Coastal accretion and sea-level rise in the Cuban Archipelago obtained from sedimentary records

The Holocene ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (9) ◽  
pp. 1233-1242
Author(s):  
Misael Díaz-Asencio ◽  
Maickel Armenteros ◽  
José A. Corcho-Alvarado ◽  
Ana Carolina Ruiz-Fernández ◽  
Joan-Albert Sanchez-Cabeza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Sedimentary Process ◽  
Sedimentary Records ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Continuous Record ◽  
Primary Mineral ◽  
Instrumental Records ◽  
Santa Maria

Sea-level rise (SLR) is one of the most pervasive consequences of global warming, and the Cuban Archipelago is threatened by current and future SLR. In order to support adaptation plans, it is essential to have reliable information about sea-level change during the last decades at the local scale, particularly in the most vulnerable regions. Here, we use sedimentary records to evaluate coastal accretion and to estimate the relative sea-level rise (RSLR) in two vulnerable coastal sites in central Cuba: Cayo Santa María (CSM) and Península de Ancón (PA). Both sites showed sediment sections with a continuous record of sediment accretion as a result of relative SLR and tropical storms. The sedimentary process was different between CSM and PA owing to differences in geomorphology and primary mineral composition. Sedimentary records also showed recent impacts of anthropogenic activities, likely increasing the vulnerability of the shoreline to SLR. The estimated RSLR values agreed with tidal gauge records, although they spanned a much longer time period (CSM: 0.5 ± 0.1 mm a−1, span of 38 years; PA: 1.5 ± 0.3 mm a−1, span of 92 years). Our results confirm that this methodology may be used to estimate the RSLR in places where data by instrumental records do not exist.

scholarly journals Impact of Anthropogenic Activities and Sea Level Rise on a Lagoon System: Model and Field Observations

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1393
Author(s):  
Cuiping Kuang ◽  
Xin Cong ◽  
Zhichao Dong ◽  
Qingping Zou ◽  
Huaming Zhan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Sediment Supply ◽  
Tidal Asymmetry ◽  
Natural Time ◽  
Geomorphological Evolution

The long-term geomorphological evolution of a coastal lagoon is driven by hydrodynamic forcing and is influenced by climate changes and human activities. In this study, a numerical model of the Qilihai lagoon (QL) system was established based on field measurements, previous hydrology data and satellite remote sensing measurements, to simulate the geomorphological evolution of QL from 1900 to 2018. The influences of sea level rise, runoff and human activities on the evolution of geomorphology were investigated. The results of the model show that the construction projects including the tide gate, the bridge, reclamation and the straightening or widening of the tidal channel increased the net deposition within the QL system. Furthermore, the spatial distribution of tidal asymmetry during the natural time period was similar to that of the change in bed thickness. However, bed erosion or deposition was not only dependent on tidal asymmetry but it was also affected by the external sediment supply and the discharge of upstream rivers. Moreover, sea level rise had a significant effect on the tidal asymmetry; therefore, it enhanced the accumulation of sediments in the QL system, while runoff had little effect on the tidal asymmetry or geomorphological changes in the system.

Sedimentary records of recent sea level rise and acceleration in the Yucatan Peninsula

2016 ◽  
Vol 573 ◽  
pp. 1063-1069 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladislav Carnero-Bravo ◽  
Joan-Albert Sanchez-Cabeza ◽  
Ana Carolina Ruiz-Fernández ◽  
Martín Merino-Ibarra ◽  
Claude Hillaire-Marcel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Yucatan Peninsula ◽  
Sedimentary Records ◽  
Yucatán Peninsula

scholarly journals Sedimentation strategies provide effective but limited mitigation of relative sea-level rise in the Mekong delta

2022 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frances E. Dunn ◽  
Philip S. J. Minderhoud
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Mekong Delta ◽  
Relative Sea Level ◽  
Sediment Delivery ◽  
Limited Effectiveness ◽  
Relative Sea Level Rise ◽  
Present Context ◽  
Global Sea Level

AbstractThe Mekong delta is experiencing rapid environmental change due to anthropogenic activities causing accelerated subsidence, sea-level rise and sediment starvation. Consequentially, the delta is rapidly losing elevation relative to sea level. Designating specific areas for sedimentation is a suggested strategy to encourage elevation-building with nature in deltas. We combined projections of extraction-induced subsidence, natural compaction and global sea-level rise with new projections of fluvial sediment delivery to evaluate the potential effectiveness of sedimentation strategies in the Mekong delta to 2050. Our results reveal that with current rates of subsidence and sediment starvation, fluvial sediments alone can only preserve elevation locally, even under optimistic assumptions, and organic sedimentation could potentially assume a larger role. While sedimentation strategies alone have limited effectiveness in the present context, combined with enhanced organic matter retention and interventions reducing anthropogenic-accelerated subsidence, they can considerably delay future relative sea-level rise, buying the delta crucial time to adapt.

Mapping inundation probability due to increasing sea level rise along El Puerto de Santa María (SW Spain)

2017 ◽  
Vol 87 (2) ◽  
pp. 581-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Fraile-Jurado ◽  
José I. Álvarez-Francoso ◽  
Emilia Guisado-Pintado ◽  
Noela Sánchez-Carnero ◽  
José Ojeda-Zújar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Sw Spain ◽  
Santa Maria

scholarly journals Impact of compound flood event on coastal critical infrastructures considering current and future climate

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 587-605
Author(s):  
Mariam Khanam ◽  
Giulia Sofia ◽  
Marika Koukoula ◽  
Rehenuma Lazin ◽  
Efthymios I. Nikolopoulos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Condition ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Extreme Event ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Future Climate ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Flood Hazards ◽  
Distributed Hydrological Model ◽  
Climate Conditions

Abstract. The changing climate and anthropogenic activities raise the likelihood of damage due to compound flood hazards, triggered by the combined occurrence of extreme precipitation and storm surge during high tides and exacerbated by sea-level rise (SLR). Risk estimates associated with these extreme event scenarios are expected to be significantly higher than estimates derived from a standard evaluation of individual hazards. In this study, we present case studies of compound flood hazards affecting critical infrastructure (CI) in coastal Connecticut (USA). We based the analysis on actual and synthetic (considering future climate conditions for atmospheric forcing, sea-level rise, and forecasted hurricane tracks) hurricane events, represented by heavy precipitation and surge combined with tides and SLR conditions. We used the Hydrologic Engineering Center's River Analysis System (HEC-RAS), a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model, to simulate the combined coastal and riverine flooding of selected CI sites. We forced a distributed hydrological model (CREST-SVAS) with weather analysis data from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model for the synthetic events and from the National Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) for the actual events, to derive the upstream boundary condition (flood wave) of HEC-RAS. We extracted coastal tide and surge time series for each event from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to use as the downstream boundary condition of HEC-RAS. The significant outcome of this study represents the evaluation of changes in flood risk for the CI sites for the various compound scenarios (under current and future climate conditions). This approach offers an estimate of the potential impact of compound hazards relative to the 100-year flood maps produced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is vital to developing mitigation strategies. In a broader sense, this study provides a framework for assessing the risk factors of our modern infrastructure located in vulnerable coastal areas throughout the world.

scholarly journals RECENT GEOMORPHIC CHANGES AND ANTHROPOGENIC ACTIVITIES IN THE DELTAIC PLAIN OF PINIOS RIVER IN CENTRAL GREECE

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 409 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Gaki-Papanastassiou ◽  
E. Karymbalis ◽  
H. Maroukian
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Deltaic Plain ◽  
Central Greece ◽  
Delta Plain ◽  
Dominant Feature ◽  
Pinios River

The Pinios river delta is a Late Holocene arcuate type delta, located in the southern Thermaikos gulf (Central Greece). In order to determine the processes which contributed in the recent configuration of the delta, a detailed geomorphic map at the scale of 1:5000 has been prepared showing both the deltaic plain and the coastal zone features using GIS techniques. Comparative examinations of aerial photographs taken in different dates and reliable maps of the last two centuries along with field observations depict recent changes of the delta morphology. The most important factors for the development of the delta are fluvial sedimentation, wave activity and longshore currents in a tectonically active area. Land uses throughout the delta plain have been mapped in an attempt to identify socio-economic activities. The dominant feature in the deltaic plain is the numerous abandoned meandering channels. The delta shoreline is generally retreating due to marine processes especially where former river mouths occur. Finally, various future sea-level rise scenarios have been analyzed and an assessment of the impacts of the potential global future sea-level rise to the delta is estimated.

Geoarchaeology Underwater and Its Challenges

2019 ◽  
pp. 175-193
Author(s):  
Ervan G. Garrison
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Grain Size ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Sediment Particle ◽  
Point Count ◽  
Natural Origin ◽  
Taphonomic Processes

This chapter examines, in detail, the Geoarchaeological methods for both predicting and interpreting sites subjected to anthropogenic activities and taphonomic processes specific to inundated contexts. Garrison and Hale show that sediment particle-size, grain-size, and point-count studies coupled with debitage/micro-debitage analyses isolate middens deposits from those of natural origin. Chemical, faunal (primarily vertebrate), and floral proxies for anthropogenic activities were lacking, but they related the nature on inundated sites in a marine environment. The authors discuss how sea-level rise is coupled with these factors.

The effect of climate change on sediment distribution and delivery within the Rhine-Meuse Delta

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Cox ◽  
Frances Dunn ◽  
Jaap Nienhuis
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Suspended Sediment ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Sediment Flux ◽  
Change Scenario ◽  
Sediment Delivery ◽  
Sediment Distribution ◽  
Sediment Redistribution

<p>The morphological and hydrological equilibrium of many deltas worldwide is changing due to anthropogenic activities. A key example of such a delta is the Rhine-Meuse Delta (RMD) in the Netherlands. It is home to an important shipping and economic centre (Rotterdam) and thus has been strongly affected by anthropogenic activities. Changes include embanking, narrowing and deepening of channels, major dredging and sediment relocation, the building of ports and harbours, and dam building upstream. There is currently a net annual loss of sediment from the delta. Considering current and future sea level rise it is crucial that the RMD receives sufficient sediment or it risks drowning, increased flood risk, decreased ecological area and channel bed degradation.</p><p>Here, we estimate the future delivery of suspended sediment from upstream using BQART, and the volume and sediment flux from the sea using a 1D morphological model. We ignore bedload fluxes as they make up a small proportion of the annual supply. We use these estimates to investigate sediment redistribution between channels in the RMD based on suspended sediment-discharge relations. Projections for 2050 and 2100 are presented based on region-specific climate scenarios for discharge and sea level and incorporate projected future upstream reservoir construction. The sediment concentration in the branches is compared with discharge-area relations and current bed level trends to demonstrate potential sedimentation-erosion trends for individual branches.</p><p>Projections for the 21<sup>st</sup> century indicate that sediment delivery to the RMD from upstream is likely to decrease slightly, while sea level rise will cause tidally driven suspended sediment delivery to move further inland. It is estimated that the already negative sediment budget of the delta will be exacerbated by dredging, which removes all incoming sediment at the coastal boundary. The severity of sediment starvation depends on the climate change scenario. Our work indicates that certain channels will be at risk of erosion due to this sediment starvation, whilst other branches will experience net sedimentation. Sediment input from the coast could also reach further inland, assuming current dredging practice remain unaltered, which could provide an opportunity for the system to regain equilibrium. We recommend that a sustainable sediment management strategy is undertaken in the region to counteract the negative effects of sediment starvation.  </p>

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