Oceanographic, ecological, and socio-economic impacts of an unusual summer storm in the Mackenzie Estuary

With increased warming and open water due to climate change, the frequency and intensity of storm surges is expected to increase. Although studies have shown that strong storms can negatively impact Arctic ecosystems, the impact of storms on Arctic marine mammals is relatively unknown. In July 2016, an unusually large storm occurred in the Mackenzie Delta while instrumented seabed moorings equipped with hydrophones and oceanographic sensors were in place to study environmental drivers of beluga habitat use during their summer aggregation. The storm lasted up to 88 h, with maximum wind speeds reaching 60 km/h; historical wind data from Tuktoyaktuk revealed a storm of similar duration has not occurred in July in at least the past 28 years. This provided a unique opportunity to study the impacts of large storms on oceanographic conditions, beluga habitat use, and the traditional subsistence hunt that occurs annually in the delta. The storm resulted in increased water levels and localized flooding as well as a significant drop in water temperature (∼10 °C) and caused belugas to leave the area for 5 days. Although belugas returned after the storm ended, the subsistence hunt was halted resulting in the lowest beluga harvest between 1978 and 2017.

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PRE- and POST-STORM LiDAR SURVEYS FOR ASSESSMENT OF IMPACT ON COASTAL EROSION

ISPRS - International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences ◽

10.5194/isprs-archives-xlii-3-w8-261-2019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol XLII-3/W8 ◽

pp. 261-266

Author(s):

A.-L. Montreuil ◽

M. Chen ◽

A. Esquerré ◽

R. Houthuys ◽

R. Moelans ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

Morphological Changes ◽

Storm Surges ◽

High Water ◽

Water Levels ◽

Airborne Lidar ◽

Coastline Change ◽

The Mean ◽

The Impact

Abstract. Sustainable management of the coastal resources requires a better understanding of the processes that drive coastline change. The coastline is a highly dynamic sea-terrestrial interface. It is affected by forcing factors such as water levels, waves, winds, and the highest and most severe changes occur during storm surges. Extreme storms are drivers responsible for rapid and sometimes dramatic changes of the coastline. The consequences of the impacts from these events entail a broad range of social, economic and natural resource considerations from threats to humans, infrastructure and habitats. This study investigates the impact of a severe storm on coastline response on a sandy multi-barred beach at the Belgian coast. Airborne LiDAR surveys acquired pre- and post-storm covering an area larger than 1 km2 were analyzed and reproducible monitoring solutions adapted to assess beach morphological changes were applied. Results indicated that the coast retreated by a maximum of 14.7 m where the embryo dunes in front of the fixed dunes were vanished and the foredune undercut. Storm surge and wave attacks were probably the most energetic there. However, the response of the coastline proxies associated with the mean high water line (MHW) and dunetoe (DuneT) was spatially variable. Based on the extracted beach features, good correlations (r>0.73) were found between coastline, berm and inner intertidal bar morphology, while it was weak with the most seaward bars covered in the surveys. This highlights the role of the upper features on the beach to protect the coastline from storm erosion by reducing wave energy. The findings are of critical importance in improving our knowledge and forecasting of coastline response to storms, and also in its translation into management practices.

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Impact of the Swansea Bay Lagoon on Storm Surges in the Bristol Channel

Volume 10: Ocean Renewable Energy ◽

10.1115/omae2019-95075 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Qian Ma ◽

Tulio Marcondes Moreira ◽

Thomas A. A. Adcock

Keyword(s):

Numerical Model ◽

Storm Surges ◽

Tidal Energy ◽

Water Levels ◽

Small Scale ◽

Surrounding Area ◽

The Past ◽

Operating Strategies ◽

Swansea Bay ◽

The Impact

Abstract The proposed Swansea Bay tidal energy lagoon is an example of a relatively small-scale tidal barrage demonstrator project. A key concern with this technology is that such structures may exacerbate other environmental problems. However, such structures might also create beneficial environmental effects in some areas, such as mitigating the impact of storm surges. In this paper we model the hydrodynamics of the Swansea lagoon and surrounding area using a depth-averaged numerical model. We simulate a number of storm surge events from the past 40 years and analyse how the presence of the Swansea Lagoon (under various operating strategies) modifies the resulting water levels.

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Model Sensitivity during Extreme Positive and Negative Surges in the Río de la Plata Estuary: Highlighting the Need for an Appropriate Hindcast/Forecast System

Weather and Forecasting ◽

10.1175/waf-d-19-0171.1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (3) ◽

pp. 1097-1112 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Matías G. Dinápoli ◽

Claudia G. Simionato ◽

Diego Moreira

Keyword(s):

Water Level ◽

Surface Pressure ◽

Numerical Solutions ◽

Storm Surges ◽

Water Levels ◽

Wind Forcing ◽

Rio De La Plata ◽

Río De La Plata ◽

La Plata ◽

The Impact

Abstract The large and fast-flowing Río de la Plata (RdP) estuary is affected by extreme storm surges (above ±2 m with respect to tidal datum), which have large impacts on the millions of inhabitants and for navigation. In this work the Coastal and Regional Ocean Community Model (CROCO) numerical model was modified and implemented as a set of regional one-way nested 2D applications for the hindcast/forecast of water level in the RdP. A sensitivity analysis (SA) was carried out to determine the impact on the numerical solutions of the uncertainties in the different modeling parameter forcings and to highlight the need for the construction of a modeling system that provides meaningful information to the potential users. The SA included the friction coefficients, the wind speed and direction, the atmospheric surface pressure, and the continental discharge. Water level is most sensitive to uncertainties in the wind forcing; even small changes in this input can create large errors in the water level forecast/hindcast. Forcing with different analyses’ wind products yielded differences of up to 50% in the peak water levels. Results also showed that the modeling system requires a reasonable adjustment of the bottom friction parameters; that it is important to include the atmospheric surface pressure forcing; and that, from the point of view of water level forecast, it is not necessary to couple a hydrological model in spite of the enormous runoff of this estuary. Given the strong sensitivity to errors in the wind forcing, we believe it is important to provide estimates of uncertainty together with hindcast/forecast water level for these predictions to be of greatest quality and practical applicability.

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Impact of vessel traffic on the home ranges and movement of shorthorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpius) in the nearshore environment of the high Arctic

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/cjfas-2017-0418 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 75 (12) ◽

pp. 2390-2400 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Silviya V. Ivanova ◽

Steven T. Kessel ◽

Justin Landry ◽

Caitlin O’Neill ◽

Montana F. McLean ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Acoustic Telemetry ◽

Open Water ◽

High Arctic ◽

The Arctic ◽

Environmental Drivers ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Shorthorn Sculpin ◽

Arctic Fish ◽

Myoxocephalus Scorpius ◽

The Impact

Sea ice reduction in the Arctic is allowing for increased vessel traffic and activity. Vessel noise is a known anthropogenic disturbance, but its effects on Arctic fish are largely unknown. Using acoustic telemetry — Vemco positioning system — we quantified the home ranges and fine-scale movement types (MT) of shorthorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpius), a common benthic Arctic fish, in response to vessels and environmental drivers during open water over 3 years (2012–2014). Low overlap of core home ranges (50%) for all years and a change of overall MT proportions (significant in 2012 only) were observed when vessels were present compared with absent. However, changes in MTs associated with vessel presence were not consistent between years. Photoperiod was the only environmental driver that influenced (R2 = 0.32) MTs of sculpin. This is the first study of vessel impacts on Arctic fish using acoustic telemetry and demonstrates that individuals alter their behavior and home ranges when vessels are present. Given increasing vessel traffic in the Arctic, additional study on the impact of vessels on these ecosystems is warranted.

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Rewet or not – insights on spatiotemporal patterns of greenhouse gas fluxes from soils in a rewetted Danish forested wetland

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-10997 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Klaus Steenberg Larsen ◽

Jesper Riis Christiansen

Keyword(s):

Soil Carbon ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Primary Source ◽

Hydrological Regime ◽

Open Water ◽

Environmental Drivers ◽

Forested Wetland ◽

Flux Measurements ◽

Spatio Temporal ◽

The Impact

Previously drained forested wetlands around the world are being restored for biodiversity, but our knowledge on the impact of restored hydrology on the total greenhouse gas (GHG) budget in these systems remains fragmented. Whereas the reduction in the net CO2 emission upon rewetting is well documented, the magnitude of the effect on the microbial production of CH4 and N2O is much more uncertain. This is partly because GHG fluxes, especially for CH4 and N2O, exhibit a highly dynamic spatiotemporal variation tied to the soil hydrological regime. To capture this variation properly a high number of flux measurements in time and space is needed, but many field studies are still highly limited in terms of their spatio-temporal coverage. This hiatus of field data is a primary source of uncertainty in model projections of impacts on the GHG budgets when restoring natural hydrology in drained wetlands.We use a novel automatic chamber measurement system (SkyLine2D) connected to a Picarro G2508 analyzer for CO2, CH4 and N2O flux measurements in a rewetted Danish forest wetland. With this system, we wish to resolve the little known spatio-temporal patterns of these GHGs and their relationship with environmental drivers such as soil moisture, water table, temperature, and soil carbon content. A total of 30 measurement plots, each measured 5 times per day over a period approaching 1 year (> 40,000 measurements), were placed along a 30 meter transect covering a soil hydrological gradient including well-drained, waterlogged and open water conditions. The gradient also spans a soil carbon gradient increasing from well-drained mineral soils, over gleysols to waterlogged histosols.Based on the novel, high-frequency flux data of CO2, CH4 and N2O we will present a detailed analysis of the relationship with soil hydrology and temperature over periods spanning from hours to months. The data produced by this gradient approach combined with automated measurements represents an important step towards developing improved ecosystems models that can better predict the GHG effect of rewetting previously drained wetlands.

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The Increased Risk of Flooding in Hampton Roads: On the Roles of Sea Level Rise, Storm Surges, Hurricanes, and the Gulf Stream

Marine Technology Society Journal ◽

10.4031/mtsj.52.2.6 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 52 (2) ◽

pp. 34-44 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Tal Ezer

Keyword(s):

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Gulf Stream ◽

Storm Surges ◽

Water Levels ◽

Tropical Storms ◽

Tidal Flooding ◽

Hampton Roads ◽

Elevated Water ◽

The Impact

AbstractThe impact of sea level rise on increased tidal flooding and storm surges in the Hampton Roads region is demonstrated, using ~90 years of water level measurements in Norfolk, Virginia. Impacts from offshore storms and variations in the Gulf Stream (GS) are discussed as well, in view of recent studies that show that weakening in the flow of the GS (daily, interannually, or decadal) is often related to elevated water levels along the U.S. East Coast. Two types of impacts from hurricanes on flooding in Hampton Roads are demonstrated here. One type is when a hurricane like Isabel (2003) makes a landfall and passes near the Chesapeake Bay, causing a large but short-term (hours to a day) storm surge. The second type is when Atlantic hurricanes like Joaquin (2015) or Matthew (2016) stay offshore for a relatively long time, disrupting the flow of the GS and leading to a longer period (several days or more) of higher water levels and tidal flooding. Analysis of the statistics of tropical storms and hurricanes since the 1970s shows that, since the 1990s, there is an increase in the number of days when intense hurricanes (Categories 3‐5) are found in the subtropical western North Atlantic. The observed Florida Current transport since the 1980s often shows less transport and elevated water levels when tropical storms and hurricanes pass near the GS. Better understanding of the remote influence of the GS and offshore storms will improve future prediction of flooding and help mitigation and adaptation efforts.

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IMPACT ASSESSMENT ON STORM SURGE RISKS TO CONTAINERS CONSIDERING GLOBAL WARMING

Proceedings of International Conference "Managinag risks to coastal regions and communities in a changinag world" (EMECS'11 - SeaCoasts XXVI) ◽

10.21610/conferencearticle_58b4315a27744 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Rikito Hisamatsu ◽

Kei Horie ◽

Kei Horie

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Global Warming ◽

Storm Surge ◽

Storm Surges ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Inundation Depth ◽

Risk Assessment Tools ◽

Risk Maps ◽

The Impact ◽

Vulnerability Functions

Container yards tend to be located along waterfronts that are exposed to high risk of storm surges. However, risk assessment tools such as vulnerability functions and risk maps for containers have not been sufficiently developed. In addition, damage due to storm surges is expected to increase owing to global warming. This paper aims to assess storm surge impact due to global warming for containers located at three major bays in Japan. First, we developed vulnerability functions for containers against storm surges using an engineering approach. Second, we simulated storm surges at three major bays using the SuWAT model and taking global warming into account. Finally, we developed storm surge risk maps for containers based on current and future situations using the vulnerability function and simulated inundation depth. As a result, we revealed the impact of global warming on storm surge risks for containers quantitatively.

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Resilience Against COVID-19: How Italy Faced the Pandemic in Pediatric Orthopedics and Traumatology

Children ◽

10.3390/children8070530 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (7) ◽

pp. 530

Author(s):

Giovanni Trisolino ◽

Renato Maria Toniolo ◽

Lorenza Marengo ◽

Daniela Dibello ◽

Pasquale Guida ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Trauma Surgery ◽

Nationwide Survey ◽

Emergency Department Visits ◽

Pediatric Orthopedics ◽

Significant Drop ◽

Surgical Interventions ◽

Pediatric Orthopedic ◽

Orthopedic Patients ◽

The Impact ◽

Second Wave

Background: We aimed to investigate the variation of medical and surgical activities in pediatric orthopedics in Italy, during the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, in comparison with data from the previous two years. The differences among the first wave, phase 2 and second wave were also analyzed. Methods: We conducted a retrospective multicenter study regarding the clinical and surgical activities in pediatric orthopedics during the pandemic and pre-pandemic period. The hospital databases of seven tertiary referral centers for pediatric orthopedics and traumatology were queried for events regarding pediatric orthopedic patients from 1 March 2018 to 28 February 2021. Surgical procedures were classified according to the “SITOP Priority Panel”. An additional classification in “high-priority” and “low-priority” surgery was also applied. Results: Overall, in 2020, we observed a significant drop in surgical volumes compared to the previous two years. The decrease was different across the different classes of priority, with “high-priority” surgery being less influenced. The decrease in emergency department visits was almost three-fold greater than the decrease in trauma surgery. During the second wave, a lower decline in surgical interventions and a noticeable resumption of “low-priority” surgery and outpatient visits were observed. Conclusion: Our study represents the first nationwide survey quantifying the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric orthopedics and traumatology during the first and second wave.

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Impacts of Environmental Factors on Head and Neck Cancer Pathogenesis and Progression

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells10020389 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 389

Author(s):

Marisol Miranda-Galvis ◽

Reid Loveless ◽

Luiz Paulo Kowalski ◽

Yong Teng

Keyword(s):

Head And Neck Cancer ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Head And Neck ◽

Neck Cancer ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Metastatic Cancer ◽

Environmental Drivers ◽

Cancer Pathogenesis ◽

Gene Environment ◽

The Impact

Epidemiological and clinical studies over the past two decades have provided strong evidence that genetic elements interacting with environmental components can individually and collectively influence one’s susceptibility to cancer. In addition to tumorigenic properties, numerous environmental factors, such as nutrition, chemical carcinogens, and tobacco/alcohol consumption, possess pro-invasive and pro-metastatic cancer features. In contrast to traditional cancer treatment, modern therapeutics not only take into account an individual’s genetic makeup but also consider gene–environment interactions. The current review sharpens the focus by elaborating on the impact that environmental factors have on the pathogenesis and progression of head and neck cancer and the underlying molecular mechanisms involved. Recent advances, challenges, and future perspectives in this area of research are also discussed. Inhibiting key environmental drivers of tumor progression should yield survival benefits for patients at any stage of head and neck cancer.

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Prognosis of water levels in a moor groundwater system influenced by hydrology and water extraction using an artificial neural network

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-3013 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sascha Flaig ◽

Timothy Praditia ◽

Alexander Kissinger ◽

Ulrich Lang ◽

Sergey Oladyshkin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Neural Network ◽

Artificial Neural Network ◽

Mean Squared Error ◽

Meteorological Data ◽

Water Levels ◽

Typical Structure ◽

Water Abstraction ◽

Physical Knowledge ◽

Artificial Neural ◽

The Impact

In order to prevent possible negative impacts of water abstraction in an ecologically sensitive moor south of Munich (Germany), a &#8220;predictive control&#8221; scheme is in place. We design an artificial neural network (ANN) to provide predictions of moor water levels and to separate hydrological from anthropogenic effects. As the moor is a dynamic system, we adopt the &#8222;Long short-term memory&#8220; architecture.To find the best LSTM setup, we train, test and compare LSTMs with two different structures: (1) the non-recurrent one-to-one structure, where the series of inputs are accumulated and fed into the LSTM; and (2) the recurrent many-to-many structure, where inputs gradually enter the LSTM (including LSTM forecasts from previous forecast time steps). The outputs of our LSTMs then feed into a readout layer that converts the hidden states into water level predictions. We hypothesize that the recurrent structure is the better structure because it better resembles the typical structure of differential equations for dynamic systems, as they would usually be used for hydro(geo)logical systems. We evaluate the comparison with the mean squared error as test metric, and conclude that the recurrent many-to-many LSTM performs better for the analyzed complex situations. It also produces plausible predictions with reasonable accuracy for seven days prediction horizon.Furthermore, we analyze the impact of preprocessing meteorological data to evapotranspiration data using typical ETA models. Inserting knowledge into the LSTM in the form of ETA models (rather than implicitly having the LSTM learn the ETA relations) leads to superior prediction results. This finding aligns well with current ideas on physically-inspired machine learning.As an additional validation step, we investigate whether our ANN is able to correctly identify both anthropogenic and natural influences and their interaction. To this end, we investigate two comparable pumping events under different meteorological conditions. Results indicate that all individual and combined influences of input parameters on water levels can be represented well. The neural networks recognize correctly that the predominant precipitation and lower evapotranspiration during one pumping event leads to a lower decrease of the hydrograph.To further demonstrate the capability of the trained neural network, scenarios of pumping events are created and simulated.In conclusion, we show that more robust and accurate predictions of moor water levels can be obtained if available physical knowledge of the modeled system is used to design and train the neural network. The artificial neural network can be a useful instrument to assess the impact of water abstraction by quantifying the anthropogenic influence.

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