeable rocks, whereas rotational sliding, rockfall and toppling failure are found in hard rock cliffs. Retreat of cliff sections are induced by natural or anthropogenic activities or both. Rate of recession vary from a few centimetres to one metre/year depending upon the nature of lithology, structures and recession agents acting upon the cliffs. Various methods of cliff protection for e.g. hard structures—revetments, groins, seawalls, breakwater and jetties—and soft measures—artificial reefs/marsh creation, floating breakwaters, beach nourishment, beach scraping and vegetation planting—are suggested.

The most conspicuous geomorphic feature of the Sunderbans is a low, alluvial plain intersected by an intricate network of tidal rivers, creeks, estuaries and minor tidal-water courses. The Thakuran River is one of the most important tidal rivers of a meso-macrotidal regime having no perennial freshwater supply, and it forms a drainage basin covering about 900 sq. km in area. The meandering and bifurcating channel systems of the Thakuran Basin have given rise to the formations of various islands mainly by the settling down of particles on the river bed and also by being cutting off from the mainland due to the bifurcation of channels. Construction of

De kustzone van Holland wordt gekenmerkt door een afwisseling van parallel aan elkaar liggende strandwallen en tussenliggende strandvlakten. Op de oude wallen liggen de geesten, voor de Hollandse kust kenmerkende akkercomplexen. Ook in de omgeving van het Noord-Hollandse Castricum worden in de literatuur geesten onderscheiden, maar omdat hier de monding van het Oer-IJ lag zijn er geen strandwallen aanwezig. Welke geesten zijn er in Castricum, en welke bodemkundige eigenschappen hebben deze bouwlanden?

Systematic shifts in shoreline position are important indicators of environmental change. Shoreline position interpreted from historical aerial imagery is frequently used to assess shoreline change. Although most published studies do not formally consider the effects of source error and interpretation error when analyzing shoreline change, the effects of these errors may be significant. This paper introduces and evaluates a new uncertainty-aware approach to assessing shoreline change in the presence of positional uncertainty and without ground-reference data, which is typical for historical coastline analysis. The overlapping double buffer (ODB) approach extends the epsilon band model to account for the effects of source and interpretation errors on shoreline position, and assesses the degree of overlap in order to distinguish between significant change and noise. This approach improves upon standard shoreline change analytical techniques that use regularly-spaced shore-normal transects to measure the direction and magnitude of shoreline change without accounting for error. Shoreline position interpreted from historical aerial images for four sites along the Michigan (USA) coast between 1938 and 2010 were used to demonstrate the feasibility of the ODB approach. An epsilon band was constructed around each shoreline with radius equal to the combined source and interpretation error for each image. These bands were merged and intersected to test whether the observed change was real or an artifact caused by uncertainty in the data sources. The most significant advantage of the ODB approach is its ability to account for uncertainty in shoreline position where ground-reference information does not exist, as is often the case with historical aerial imagery. Results indicate that the overlapping epsilon band method is viable for analyzing change in linear features in the absence of a higher-accuracy reference dataset, and that source error contributed more to the positional uncertainty than did interpretation error.

L'érosion des littoraux est une réalité mondiale. Cette tendance relève en grande partie de deux facteurs : la diminution, voire la disparition dans certains cas, des apports sédimentaires à la côte, et les mouvements eustatiques. L'érosion des côtes meubles est également liée à la montée du niveau relatif de la mer que l'on a évalué à environ 1 mm/an à l'échelle du dernier siècle. Cette évolution est d'autant plus préoccupante qu'aujourd'hui les apports sédimentaires ne suffi sent plus à compenser l'élévation du plan d'eau comme cela a pu être le cas à d'autres périodes de l'Holocène. Les littoraux du Maroc n'échappent pas à cette érosion. Dans le cadre d'un développement durable du pays, sa prise en compte lors de l'aménagement touristique des côtes est primordiale. Les interventions de l'homme au niveau du bassin de la Moulouya ou au niveau de la côte ont accentué le phénomène érosif. L'anthropisation des côtes s'est particulièrement accrue au cours des dernières années. Elle a des impacts géomorphologiques et environnementaux considérables et quantifi ables au départ de documents télédétectés (couvrant plus de 50 ans). Ainsi, la nouvelle station balnéaire de Saïdia risque de se voir privée à moyen ou long terme de sa plage.

Definition Coastal boundaries delimit a geographical space and are defined by the distances of one or more areas on the coast, the sea or on its interface, on the order of a few hundred meters to many kilometers, average. Coastal boundaries can also extend and go inland by land, from the interior of the watersheds to the limit of a national jurisdiction into the sea. Most criteria for establishing coastal boundaries depend on several factors such as the set of specific problems, the uses of the territory, or the physical and geographical aspects that are relevant to each stretch of coast. Within it, the interaction between sea, land, and atmosphere is produced differently by the occurrence and direct effect of natural events or processes of anthropic origin. Inside coastal boundaries, exclusive forms of fragile ecosystems will be developed, and specific economic, social, and cultural relations are present. Sometimes, because of the complexity and drastic changes that occur in this space, coastal boundaries need to be systematically monitored to favor proper planning and supervision of the coastal marine space and its integrated management. When establishing limits in coastal municipalities , special attention should be paid to the local social component that interacts with the coastal resources.

CORTEZ, Rafael Henrique de Castro. Oceanographic characterization of a tidal inlet and the
nearby coastal zone: Barra de Guaratiba inlet, Sepetiba Bay, RJ. 2014. 131 f. Dissertação
(Mestrado em Oceanografia) – Faculdade de Oceanografia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de
Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 2014.
On the eastern boundary of Sepetiba bay lies a tidal channel system that debouches
into the ocean through a 4m-deep channel located in Barra de Guaratiba, between Marambaia
barrier island and the continent. With the main goal of contributing new information about the
oceanographic characteristics of this poorly studied area, sampling campaigns consisting of
anchor stations and transects located in the nearby coastal area. Two anchor stations placed at
the extremities of the tidal channel system, at its inner limit and at the Barra de Guaratiba
mouth, were simultaneously occupied for 50 and 25 hours, respectively, in October/2013 and
February/2014. Measurements were conducted under spring tide conditions and included
water level, currents, water properties (temperature, conductivity, transmissivity, fluorescence
and dissolved oxygen), suspended particulate concentration (SPM) and surface sediment.
Additionally, three transects extending for roughly 800m off the Barra de Guaratiba tidal
channel mouth were sampled in December/2013. The results have shown that the Barra de
Guaratiba tidal channel is highly dynamic with current speeds reaching 1.8 m·s-1 in
October/2013, when the passage of a cold front induced strong SW winds and increased
rainfall. During this same campaign a series of eddies were seen entering the channel,
carrying high concentrations (~9 g·L-1) of suspended sand. In February/2014, under
fairweather conditions, current speed reached 1.4 m·s-1. Both, in October/2013 and
February/2014, the strongest currents were measured during the time of current direction
inversion, roughly 1:45 hr before each high water, when water flows towards the ocean while
water level continuously rises. This counterintuitive behavior is possibly related to pressure
gradients developed inside Sepetiba bay due to the large volume of water that enters the bay
through its main connection with the sea at its western boundary, forcing the water flow
through the anastomosed tidal channels that discharge through Barra de Guaratiba. Temporal
variation of SPM concentration followed the current speed pattern, reaching the highest
values during ebb tides, when flows are more intense, suggesting local ressuspension and
advection of turbid waters from the bay. Barra de Guaratiba tidal channel also influences the
nearby coastal ocean as attested by the variability of the water properties measured in
December/2013, particularly along the transect that follows its main orientation. Moreover,
surface sediment grain size distribution also indicates the channel’s influence through the
increased occurrence of medium sands, similar to those found inside the channel, from
approximately 500m off the channel’s mouth. Winds play an important role in the channel’s
dynamics, intensifying the ebb/flood currents when aligned with their orientation. South
Atlantic Central Water (SACW) was found in the sampling campaigns inside Barra de
Guaratiba channel (February/2014) and in the coastal area (December/2013), when it was
detected close to the bottom of the outermost stations.
Keywords: Circulation. Suspended solids. Currents. Tides.

The process of erosion and accretion taking place along a stretch of coastline is governed by the geology of the area and the direction and strength of the wave attack. The Manzanilla beach is a very dynamic system owing to the open bay morphology, and being exposed to the Atlantic Ocean. The Las Cuevas beach is less dynamic, due to its embayed characteristic, and being open to the Caribbean Sea, a much smaller body of water. It is apparent that the interplay of coastal processes, sediment characteristics, and coastline orientation account for the variations in the intensity of the processes operating at each beach. The study seeks to explore the similarities and differences in processes at work in shaping these coastlines. This paper presents the data collected on coastal processes, sediment and morphological characteristics of both beaches.

Abstract The coastal zone of the Nile Delta is a promising
area for energy resources and industrial activities. It
also contains important wetland ecosystems. This coastal
area witnessed several changes during the last century.
A set of four satellite images from the multi-spectral
scanner (MSS), thematic mapper (TM) and Systeme Pour
l’Observation de la Terre (SPOT) sensors were utilized in
order to estimate the spatio-temporal changes that occurred
in the coastal zone between Damietta Nile branch and Port-
Said between 1973 and 2007. Image processing applied in
this study included geometric rectification; atmospheric
correction; on-screen shoreline digitizing of the 1973
(MSS) and 2007 (SPOT) images for tracking the shoreline
position between Damietta promontory and Port-Said; and
water index approach for quantifying Manzala lagoon
surface area change using 1973 (MSS), 1984 (TM) and
2003 (TM) images. Results showed that coastal erosion
was severe near Damietta promontory and decreased
eastward, however, accretion was observed near Port-Said.
About 50% of the coastal strip was under erosion and 13%
was under accretion. In addition, a remarkable decline
(34.5%) of the Manzala lagoon surface area was estimated.
These changes were attributed mainly to the control of the
River Nile flooding and the land use change by anthropogenic
activities.

in order to define the response of the beaches to major storms that occurred during the study. Two beaches are similar, the third differs in length and in the level of protection, being less than half the length of the others and devoid of an offshore submerged breakwater. The work was achieved by means of accurate topographic surveys intended to reconstruct the beach profile from the backshore up to the foreshore-upper shoreface transition (step). The surveys were performed with an RTK-GPS instrument, which provided extremely precise recording of the beach. The most significant features of the beaches were tracked during each survey; in particular, the landward foot of the storm berm, the crest of the storm berm, the coastline, and the step crest were monitored. Five cross-shore transects were traced on each beach. Along these transects, any meaningful slope change was recorded to obtain accurate sections of the beach. The field datasets were processed with AutoCAD software to compare the beach profile evolution during the year-long research. The results showed a comparable evolution of the twin beaches: the resulting storm berm retreat of about 15 to 19 m is a remarkable feature considering the coarse grain size and the offshore protection. Due to the absence of the breakwater, the third beach was characterized by even higher values of recession (over 20 m), and showed hints of wave reflection-related processes after the huge, steep storm berm had been formed and grown after the high energy events. These processes were not as evident on the twin beaches. These results underline the different response of three similar protection schemes, and the importance that frequent monitoring of the beach morphology holds when it comes to coastal management issues.

Substantial amounts of archaeological material have been found intermixed with beach pebbles and cobbles on the Tapes beach ridge at Longva on the island Flemsøya/Skuløya in Western Norway. The artefacts show that the beach ridge was settled in the Late Mesolithic. The most significant remains are fireplaces, birch bark from the floor of a tent/hut, fish sinkers and middens containing numerous waste flakes and lithic tools. Radiocarbon dating, mainly of burnt hazelnut shells, shows two periods of occupation. The older and longer period is dated to between 7600 and 6800 cal yr BP, and the younger phase to between 6200 and 5900 cal yr BP. Pollen analysis revealed open vegetation at the beach ridge during the occupation periods. Based on the beach ridge deposits and radiocarbon dates, we reconstructed the Tapes transgression maximum high tide sea level to 8.2e9.0 m between 7600 and 5600 cal yr BP. We conclude that the late Mesolithic inhabitants at Longva occupied the beach ridge while it was growing. During the largest storm surges e most likely to have been in the winter months e the sea would have washed over their settlements and deposited pebbles and cobbles on top of their remains. We suggest that the inhabitants abandoned the settlement before each stormy season, but returned and restored the site the following spring or summer.

The Wissant bay has a front shore composed of a sand coast in between cliff sections. It is affected by significant erosion that has caused the dyke that protects the seaside resort to collapse in 2000 and 2007. Such retreat of the coast is one of the most important to be observed in France. Numerous archaeological excavations have taken place in Wissant since the middle of the 19th century. Their purpose was to find the vestiges of the medieval harbour and of Caesar’s Portus Itius which is believed to be located in Wissant but has not been found so far. Data about human occupation and the evolution of the basin of Wissant show us the link between populations and the sea since the Neolithic. Occupation was at times favoured, at other times hindered by coastal dynamics since the beginning of the Holocene. The study of the site of Wissant is thus focused on the relation between man’s actions and natural phenomena. It includes combined study of the historical, archaeological, geomorphological data in relation with an overall geoarchaeological study of the bay.

In het onderzoek naar de ontwikkeling en bewoning van het terpen- en wierdenlandschap is landschappelijke interesse van oudsher een belangrijke drijfveer: Hoe is het voormalige kwelderlandschap ontstaan? Hoe voorzagen mensen in hun levensonderhoud in een kwelderlandschap? En hoe hebben mens en natuur elkaar door de tijd heen beïnvloed?
Nieuwe opgravingen leveren nog steeds nieuwe inzichten op, en dat geldt ook voor nieuwe onder-zoeks¬vragen die naar aanleiding van oude vondsten en opgravingsresultaten worden gesteld. Dat laatste heeft de laatste jaren veel nieuws gebracht. De belevings- en denkwereld van mensen in het verleden wordt een steeds belangrijker studie¬terrein. Aan de hand van archeologische resten blijken we daar meer over te weten kunnen komen dan in het verleden ooit voor mogelijk is gehouden.
Dit boek is een van de resultaten van het Waddenfondsproject Terpen- en Wierdenland. Het is gewijd aan de huidige stand van zaken in de moderne terp/wierdearcheologie en landschaps-geschiedenis. Het brengt de laatste inzichten uit het onderzoek naar het ontstaan van het landschap, het dagelijks leven van de terp/wierdebewoners, sociaal-politieke ontwikkelingen, en de veranderingen die plaatsvonden na de middeleeuwse bedijkingen. Zes dorpen fungeren daarbij als case-studies: Wijnaldum, Firdgum en Hallum in Friesland, en Ulrum, Warffum en Godlinze in Groningen. Samen geven ze een prachtig beeld van de archeologie en de landschapsgeschiedenis van het kustgebied van Noord-Nederland.

Este estudio comprende las zonas de Barú, Cartagena de Indias y Galerazamba, en el departamento de Bolívar, Colombia, y consiste en el análisis de la evolución morfodinámica de las playas de las zonas mencionadas. Estas playas fueron clasificadas como playas con material carbonatáceo, playas intervenidas y playas de alta energía, respectivamente. Las playas de Galerazamba están sometidas a la acción del oleaje directamente, en Cartagena las playas están protegidas por espolones y rompeolas en el sector sur de la zona; hacia el norte, las playas no tienen protección artificial. Barú presenta una barra arrecifal franjeante, a lo largo de la línea de costa, lo cual genera acción diferencial del oleaje. El análisis de las playas se desarrolló a partir de modelos que relacionan la acumulación de material en la berma de éstas al igual que en las zonas bajas del perfil. Estos modelos se construyeron a partir de perfiles de playa, levantados en estaciones de inicio dispuestas a lo largo de las playas, de las zonas estudiadas. Coherente con la metodología empleada, se realizó un levantamiento geomorfológico y definición histórica de las líneas de costa, en las zonas de estudio, a partir de fotografías aéreas e imágenes LANDSAT. Las playas de Cartagena y Galerazamba se ajustan al modelo propuesto por Komar (1976), el cual indica geometrías de perfiles asociadas a la dinámica del oleaje. Barú, por su parte, no es ajustable al modelo, debido a la presencia de un arrecife de coral adyacente a las playas que modifica las condiciones hidrodinámicas del oleaje. En general, las playas de Cartagena y Galerazamba muestran una tendencia a ser de naturaleza disipativa, evidencia de esto es el resultado de presentar barras litorales que mitigan la energía del oleaje. Los perfiles de playa de las zonas intervenidas de Cartagena, indican que los espolones afectan el proceso de sedimentación en las mismas al bloquear el paso de sedimentos trasportados por la corriente de la deriva litoral y de otras corrientes procedentes de mar adentro.

The coastal areas of Chia and Villasimius are respectively placed in the south-west and south-east of Sardinia. These areas include sites of significant importance, from an environmental, naturalistic and landscape points of view, which are part of the Natura 2000 network. In the last decades, these areas have been affected by a high tourist pressure, which resulted in profound qualitative and quantitative alterations of the sedimentary dynamics and coastal ecosystems balance. As a consequence European Structural Funds have been used since 2009 by the local governments for the conservation and restoration of dunal habitats. Therefore, the design and the implementation of bioengineering measures (use of natural materials such as reeds, wood and natural fibers blankets) have allowed the experts either to mitigate the erosion of the dunes or to trigger the processes of the primary frontal dunes growth, restoring as a consequence the natural dynamics that rule the functional relationships between the dunes and the beach. In a nutshell, these measures have generated some geomorphological, sedimentary and vegetation effects, which features and time vary according to the different areas of intervention, but, in general, have had significant positive impacts on the consolidation of the dunes and on the preservation of the beaches.

The coast of Galicia has more than 2.100 km for length. It is characterized by the chaining of rocky and sandy coast and it’s located in a high energy context, subject to the passage of depressions and marine storms. In the context of global change, it is essential to know the dynamics that interact in  the  Galician  coast  to  identify  the  most  vulnerable  sectors  in  the  present  and  prevent  potential negative consequences in the future. This study analyzes the vulnerability of coastal focusing on physical variables that affect at the first 100 meters of the coastal zone: slope, altitude, orientation, type of coast, lithology, change in the sea level, average wave height and the distance from de 20 meters bathymetric line. A coastal vulnerability index (CVI) is generated from the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) tools with values between 1 and 5, from lower to higher vulnerability.This  index  shows  that  4.52%  of  the  Galician  coast  territory  presents  values  of  high  or  very  high  vulnerability, mainly associated with sedimentary zones, while a majority of the coast (57,96%), frequently rocky coasts presented values of low vulnerability.

The Holocene sequence of the Lower Khuzestan plain in southwest Iran has been investigated in the context of coastal evolution and relative sea-level change. A literature review about the coastal evolution of the Shatt-el Arab region with respect to relative sea-level changes is provided. The sedimentary succession in undisturbed hand-operated cores and temporary outcrops is described and facies are identified on the basis of lithology, sedimentary structures and macrofossils. Four main sedimentary environments are interpreted from the Holocene sedimentary record of the plain: brackish tidal flat, elastic coastal sabkha, brackish-freshwater marsh and fluvial plain. The study of the vertical and spatial distribution of sedimentary facies, their environmental interpretation especially with respect to the relationship to tide levels is done for five different zones in the plain. Chronological control is provided by radiocarbon dates. On the basis of this analysis, palaeogeographical reconstructions of the Lower Khuzestan plain, and the northern extension of the Persian Gulf were made for different points in time between 8000 and 450 cal BP. This study shows that during the early and middle Holocene, the Lower Khuzestan plain was a low-energy tidal embayment under estuarine conditions. During the initial sea-level rise of the early Holocene, the coastline rapidly transgressed across the shelf, and drowning of a major valley resulted in the development of extended tidal flats. Deceleration of sea-level rise after approximately 5500 cal BP, together with probably more arid conditions, allowed coastal sabkhas to extend widely and to aggrade while the position of the coastline remained relatively stable. Continued deceleration of sea-level rise initiated the progradation of the coastline from ca. 2500 cal BP. The effect of sediment supply by the rivers became more important than the effect of relative sea-level rise. The Karun megafan developed under a decelerating rate of sea-level rise, controlling the avulsive shifting of the rivers Karkheh and Jarrahi and their loci of sediment input. Moreover, in this study it is suggested that a Holocene RSL highstand, above the present-day sea level, as suggested by previous workers, did not occur.
(c) 2007 Elsevier B.v. All rights reserved

We present the results of the geomorphological mapping of a region of the Dhofar (Sultanate of Oman) including two contrasting physiographic units sharing a common drainage system into the Arabian Sea: the Jebel Qara limestone massif and the coastal plain of Salalah. Neogene to Quaternary tectonic activity controlled the formation of an extensive system of faults and caused the uplift of the Jebel Qara, forming structural escarpments. The massif underwent karstification and subsequent linear erosion. Today the Jebel is cut by a dendritic net of dry valleys, occasionally dammed by calcareous tufa dams. The transition between the southern escarpment of the Jebel and the plain below displays flat alluvial fans, bordered by a strip of beachrock, coastal dunes, and coastal lagoons, located in correspondence to estuaries. Dramatic soil erosion is evident, linked to intense human-triggered zoogeomorphological processes started in the Mid-Late Holocene after the introduction of pastoral land-use.

Coastal boulder accumulations are often mentioned in the literature, even though their interpretation remains difficult, especially along rock coasts affected both by storms and tsunamis. Studies on the geomorphic impact of such high-energy events are actually of great interest, since their intensity and frequency are key issues for the future evolution of coasts in the framework of the global change. The southwest coast of Iceland faces the powerful storms of the North Atlantic Ocean, with wave heights of more than 15 m. The probability for past and present tsunamis to hit this coast is very low. In this paper, we describe boulder accumulations along the volcanic rock coast of Reykjanes (southwest Iceland). They consist of cliff-top boulders, clusters and ridges, beaches, and boulder fields. Large boulders, up to 70 t in weight, have been transported and deposited up to 65 m inland (6 masl). The maximum limit of boulder deposition and driftwood was found respectively 210 m and 550 m inland. Storms appear to be a predominant factor in the geomorphic evolution of Reykjanes coasts. Our observations also give new insight for the interpretation of coastal boulder accumulations. Processes of erosion and deposition by tsunamis are a rising topic in the literature, and the effects of recurrent and powerful storms are neglected.

The current study begins with the premise that the archaeological record is inherently biased by processes
of landscape evolution. Older archaeological deposits are frequently under-represented at the surface of the
modern landscape due to cyclical periods of erosion and deposition during the Holocene (<11,500 cal BP).
These geomorphic processes are well expressed in District 1 where the many high-relief river canyons have
undergone intense periods of erosion, removing once habitable terraces; and the inter-montane valleys became
sediment traps as floodplains and alluvial fans developed episodically over the last 15,000 years. Just as
importantly, the Pacific coastline in District 1 has progressively been inundated and eroded since sea-level began
to rise at the end of the Pleistocene, continuing to the present day. The net-effect of these changes is a loss of
many portions of the landscape once available for human occupation, as well as a modern ground surface made
up of a mosaic of ancient and recent landforms, each of which has very different potential to preserve a complete
record of human occupation.

The coastal zone is used extensively and increasingly for a large number of activities of which Ghana is not exclusive. These multiple uses are not always compatible and may result in a wide array of problems for resource users and decision-makers and the environment at large. Coastal land is used for human settlement, agriculture, trade, industry and amenity.

This manual describes the training process that emerged from the project and is for trainers who are involved in the training of individuals who play a role in coastal management. These individuals may be:

• government officers from a range of departments with interests which overlap with the coastal zone,

• scientists involved in studying coastal resources with a view to informing coastalpolicy and management interventions,

• members of civil society organisations representing particular interest groups on the coast, and/or

• politicians who are involved in making decisions that impact on coastal resources and populations.