scholarly journals Using machine learning and beach cleanup data to explain litter quantities along the Dutch North Sea coast

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikael L. A. Kaandorp ◽  
Stefanie L. Ypma ◽  
Marijke Boonstra ◽  
Henk A. Dijkstra ◽  
Erik van Sebille
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Regression Model ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Effective Removal ◽  
Beach Litter ◽  
Tidal Variability ◽  
Sea Coast ◽  
North Sea Coast

Abstract. Coastlines potentially harbor a large part of litter entering the oceans such as plastic waste. The relative importance of the physical processes that influence the beaching of litter is still relatively unknown. Here, we investigate the beaching of litter by analyzing a data set of litter gathered along the Dutch North Sea coast during extensive beach cleanup efforts between the years 2014–2019. This data set is unique in the sense that data is gathered consistently over various years by many volunteers (a total of 14,000), on beaches which are quite similar in substrate (sandy). This makes the data set valuable to identify what environmental variables might play an important role in the beaching process, and to explore the variability of beach litter. We investigate this by fitting a random forest machine learning regression model to the observed litter concentrations. We find that especially tides play an important role, where an increasing tidal variability and tidal height lead to less litter found on beaches. Relatively straight and exposed coastlines appear to accumulate more litter. The regression model indicates that transport of litter through the marine environment is also important in explaining beach litter variability. By understanding what processes cause the accumulation of litter on the coast, recommendations can be given for more effective removal of litter from the marine environment. We estimate that 16,000–31,400 kilograms (95 % confidence interval) of litter are located on the 365 kilometers of Dutch North Sea coastline.

Statistical analyses of the results of 25 years of beach litter surveys on the south-eastern North Sea coast

2015 ◽  
Vol 109 ◽  
pp. 21-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Schulz ◽  
Thomas Clemens ◽  
Harald Förster ◽  
Thorsten Harder ◽  
David Fleet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Statistical Analyses ◽  
The South ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Beach Litter ◽  
Sea Coast ◽  
North Sea Coast

What can idealized storm surge simulations tell us about worst case scenarios?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elin Andrée ◽  
Jian Su ◽  
Martin Drews ◽  
Morten Andreas Dahl Larsen ◽  
Asger Bendix Hansen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Wind Direction ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Sea Coast ◽  
North Sea Coast

<p>The potential impacts of extreme sea level events are becoming more apparent to the public and policy makers alike. As the magnitude of these events are expected to increase due to climate change, and increased coastal urbanization results in ever increasing stakes in the coastal zones, the need for risk assessments is growing too.</p><p>The physical conditions that generate extreme sea levels are highly dependent on site specific conditions, such as bathymetry, tidal regime, wind fetch and the shape of the coastline. For a low-lying country like Denmark, which consists of a peninsula and islands that partition off the semi-enclosed Baltic Sea from the North Sea, a better understanding of how the local sea level responds to wind forcing is urgently called for.</p><p>We here present a map for Denmark that shows the most efficient wind directions for generating extreme sea levels, for a total of 70 locations distributed all over the country’s coastlines. The maps are produced by conducting simulations with a high resolution, 3D-ocean model, which is used for operational storm surge modelling at the Danish Meteorological Institute. We force the model with idealized wind fields that maintain a fixed wind speed and wind direction over the entire model domain. Simulations are conducted for one wind speed and one wind direction at a time, generating ensembles of a set of wind directions for a fixed wind speed, as well as a set of wind speeds for a fixed wind direction, respectively.</p><p>For each wind direction, we find that the maximum water level at a given location increases linearly with the wind speed, and the slope values show clear spatial patterns, for example distinguishing the Danish southern North Sea coast from the central or northern North Sea Coast. The slope values are highest along the southwestern North Sea coast, where the passage of North Atlantic low pressure systems over the shallow North Sea, as well as the large tidal range, result in a much larger range of variability than in the more sheltered Inner Danish Waters. However, in our simulations the large fetch of the Baltic Sea, in combination with the funneling effect of the Danish Straits, result in almost as high water levels as along the North Sea coast.</p><p>Although the wind forcing is completely synthetic with no spatial and temporal structure of a real storm, this idealized approach allows us to systematically investigate the sea level response at the boundaries of what is physically plausible. We evaluate the results from these simulations by comparison to peak water levels from a 58 year long, high resolution ocean hindcast, with promising agreement.</p>

List of Publications Recording the Results of Researches carried out under the Auspices of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom in their Laboratory at Plymouth or on the North Sea Coast from 1886–1900

1900 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-135
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Biological Association ◽  
The North ◽  
Marine Biological Association ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Different Parts ◽  
Sea Coast ◽  
North Sea Coast

The following list has been classified, so far as practicable, according to subjects, in order that it may be useful for purposes of reference. The list does not include publications recording the results of observations made on material supplied by the Association to workers in different parts of the country, of which a considerable amount is sent out each year.

scholarly journals HIGH-WATER PROBLEMS ON THE DANISH NORTH SEA COAST

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (6) ◽  
pp. 6
Author(s):  
C. Ringe-Jorgensen
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
High Water ◽  
Meteorological Conditions ◽  
Dutch Coast ◽  
Water Problems ◽  
Sea Coast ◽  
North Sea Coast ◽  
Made In ◽  
Frequency Curves

With reference to the use of high-water frequency curves, which have been suggested by Wemelsfelder as an aid to fix the maximum flooding level, an attempt will be made in the following to estimate how far certain special geographical and meteorological conditions may be expected to influence the shape of the frequency curves for different localities. The investigation concerns a particular point on the Danish North Sea coast compared with the Dutch coast, but its principles may possibly be of interest in a wider sense.

Concentrations and metabolism of PCBs in eggs of waterbirds on the German North Sea Coast

1994 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 220-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Denker ◽  
P. H. Becker ◽  
M. Beyerbach ◽  
A. Büthe ◽  
W. A. Heidmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Sea Coast ◽  
North Sea Coast
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