Territorial governance of managed retreat in Sweden: addressing challenges

AbstractMany climate adaptation options currently being discussed in Sweden to meet the challenge of surging seas and inland flooding advocate holding the line through various hard and soft measures to stabilize the shoreline, while managed retreat is neither considered as feasible option nor has it been explicitly researched in Sweden. However, failure to consider future flooding from climate change in municipal planning may have dangerous and costly consequences when the water does come. We suggest that managed retreat practices are challenging in Sweden, not only due to public opinions but also because of a deficit of uptake of territorial knowledge by decision-makers and difficulties in realizing flexible planning options of the shoreline. A territorial governance framework was used as a heuristic to explore the challenges to managed retreat in four urban case studies (three municipalities and one county) representing different territorial, hydrological and oceanographic environments. This was done through a series of participatory stakeholder workshops. The analysis using a territorial governance framework based on dimensions of coordination, integration, mobilization, adaptation and realization presents variations in how managed retreat barriers and opportunities are perceived among case study sites, mainly due to the differing territorial or place-based challenges. The results also indicate common challenges regardless of the case study site, including coordination challenges and unclear responsibility, the need for integrated means of addressing goal conflicts and being able to adapt flexibly to existing regulations and plans. Yet rethinking how managed retreat could boost community resilience and help to implement long-term visions was seen as a way to deal with some of the territorial challenges.

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How Can Soil P Balance Influence Soil Test P? A case study from the Argentinian Pampas

10.24047/bc102411 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 102 (4) ◽

pp. 11-13

Author(s):

Florencia Sucunza ◽

Flavio Gutiérrez Boem ◽

Fernando García ◽

Miguel Boxler ◽

Gerardo Rubio

Keyword(s):

Soil Test ◽

Soil P ◽

Soil Test P ◽

P Balance ◽

Study Sites ◽

Single Response ◽

The Impact ◽

P Fertilizers

Data from long-term crop rotation study sites were combined to evaluate the effect of long-term application (and omission) of P fertilizers. The impact of maintaining either a negative or positive P balances on soil test P at five distinct sites was described by single response functions despite a range of differences in soil properties.

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Making Memories, Making Monuments: Changing Understandings of Henges in Prehistory and the Present

The Neolithic of Mainland Scotland ◽

10.3366/edinburgh/9780748685721.003.0007 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Rebecca K. Younger

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Critical Analysis ◽

Social Memory ◽

Early Bronze Age ◽

Late Neolithic ◽

Study Sites ◽

Fresh Insight ◽

Insight Into

This paper offers a fresh insight into three of Scotland’s most complex henge monuments, based on a critical analysis of the term henge. The late Neolithic circular earthwork enclosures have undergone re-evaluation in Scotland as Early Bronze Age dates for some sites have emerged since the 1990s, and the author draws on the long-term nature of these monuments to explore what came before the earthworks. Case-study sites are Cairnpapple Hill, North Mains and Forteviot henge 1. Each is explored in terms of the centuries of re-use of the space for activities such as ceremony, deposition, fire-setting and monument construction, and viewed through a framework of social memory and commemoration,

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Buying Time with Runnels: a Climate Adaptation Tool for Salt Marshes

Estuaries and Coasts ◽

10.1007/s12237-021-01028-8 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Alice F. Besterman ◽

Rachel W. Jakuba ◽

Wenley Ferguson ◽

Diana Brennan ◽

Joseph E. Costa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Salt Marsh ◽

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Salt Marshes ◽

Climate Adaptation ◽

Open Water ◽

Tidal Range ◽

Management Interventions

AbstractA prominent form of salt marsh loss is interior conversion to open water, driven by sea level rise in interaction with human activity and other stressors. Persistent inundation drowns vegetation and contributes to open water conversion in salt marsh interiors. Runnels are shallow channels originally developed in Australia to control mosquitoes by draining standing water, but recently used to restore marsh vegetation in the USA. Documentation on runnel efficacy is not widely available; yet over the past 10 years dozens of coastal adaptation projects in the northeastern USA have incorporated runnels. To better understand the efficacy of runnels used for restoration, we organized a workshop of 70 experts and stakeholders in coastal resource management. Through the workshop we developed a collective understanding of how runnels might be used to slow or reverse open water conversion, and identified unresolved questions. In this paper we present a synthesis of workshop discussions and results from a promising case study in which vegetation was restored at a degraded marsh within a few years of runnel construction. Despite case study outcomes, key questions remain on long-term runnel efficacy in marshes differing in elevation, tidal range, and management history. Runnel construction is unlikely to improve long-term marsh resilience alone, as it cannot address underlying causes of open water conversion. As a part of holistic climate planning that includes other management interventions, runnels may “buy time” for salt marshes to respond to management action, or adapt to sea level rise.

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Assessment and comparison of extreme sea levels and waves during the 2013/14 storm season in two UK coastal regions

Natural Hazards and Earth System Science ◽

10.5194/nhess-15-2209-2015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 15 (10) ◽

pp. 2209-2225 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

M. P. Wadey ◽

J. M. Brown ◽

I. D. Haigh ◽

T. Dolphin ◽

P. Wisse

Keyword(s):

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Data Sets ◽

Return Periods ◽

Data Set ◽

Sea Levels ◽

Extreme Sea Levels ◽

Study Sites

Abstract. The extreme sea levels and waves experienced around the UK's coast during the 2013/14 winter caused extensive coastal flooding and damage. Coastal managers seek to place such extremes in relation to the anticipated standards of flood protection, and the long-term recovery of the natural system. In this context, return periods are often used as a form of guidance. This paper provides these levels for the winter storms, and discusses their application to the given data sets for two UK case study sites: Sefton, northwest England, and Suffolk, east England. Tide gauge records and wave buoy data were used to compare the 2013/14 storms with return periods from a national data set, and also joint probabilities of sea level and wave heights were generated, incorporating the recent events. The 2013/14 high waters and waves were extreme due to the number of events, as well as the extremity of the 5 December 2013 "Xaver" storm, which had a high return period at both case study sites. The national-scale impact of this event was due to its coincidence with spring high tide at multiple locations. Given that this event is such an outlier in the joint probability analyses of these observed data sets, and that the season saw several events in close succession, coastal defences appear to have provided a good level of protection. This type of assessment could in the future be recorded alongside defence performance and upgrade. Ideally other variables (e.g. river levels at estuarine locations) would also be included, and with appropriate offsetting for local trends (e.g. mean sea-level rise) so that the storm-driven component of coastal flood events can be determined. This could allow long-term comparison of storm severity, and an assessment of how sea-level rise influences return levels over time, which is important for consideration of coastal resilience in strategic management plans.

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Assessing Impacts of Soil Management Measures on Ecosystem Services

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su10124416 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 4416 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Gudrun Schwilch ◽

Tatenda Lemann ◽

Örjan Berglund ◽

Carlo Camarotto ◽

Artemi Cerdà ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Comprehensive Evaluation ◽

Natural Capital ◽

Soil Management ◽

Management Measures ◽

Study Sites ◽

Property Changes ◽

The Impact

Only a few studies have quantified and measured ecosystem services (ES) specifically related to soil. To address this gap, we have developed and applied a methodology to assess changes in ecosystem services, based on measured or estimated soil property changes that were stimulated by soil management measures (e.g., mulching, terracing, no-till). We applied the ES assessment methodology in 16 case study sites across Europe representing a high diversity of soil threats and land use systems. Various prevention and remediation measures were trialled, and the changes in manageable soil and other natural capital properties were measured and quantified. An Excel tool facilitated data collection, calculation of changes in ecosystem services, and visualization of measured short-term changes and estimated long-term changes at plot level and for the wider area. With this methodology, we were able to successfully collect and compare data on the impact of land management on 15 different ecosystem services from 26 different measures. Overall, the results are positive in terms of the impacts of the trialled measures on ecosystem services, with 18 out of 26 measures having no decrease in any service at the plot level. Although methodological challenges remain, the ES assessment was shown to be a comprehensive evaluation of the impacts of the trialled measures, and also served as an input to a stakeholder valuation of ecosystem services at local and sub-national levels.

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Assessment and comparison of extreme sea levels and waves during the 2013/2014 storm season in two UK coastal regions

Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences Discussions ◽

10.5194/nhessd-3-2665-2015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 3 (4) ◽

pp. 2665-2708 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

M. P. Wadey ◽

J. M. Brown ◽

I. D. Haigh ◽

T. Dolphin ◽

P. Wisse

Keyword(s):

Sea Level ◽

Return Period ◽

Data Sets ◽

Return Periods ◽

National Scale ◽

Sea Levels ◽

Extreme Sea Levels ◽

Study Sites

Abstract. The extreme sea levels and waves experienced around the UK's coast during the 2013/2014 winter caused extensive coastal flooding and damage. In such circumstances, coastal managers seek to place such extremes in relation to the anticipated standards of flood protection, and the long-term recovery of the natural system. In this context, return periods are often used as a form of guidance. We therefore provide these levels for the winter storms, as well as discussing their application to the given data sets and case studies (two UK case study sites: Sefton, northwest England; and Suffolk, east England). We use tide gauge records and wave buoy data to compare the 2013/2014 storms with return periods from a national dataset, and also generate joint probabilities of sea level and waves, incorporating the recent events. The UK was hit at a national scale by the 2013/2014 storms, although the return periods differ with location. We also note that the 2013/2014 high water and waves were extreme due to the number of events, as well as the extremity of the 5 December 2013 "Xaver" storm, which had a very high return period at both case study sites. Our return period analysis shows that the national scale impact of this event is due to its coincidence with spring high tide at multiple locations as the tide and storm propagated across the continental shelf. Given that this event is such an outlier in the joint probability analyses of these observed data sets, and that the season saw several events in close succession, coastal defences appear to have provided a good level of protection. This type of assessment should be recorded alongside details of defence performance and upgrade, with other variables (e.g. river levels at estuarine locations) included and appropriate offsetting for linear trends (e.g. mean sea level rise) so that the storm-driven component of coastal flood events can be determined. Local offsetting of the mean trends in sea level allows long-term comparison of storm severity and also enables an assessment of how sea level rise is influencing return levels over time, which is important when considering long-term coastal resilience in strategic management plans.

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Implications of spatial distribution of rockfall reconstructed by dendrogeomorphological methods

Natural Hazards and Earth System Science ◽

10.5194/nhess-13-1817-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 1817-1826 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

K. Šilhán ◽

T. Pánek ◽

J. Hradecký

Keyword(s):

Pinus Nigra ◽

Precise Determination ◽

Spatial Reconstruction ◽

Pine Trees ◽

Case Study Site ◽

Talus Slope ◽

Old Trees

Abstract. Rockfall is a dangerous geomorphological process. The prediction of potentially threatened areas requires thorough reconstruction of spatial rockfall activity. Dendrogeomorphic methods allow precise determination of both temporal and spatial occurrences of rockfall without the necessity of long-term monitoring. At the case-study site of Taraktash, located among southern slopes of the Crimean Mountains, 114 Crimean pine trees (Pinus nigra ssp. pallasiana) were sampled on a talus slope located under a 150 m high rockwall. Based on their age, the trees were divided into two distinct groups (young and old trees). Considerable disturbance in the age structure of the trees on the talus was probably caused by a series of strong earthquakes. Major differences were identified in the ability of young and old trees to record a rockfall event. We found that in the first decades of their growth, the ability of the studied P. nigra to record rockfall events gradually increased. The trees showed the highest sensitivity at the age of 80 to 90 yr; after that age their sensitivity gradually decreases. Two indicators were selected for the spatial reconstruction of rockfall events (the number of rockfall events per tree and recurrence interval). The highest activity was identified on the talus using selected indicators.

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Impacts of Danjiangkou reservoir on sediment regime of the Hanjiang River

Hydrology Research ◽

10.2166/nh.2011.122 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 43 (1-2) ◽

pp. 64-72 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Guobin Lu ◽

Jun Wang ◽

Qiongfang Li ◽

Jianhua Zhao ◽

Meixiu Yu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sediment Load ◽

Driving Forces ◽

Population Increase ◽

Danjiangkou Reservoir ◽

Dam Building ◽

Hanjiang River ◽

Study Sites ◽

Sediment Data

With population increase and economic growth, the development of water resources and hydropower resources of the Hanjiang River has been intensified by dam building, and consequently the sediment regime of the Hanjiang River has been altered to some extent. To assess dam-induced alterations in the sediment regime of the Hanjiang River quantitatively, we selected three key hydrological stations (Baihe, Huangzhuang and Xiantao) as case study sites above and below the Danjiangkou reservoir respectively, and the whole study period was divided into two sub-periods according to the year when the reservoir started to store water. On the basis of time series of daily sediment data from the three stations, the alterations in their annual, seasonal, monthly and daily sediment load, and the relationships between water quantity and sediment load in different sub-periods were investigated, and the driving forces for the alterations were also explored. The output of this paper could provide reference for the assessment of the impacts of human activities on the long-term health and stability of the Hanjiang River ecosystem.

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Historical Suitability and Sustainability of Sicani Mountains Landscape (Western Sicily): An Integrated Approach of Phytosociology and Archaeobotany

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12083201 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (8) ◽

pp. 3201 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Giuseppe Bazan ◽

Claudia Speciale ◽

Angelo Castrorao Barba ◽

Salvatore Cambria ◽

Roberto Miccichè ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Middle Ages ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Rural Community ◽

Integrated Approach ◽

Case Study Site ◽

Western Sicily ◽

Ongoing Project ◽

Vegetation Series

Since 2015, the ongoing project “Harvesting Memories” has been focused on long-term landscape dynamics in Sicani Mountains (Western Sicily). Archaeological excavations in the case study site of Contrada Castro (Corleone) have investigated a settlement which was mainly occupied during the Early Middle Ages (late 8th–11th century AD). This paper aims to understand the historical suitability and sustainability of this area analysing the correlation between the current dynamics of plant communities and the historical use of woods detected by the archaeobotanical record. An integrated approach between phytosociology and archaeobotany has been applied. The vegetation series of the study area has been used as a model to understand the ecological meaning and spatial distribution of archaeobotanical data on charcoals from the Medieval layers of the Contrada Castro site. The intersection between the frequency data of the archaeobotanical record and the phytosociological analysis have confirmed the maintenance of the same plant communities during the last millennium due to the sustainable exploitation of wood resources. An integrated comparison between the structure and composition of current phytocoenoses with archaeobotanical data allowed us to confirm that this landscape is High Nature Value (HNV) farmland and to interpret the historical vegetation dynamics linked to the activities and economy of a rural community.

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Nature-based solutions for water resource management in the urban fringe

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-10553 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Amy Oen ◽

Sarah Hale

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

South Africa ◽

Water Quality ◽

Water Scarcity ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Water Cycle ◽

Urban Fringe ◽

Case Study Site ◽

Study Sites

A research project called "Nature based solutions for water management in the peri-urban: linking ecological, social and economic dimensions (NATWIP)" started in 2019 and has the overall goal of: contributing to closing the water cycle gap by exploring the potential that nature-based solutions (NBS) offer to address water management challenges in landscape areas that have been neglected because they lie in the transition zones between the urban and the rural. Since NBS have most commonly been applied in urban areas, it is interesting to broaden the focus to assess the application of NBS on the outskirts of urban areas or the urban fringe as such areas are often affected by expansion processes of the city. Furthermore, these areas have historically played important roles in development and sustenance of urban centres, provision of water-related ecosystem services, particularly water supply, wastewater management and flood control.Key NATWIP activities include the establishment of a methodological framework to analyse the social, economic and ecological sustainability dimensions of NBS and subsequently to apply the framework at case study sites in Norway, Sweden, Brazil, India, South Africa and Spain. These case study sites present very diverse water management problems as well as NBS. As more emphasis is placed on the use of NBS in the Nordic countries it is important to identify successful mechanisms for their implementation and monitoring. The case study site in Norway, Skien, represents a highly relevant urban challenge to balance water quality and the increases of water quantity as a result of climate change. This site focuses on the opening of a buried river using blue-green infrastructure as a catalyst for city development. In Sweden rain water harvesting in Gotland has been used in order to address water shortages caused by drought as well as water excess.The other case studies sites present interesting examples where the framework is used to explore potential management practices that Nordic countries could learn from. In Spain, the Barcelona Metropolitan backbone is home to green-blue infrastructure and a variety of NBS that aim to improve environmental quality and water cycle management. The Brazilian case study focuses on the most advanced Payment for Environmental Service initiative in Latin America. Through this project, fees collected from water users pay farmers to conserve and restore riparian forests on their lands. In India rainwater harvesting is used to combat water scarcity and compromised water quality in new peri-urban areas. Two case studies in South Africa show how NBS can address the problems of water scarcity in combination with increasingly variable rainfall, frequent drought and floods as well as growing water demand.Results from the first assessment of these case study sites will be presented to highlight similarities, differences, challenges, as well as potential synergies for learning from the different case study site contexts.

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