IMPACT OF THE PORT STRUCTURE IN THE SPATIO-TEMPORAL EVOLUTION OF THE SEDIMENTARY AND BATHYMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS OF A MOROCCAN ATLANTIC BAY, STUDY CASE BAY OF SAFI CITY

This study focuses on morpho-sedimentary changes in the bay of Safi (Atlantic coast of Morocco), due to a progressive extension of the port. For this purpose, several bathymetric and sedimentary surveys carried out by the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Navy (SHOM) in 1892, 1906 and 1940 respectively, coupled with a bathymetric and sedimentary measurement mission in 2009, were analyzed to understand the impact of the port developments on the bottom of Safi Bay. This analysis consists of making maps of the evolution of (i) sedimentary facies (of different dates 1892, 1906, 1940 and 2009) and (ii) the shallow seabed of the three periods 1892–1906, 1906–1940 and 1940–2009. The sedimentary facies maps show that the facies appear unstable and evolve intermittently in response to environmental changes in the bay (port construction and expansion). In addition, the overlay of the bathymetric maps indicates that the bay has undergone changes (lowering, stability, and raising) controlled by hydrodynamic conditions before, during, and even after harbor construction. Analysis of the data showed that the expansion of the port often reshaped the morphology of the bay's seabed. The consequences of these evolutions are the appearance of the fattening or the erosion of the bank and the filling of small depressions of sediments. This evolution is reflected in the modification of the funds near the port and the beach of Safi.

MANGROVE ECOSYSTEM AND CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Mangrove ecosystem has high productivity both ecologically and economically. Mangroveecosystems have the ability to store high carbon which is useful in supporting the reduction ofgreenhouse gas emissions. The results of previous studies have shown that mangroveecosystems are able to store carbon three to four times greater than terestrial forests. Most ofthe carbon are stored in the soil. Therefore, ecosystem mangroves have an important role tomitigate climate change. However, mangroves can be effective in supporting the mitigation ofcarbon dioxide emissions if mangrove deforestation rates are low. However, mangroves canstill contribute with great potential when conservation are maintained to increase future carbonstocks through restoration and prevent further emissions from deforestation. Existing data andprior research indicate that mangrove forests are threatened due to mangrove coveragereduction. This is caused by changes in land use. There are many conversions of mangrovesinto cultivation ponds, as well as conversions into agricultural land such as paddy fields andpastures, accompanied by an increase in demand for oil palm which causes land clearing. Inaddition, the population around the coastal area is increasing, resulting in the clearing ofmangrove land for infrastructure development such as road and port construction. In order toreduce the rate of mangrove deforestation, it is necessary to conserve and restore mangroves.By preserving mangrove forests, not only maintain carbon stocks for climate change mitigationbut also facilitate adaptation to climate change such as sea level rise.

Land reclamation pattern and environmental regulation guidelines for port clusters in the Bohai Sea, China

Coastal land reclamation (CLR), particularly port reclamation, is a common approach to alleviating land shortages. However, the spatial extent, percentages, and processes of these newly reclaimed ports are largely unknown. The Bohai Sea is the most concentrated area of port reclamation worldwide. Thus, this study addresses the changes in the different coastline types and port reclamation process in the area. The reclamation area of the 13 ports in the Bohai Sea in 2002–2018 was 2,300 km2, which decreased the area of the sea by 3%. The natural coastline length in Tianjin decreased by 47.5 km, whereas the artificial coastline length increased by 46.6 km. Based on the port boundary, however, only 26.3% of the reclaimed areas have been used for port construction, which concentrates in the Tianjin and Tangshan ports. The ratio of built-up area within the ports is only 32.5%, and approximately 48.3% of the reclaimed areas have no construction projects. The port land reclamation in the Bohai Sea has been undergoing periods of acceleration, peak, deceleration, and stagnation since 2002. Hence, future port reclamation should not be totally prohibited, and fine management should be conducted based on the optimization of the reclaimed port area. The innovation of this research is its analysis of the port internal land use pattern, the percentage of built-up area in the ports, and the sustainability of port reclamation policies. The findings have vital implications for scientifically regulating the spatial pattern and exploring the utility of port reclamation.

Research on the Innovation of Public Health Law Education under the Background of Free Trade Port Construction

In 2020, “Overall Scheme of Hainan Free Trade Port Construction” emphasized that Hainan should focus on developing modern service industry represented by medical and educational fields. In this context, the public health law education in Hainan, as a representative course integrating the dual characteristics of 'medical' and 'education', should also keep pace with the times to better meet the practical needs of the construction of Hainan free trade port. Through the extensive and in-depth investigation of five hospitals, two courts and five universities randomly selected in Hainan Province, and the analysis of 815 effective questionnaires collected by SPSS statistical method to form a survey database, the key and difficult points that need to be broken through in the innovation of Public Health Law education under the background of the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port are systematically summarized, and the scientific structure of strategic discipline orientation to improve the attention of Health Law, the adoption of immersion-type Health Law teaching methods.

Joint Optimization of a Dry Port with Multilevel Location and Container Transportation: The Case of Northeast China

Dry port construction can reduce the cost of container transportation, and its location is the focus of existing research. Considering dry port capacity limitations and scale advantages, this study calculates the costs associated with dry port construction and operations, transportation, time, and the environment and constructs a joint optimization model of the dry port location and transportation scheme to minimize the total cost. Taking 35 prefecture-level cities in Northeast China as the source of container goods and Dalian port as the destination, this study conducts an empirical analysis using the Gurobi 9.0.2 optimizer of the AMPL software to solve the problem and takes the minimum total cost as the goal to select the best dry port and container transshipment scheme. The research draws the following conclusions. Seven dry ports also need to be built in the road-rail (RD-RL) mode, which shares 82.76% of the container transshipment volume, to reduce the total transportation cost by approximately 21.67%. Although multimodal transport through dry ports increases the time cost slightly, it can significantly reduce the economic and environmental costs of container transportation.

Environmental Impact of Land-use Changes and Soil Loss on Coastal Coral Reef Cover: Study Case in the Small Tropical Island, Indonesia

Over 24% of coral reefs in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, experience damage from development in coastal areas by coastal construction, land conversion, beach nourishment, and port construction. The rapid economic development activities around the coast of Bintan Island impact the extraction of natural resources and reduction of the coral reefs cover. A comprehensive study to determine the temporal change in land use and estimate the rate of soil loss and its effects on coral reef cover is needed. There has been a change in land use for five years (2014-2018) on the east coast of Bintan Island, and the average percentage of coral reef cover is in the fair category (<50%). The land-use changes have resulted in soil loss that varies each year. Apart from land-use changes, the factor of rainfall is one of the causes of soil loss. Soil loss is generated from cultivated lands due to the lack of conservation techniques. In east Bintan island, mixed garden, plantation, and bare land area with dense canopy cover contributed increasing of soil loss. The contribution of soil loss to hard coral reefs as a result of land use changes from high to low is soil erosion > soil sediment > surface run-off.