scholarly journals Classifying compound coastal storm and heavy rainfall events in the north-western Spanish Mediterranean

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Sanuy ◽  
Tomeu Rigo ◽  
José A. Jiménez ◽  
M. Carmen Llasat
Keyword(s):  
Extreme Events ◽  
Heavy Rainfall ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Flash Floods ◽  
Coastal Storms ◽  
The North ◽  
Catalan Coast ◽  
Nw Mediterranean ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The Northwest (NW) Mediterranean coastal zone is a populous and well-developed area in which the impact of natural hazards like flash floods and coastal storms can result in frequent and significant damages. Although the occurrence and impacts of such hazards have been widely covered, few studies have considered their combined impact on the region, which would result in more damage. Within this context, this study analyses the occurrence and characteristics of compound extreme events of heavy rainfall episodes (as a proxy for flash floods) and coastal storms (using the maximum significant wave height) along the Catalan coast as a paradigm of the NW Mediterranean. Two different types of events are considered: multivariate, in which the two hazards occur at the same location, and spatially compounding, in which they occur within the same limited time window and their impacts accumulate at distinct and separate locations. The analysis is regionally performed along a coastline extension of about 600 km by considering seven coastal sectors and their corresponding river catchment basins. Once the compound events are analysed, the synoptic atmospheric pressure fields are analysed to determine the prevailing weather conditions that generated them. Finally, a Bayesian network is used to fully characterise these events over the territory. The obtained results show that the NW Mediterranean, represented by the Catalan coast, has a high probability of experiencing compound extreme events (3.4 events per year). Despite the relatively small size of the study area (600 km of coastline), there are significant variations in the event characteristics along the territory, with the most frequent type being spatially compound, except in the northernmost sectors where multivariate events dominate. These northern sectors also present the highest correlation in the intensity of both hazards. Three representative synoptic situations have been identified as dominant for the occurrence of these events, with different relative importance levels of the compounding drivers (rainfall and waves) and different distributions of impacts across coastal basins. Overall, the results indicate that heavy rainfall has the more significant damage impact despite the wave damage having a larger spatial reach.

scholarly journals Classifying compound coastal storm and heavy rainfall events in the north-western Spanish Mediterranean

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 3759-3781
Author(s):  
Marc Sanuy ◽  
Tomeu Rigo ◽  
José A. Jiménez ◽  
M. Carmen Llasat
Keyword(s):  
Extreme Events ◽  
Heavy Rainfall ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Flash Floods ◽  
North West ◽  
Coastal Storms ◽  
The North ◽  
Catalan Coast ◽  
Nw Mediterranean ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The north-west (NW) Mediterranean coastal zone is a populous and well-developed area in which the impact of natural hazards like flash floods and coastal storms can result in frequent and significant damages. Although the occurrence and impacts of such hazards have been widely covered, few studies have considered their combined impact on the region, which would result in more damage. Within this context, this study analyses the occurrence and characteristics of compound extreme events of heavy rainfall episodes (as a proxy for flash floods) and coastal storms (using the maximum significant wave height) along the Catalan coast as a paradigm of the NW Mediterranean. Two different types of events are considered: multivariate, in which the two hazards occur at the same location, and spatially compounding, in which they occur within the same limited time window, and their impacts accumulate at distinct and separate locations. The analysis is regionally performed along a coastline extension of about 600 km by considering seven coastal sectors and their corresponding river catchment basins. Once the compound events are analysed, the synoptic atmospheric pressure fields are analysed to determine the prevailing weather conditions that generated them. Finally, a Bayesian network is used to fully characterize these events over the territory. The obtained results show that the NW Mediterranean, represented by the Catalan coast, has a high probability of experiencing compound extreme events. Despite the relatively small size of the study area, there are significant variations in the event characteristics along the territory, with the most frequent type being spatially compound, except in the northernmost sectors where multivariate events dominate. These northern sectors also present the highest correlation in the intensity of both hazards. Three representative synoptic situations have been identified as dominant for the occurrence of these events, with different relative importance levels of the compounding drivers (rainfall and waves) and different distributions of impacts across coastal basins. Overall, results obtained from specific events indicated that heavy rainfall is related to the most significant impacts despite having a larger spatial reach.

On the joint impact of marine (storms) and terrestrial (flash floods) extreme events along the Catalan coast (NW Mediterranean)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Sanuy Vazquez ◽  
Montserrat Llasat-Botija ◽  
Tomeu Rigo ◽  
Jose A. Jiménez ◽  
M. Carme Llasat
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Zone ◽  
Extreme Events ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Flash Floods ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Catalan Coast ◽  
Synoptic Conditions ◽  
Nw Mediterranean ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Impact

<p>The Mediterranean coastal zone is a hotspot to the impact of extreme events due to the combination of high values at exposure (concentration of population, large urban areas, infrastructures), large vulnerability (natural protection provided by beaches decreasing due to coastal erosion) and presence of extreme hydro-meteorological events of marine (storms) and terrestrial (flash floods) origins. The Catalan coast (NE Spain) can be considered a paradigm of Med hotspots. On one hand, due to its climatic conditions, orography and land use, flash floods are one of the main causes of inundation risks in the coastal fringe, inducing numerous damages and even casualties (e.g. Llasat et al. 2013). On the other hand, coastal damage associated to the impact of marine storms have been increasing during the last decades along this coast (Jiménez et al. 2012). However, existing studies have not analysed their joint impact to assess the most hazardous conditions, when the coastal zone would be subjected to the combined action of both types of extreme events.</p><p>Within this context, this works analyses the combined presentation of extreme events of terrestrial (flash floods) and marine (storms) origin in the Catalan coast. First, extreme events causing significant damage (based on reported damages, insurance costs and casualties) along the coast were identified for the period 1981-2014. 69 events were identified and classified according their origin (marine and/or terrestrial). Each event was characterized in terms of their marine (wave height, period, direction, storm duration) and rainfall characteristics. Since the coastline length is about 600 km, these events verify at specific locations. To cover this spatial variability, storms were locally characterized by using data from existing rain gauges and radar stations along the territory as well as hindcasted wave conditions along the entire coastal fringe. To fully characterize these events, synoptic conditions were also recorded.</p><p>From this, first, we directly obtained the corresponding marginal probabilities of each event. Then, compound frequencies were assessed and compared to the marginal ones. Finally, we identified synoptic situations with higher probability of associated compound hazards and bound the range of corresponding wave and rain conditions. By jointly considering the location where they verified, we identify coastal areas (and corresponding geomorphologic conditions) with higher probabilities of suffering damages due to impact of compound extreme events.</p><p>This work was carried out within the framework of the M-CostAdapt (CTM2017-83655-C2-1-R) research project, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO/AEI/FEDER, UE).</p><p>Jiménez et al. 2012. Storm-induced damages along the Catalan coast (NW Mediterranean) during the period 1958–2008. Geomorphology 143, 24-33.</p><p>Llasat et al. 2013.  Towards a database on societal impact of Mediterranean floods within the framework of the HYMEX project. NHESS, 13, 1337-1350.</p>

scholarly journals Impact of mechanized clam dredging on the discarded megabenthic fauna on the Catalan coast (NW Mediterranean)

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Marc Baeta ◽  
Claudia Rubio ◽  
Françoise Breton
Keyword(s):  
Small Scale ◽  
Fishing Activity ◽  
Lethal Damage ◽  
Catalan Coast ◽  
Nw Mediterranean ◽  
Chamelea Gallina ◽  
Level Scale ◽  
Nw Mediterranean Sea ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Partial Damage

Abstract There is an important small-scale fishery using mechanized dredges and targeting clams (mainly wedge clam Donax trunculus and striped venus clam Chamelea gallina) along the Catalan coast (NW Mediterranean Sea). This study evaluated for the first time the discards and impact of mechanized clam dredging on the Catalan coast. To this end, three surveys were performed on board standard clam vessels (September and November 2016 and January 2017). Surveys were conducted in the three main clam fishing areas (Rosas Bay, South Barcelona and Ebro Delta). The composition of discards and the impact caused to discarded species was assessed using a three-level scale (undamaged; minor or partial damage; and lethal damage). Our study revealed that a large proportion of the catch (between 67–82% weight) is discarded. Even though about 63% of the discarded species were undamaged, 11% showed minor or partial damage and 26% lethal damage. Infaunal and epifaunal species with soft-body or fragile shells were the most impacted by the fishing activity (e.g. the sea urchin Echinocardium mediterraneum (~89%) and the bivalve Ensis minor (~74%)). Our results showed different levels of impact by target species and fishing area.

scholarly journals Extreme flash floods in Barcelona County

2005 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 111-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Barrera ◽  
M. Barriendos ◽  
M. C. Llasat
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Evolution ◽  
Great Increase ◽  
Climatic Variability ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Flash Floods ◽  
Perception Threshold ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Modern Age ◽  
Flooded Area

Abstract. In this paper the catastrophic and extraordinary floods occurring in Barcelona County (Catalonia, NE Spain) are studied, in order to characterise the temporal evolution of extreme flash floods in that area and their main features. These events usually cause economical losses and major problems for undertaking daily activity in Barcelona city. This kind of floods is a very common feature in the North-east of Spain and they are recorded every year in some point of Catalonia. This contribution also shows the frequency of those events, within the framework of all the floods that have occurred in Barcelona since the 14th century, but also describes the flooded area, urban evolution, impacts and the weather conditions for any of most severe events. The evolution of flood occurrence shows the existence of oscillations in the earlier and later modern age periods that can be attributed to climatic variability, evolution of the perception threshold and changes in vulnerability. A great increase of vulnerability can be assumed for the period 1850-1900. The analysis of the time evolution for the Barcelona rainfall series (1854-2000) shows that no trend exists, although, due to the changes in urban planning, flash-floods impact has changed over this time. The number of catastrophic flash floods has diminished, although the extraordinary ones have increased.

scholarly journals Reconstruction of Atlantic historical winter coastal storms in the Spanish coasts of the Gulf of Cadiz, 1929–2005

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1715-1722 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Ribera ◽  
D. Gallego ◽  
C. Pena-Ortiz ◽  
L. Del Rio ◽  
T. A. Plomaritis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Winter Season ◽  
Positive Trend ◽  
Gulf Of Cadiz ◽  
Atlantic Sector ◽  
Coastal Storms ◽  
The North ◽  
Gulf Of Cádiz ◽  
Instrumental Period ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. This paper presents the reconstruction of a climatological series of winter coastal storms on the northern coasts of the Gulf of Cadiz. This series has been put together using information extracted from regional and local Spanish newspapers. It includes all the storms coming from the Atlantic sector that have been detected during the winter season, from October to March, between 1929 and 2005. In order to validate this historical storm series, it has been compared with storms series identified from quasi-observational data and using different wave heights as thresholds to decide what is to be considered as a coastal storm. Nearly 2.6 reports per year about coastal storms are published in the press which correspond to waves of 3.6 m high or more and to prevailing winds from a direction ranging between SSW and WNW. A long- term positive trend has been detected for the complete storm series. If only the instrumental period is analysed, no significant trend is detected. It is suggested that this difference might be associated with the impact of the North Atlantic Oscillation over the occurrence of storms in this area.

scholarly journals Sentinel-2 Reveals Abrupt Increment of Total Suspended Matter While Ever Given Ship Blocked the Suez Canal

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 3286
Author(s):  
Milad Niroumand-Jadidi ◽  
Francesca Bovolo
Keyword(s):  
News Media ◽  
Suspended Matter ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Total Suspended Matter ◽  
Suez Canal ◽  
Trade Routes ◽  
The North ◽  
The Impact ◽  
North And South ◽  
Sentinel 2

The blockage of the Suez Canal, one of the world’s key trade routes, by a giant container ship in March 2021 was in the spotlight of news media worldwide, mainly because of its economic impacts. In this study, we look at this event from an environmental perspective by analyzing the impact of the artificial barrier made by the ship over the channel and of operations like dredging on the concentration of total suspended matter (TSM). In this context, multitemporal Sentinel-2 images are used to study short-term variations of TSM within a time window spanning before, during, and after the blockage event. A well-established neural network-based processor called Case 2 Regional CoastColour (C2RCC) is employed to derive remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) and then TSM concentrations from Sentinel-2 imagery. The results indicate that the stuck ship acted as an artificial barrier leading to very different TSM conditions north and south of the canal. Furthermore, the blockage of the Suez Canal and subsequent dredging caused an abrupt increment (+400%) in the concentration of TSM moving north from the ship’s location. We also identified a very high contrast between the TSM concentration in the north and south of the vessel during the blockage event.

ARCO Tanker Slamming Study

1993 ◽  
Vol 30 (03) ◽  
pp. 135-147
Author(s):  
Peter Lacey ◽  
Rod Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Structural Damage ◽  
North Pacific Ocean ◽  
Warning System ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
The United States ◽  
Ship Motions ◽  
The North ◽  
Data Acquisition Program ◽  
Impact Characteristics ◽  
The Impact

ARCO Marine currently operates ten tankers which move crude oil from Valdez, Alaska to West Coast ports of the United States. These tankers range in size from 70 000 to 265 000 dwt and operate throughout the year in the harsh environment of the North Pacific Ocean. Some of these ships have experienced bow structural damage, presumably due to slamming in heavy weather conditions. In late 1990 ARCO initiated a program with Arctec Offshore Inc. and Ocean Systems Inc. to investigate slamming of ARCO tankers. This ongoing effort focuses on three issues: the frequency of occurrence and intensity of impacts; the relationship between the impact characteristics, sea conditions, and ship motions; and the development of an onboard slam monitoring and warning system. During the winter of 1991 data were collected aboard two ARCO 190 000 dwt San Diego Class tankers. This paper describes the data acquisition program, including the problems encountered, the preliminary interpretation of the collected data, and plans for continuation of the program.

Dynamics of Status Vegetative Nervous System in the Children in Primary School in Weather Conditions in the Surgut

10.12737/2738 ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 92-95
Author(s):  
Еськов ◽  
Valeriy Eskov ◽  
Шевченко ◽  
N. Shevchenko ◽  
Филатова ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Human Organism ◽  
Physiological Status ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressure ◽  
Vegetative Nervous System ◽  
The North ◽  
The Impact

According to current researches, it is found that people living in uncomfortable climatic conditions combined with anthropogenic pressure leads to intensive use and depletion of adaptive reserves of the human organism. At the present stage there are scientific data about adaptive reactions of individual age -, sex and constitutional groups of children in the North of Tyumen. However, to date there is insufficient information on the assessment of the morpho-functional and psycho-physiological status of the organism Northern children born and living in conditions of Middle Ob region. The organism of children and adolescents, due to the incompleteness of the morpho-functional development, as well as the immaturity of a number of regulatory mechanisms and high lability, is most sensitive to the impact of environmental factors, can cause destabilization of homeostasis. Identify patterns of development of the child and functioning of its physiological systems at different stages of ontogenesis is necessary for the decision of problems of preservation of health of the younger generation. In this paper the authors examined the behavior of the state vector of vegetative nervous system in children during the winter by six diagnostic parameters. The differential increase in quasi-attractors subjects in different weather conditions was proved.

scholarly journals Relationships Between Northern Hemisphere Teleconnection Patterns and Phytoplankton Productivity in the Neva Estuary (Northeastern Baltic Sea)

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikhail Golubkov ◽  
Sergey Golubkov
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Multiple Regression Model ◽  
Regression Equations ◽  
Phytoplankton Productivity ◽  
Neva Estuary ◽  
Teleconnection Patterns ◽  
The North ◽  
The Impact

Teleconnection patterns can be an important tool for investigating the impact of climate change on biological communities. The aim of the study was, using 2003–2020 data on chlorophyll a concentrations (CHL) and plankton primary production (PP) in midsummer, to determine which of the teleconnection patterns have most pronounced effects on phytoplankton productivity in the estuary located on the border between western and eastern Europe. CHL correlated significantly with the winter values of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAOw) and Scandinavia (SCANDw) indices, as well as with the values of the annual Polar/Eurasian (POLy) and annual Arctic Oscillation (AOy) indices. PP was significantly correlated with the values of POLy. East Atlantic/Western Russia pattern showed no significant correlation with both phytoplankton indicators. Stepwise multiple linear regressions were performed to determine the most influential indices affecting CHL and PP in the Neva Estuary. POLy, SCANDw, and NAOw appeared to be the main predictors in CHL multiple regression model, while the values of POLy and the July NAO and SCAND values were the main predictors in the PP model. According to our research, the productivity of phytoplankton in the Neva Estuary, located in the most northeastern part of the Baltic Sea, showed a significant relationship with the POL, which determines weather conditions in the northeastern regions of Eurasia. Possible mechanisms of the influence of these teleconnection patterns on phytoplankton productivity are discussed. Using the obtained multi-regression equations and the values of climatic indices, we calculated the values of CHL and PP for 1951–2002 and compared them with the results of field observations. The calculated and measured values of CHL and PP showed a significant increase in phytoplankton productivity in the Neva Estuary in the second half of the 2010s compared to earlier periods. In some years of the 1950s, 1980s, and late 1990s, CHL could also be above average and the low phytoplankton productivity should have been observed in the 1960s–1970s. This indicates a significant contribution of current climate change to fluctuation in phytoplankton productivity observed in recent decades, which should be taken into account when developing measures to protect aquatic ecosystems from eutrophication.

scholarly journals Statistical Modeling of the Early-Stage Impact of a New Traffic Policy in Milan, Italy

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 1088 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Maranzano ◽  
Alessandro Fassò ◽  
Matteo Pelagatti ◽  
Manfred Mudelsee
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Social Adaptation ◽  
Policy Model ◽  
The North ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Progressive Policy

Most urban areas of the Po basin in the North of Italy are persistently affected by poor air quality and difficulty in disposing of airborne pollutants. In this context, the municipality of Milan started a multi-year progressive policy based on an extended limited traffic zone (Area B). Starting on 25 February 2019, the first phase partially restricted the circulation of some classes of highly polluting vehicles on the territory, in particular, Euro 0 petrol vehicles and Euro 0 to 3 diesel vehicles, excluding public transport. This is the early-stage of a long term policy that will restrict access to an increasing number of vehicles. The goal of this paper is to evaluate the early-stage impact of this policy on two specific vehicle-generated pollutants: total nitrogen oxides (NO x ) and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), which are gathered by Lombardy Regional Agency for Environmental Protection (ARPA Lombardia). We use a statistical model for time series intervention analysis based on unobservable components. We use data from 2014 to 2018 for pre-policy model selection and the relatively short period up to September 2019 for early-stage policy assessment. We include weather conditions, socio-economic factors, and a counter-factual, given by the concentration of the same pollutant in other important neighbouring cities. Although the average concentrations reduced after the policy introduction, this paper argues that this could be due to other factors. Considering that the short time window may be not long enough for social adaptation to the new rules, our model does not provide statistical evidence of a positive policy effect for NO x and NO 2 . Instead, in one of the most central monitoring stations, a significant negative impact is found.

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