Coastline Change and Erosion-Accretion Evolution of the Sandwip Island, Bangladesh

The study tries to analyze the morphological and hydrological changes and to establish their relationship in the Sandwip Island through the integration of Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The study concludes from the recent 30 years' data that the different parts of the island response different cycle of coastline change associated with hydrological dynamics. The resulted net loss of the coastline is about 6.98 km (0.23 km/y) and the net loss of the coastal area is about 23.99 km2 (0.8 km2/y). The erosion processes (increase in the water depth near shore) were active along the western and the south-western shores. This erosion of the island is facilitated by the steep slope of the bank, high tidal water pressure and loose bank materials. In contrast, the accretions (decrease in the water depth near shore) were taken place in the larger parts of the northern and the north-eastern shores of the island. This is due to the backwash sediment deposition with the favor of gentle topographic slope along shores.

Maritime Spatial Planning Concepts and Approaches

Often human activities taking place at limited available marine space may lead to important spatial and temporal conflicts and synergies. Through Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) a series maritime issues have been addressed focusing on such interactions. This chapter makes a presentation of the development of Maritime Spatial Planning concepts and approaches on a global basis, highlighting best practices as well as gaps that need to be addressed. Lessons learned from two Mediterranean case studies of the EU FP7 research projects MESMA and COEXIST focusing particularly on fisheries, as one of the main human activities in the two marine areas, interacting with other uses and with conservation initiatives, is also discussed.

Social-Ecological Systems in Local Fisheries Communities

Even though the study of the commons has been expanding rapidly in the past years, and there have been multiple cases of successful local conservation initiatives, still, significant gaps in knowledge remain. The Social-Ecological Systems framework attempts to analyse the linkages between the “human system” (society) and the “natural system” (ecosystems). In every conservation attempt, the interactions and feedback between the two systems become evident. By examining thoroughly this relationship through the SES lens, we can develop a deep and holistic understanding of the processes that should be taken into consideration before the implementation of conservation actions. This study, through the exploration of the fisheries management procedures in Japan, attempts to develop an understanding of how the adoption of the Social-Ecological Systems approach could promote local development in the insular periphery of the developed world, in countries like Greece, where public participation in the decision-making processes is limited.

Climate Change

Global aquaculture is one of the key features of present global agro-food systems. Though aquaculture is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, its growth trajectory is confronted with various challenges including climate disruptions. Since both aquaculture and climate change have regional variations, their interconnections are very complex and require systematic investigation. In various regions of the world, especially in the Global South, aquaculture countries are assessing those interconnections and devising resilience-enhancing programs for the development of the sector. Thorough investigations are required for a comprehensive understanding of the complex interconnections between climate vulnerability and resilience of global aquaculture. Drawing on primary and secondary data from the Bangladesh shrimp sector, and using conceptual lenses of global climate change and resilience, this chapter critically examines how the industrial shrimp aquaculture in Bangladesh is affected by climate disruptions and how the shrimp farming communities address these challenges.

Study of Integrated Coastal Zone Management and Its Environmental Effects

Coasts were one of the main places of residence for human beings through the history. From the emergence of civilization to now, the human beings used coastal zone as a best place for residence. However, in early 21 century, almost two-third of people in the world (i.e. 3/7 billion people) lived in the 60 km of sea sideline. Therefore, some problems threaten human communities, includes soil erosion, changes in coastline, coastal habitat destruction, drying or polluting underground waters, and creating dangerous situation for hygiene and health in order to lack of insufficient repulsing waste and sewage. Thus, according to these problems, the integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) was considered as a main way for solving the environmental problems. This chapter follows the goal that is related to the ICZM, particularly in Iran, after investigating the problems in the coastal region.

Environmental Location Assessment for Seaweed Cultivation in Ghana

This study was designed to select potential areas for the cultivation of seaweeds on the Ghanaian coastline. The challenge of selecting suitable sites for the cultivation of seaweed along the coast was investigated, using spatial multi-criteria approach in GIS. Environmental and physical parameters based on spatial multi-criteria decision for the best sites suitable for seaweed cultivation were used. The parameters used included Sea-depth (1-10)m, (11-20)m, (21-30)m and (31-40)m, sea-surface temperature (24-26) degree Celsius, proximity to settlements (0-8) kilometers and sheltered coves (areas sheltered from strong wind and waves) as variables for the various models. The study identified twelve suitable sites along the coast of Ghana for seaweed cultivation. Five of the selected sites were ground-truthed for model validation. All five validation sites have agreed to the GIS models indicating that GIS is the most appropriate tool to use for selecting most suitable environment for seaweed cultivation especially when dealing with a complex coastal environment like Ghana's coastline.

Issues, Concerns, and Local Stakes

Coastal Maharashtra is in transition. Growing coastal tourism and allied developmental activities along southern Maharashtra coast needs integration of various stakeholders to address the various issues and concerns. Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), which can cater to the needs of people while preserving the environment is thus need of the hour. The effects on natural resources, including water, will change the socioeconomic as well as the cultural fabric of coastal communities. This chapter explores a holistic approach to the developmental issues and the impact of climate change on the coastal region with specific cases of villages of Devbag and Tarkarli, coastal Maharashtra, India. It explores both physical and socioeconomic landscapes with special attention given to water resources in the context of changing dynamics of coastal communities and coastal tourism. The chapter discusses the issues and concerns of villages of Devbag and Tarkarli and proposes solutions for a sustainable development.

The Influence of Air Temperature on the Quality Parameters of the Black Sea Coastal Waters

In this chapter, the authors point out the connection between some physical and chemical parameters of the Black Sea water under extreme air temperatures. In this context, the period from 2006 to 2012 was chosen as the study period, because it is characterized by very high values of air temperature, which significantly affect not only the quality of the Black Sea water in the superficial layer but also the marine ecosystem and life. Some quality parameters as water temperatures, oxygen regime or the degree of eutrophication have been collected and analyzed and they show noticeable variations relative to ambient air temperature changes, mainly if they are determined on the surface layer.

Geospatial Analysis of Land Loss, Land Cover Change, and Landuse Patterns of Kutubdia Island, Bangladesh

This study utilizes geospatial tools of remote sensing, geographical information systems (GIS), and global positioning system (GPS) to examine the land loss, land cover (LC) change, landuse of Kutubdia Island, Bangladesh. Multi-spectral Scanner (MSS), Thematic Mapper (TM), and Landsat8 OLI imageries were used for land cover change. For assessing the landuse patterns of 2012, spatial video data were collected by using contour GPS camera. Using remote sensing analysis three different land cover classes (water, trees and forest, and agriculture) were identified and land cover changes were detected from 1972 to 2013. The results show from 1972 to 2013, an estimated 9 km2 of land has been lost and significant changes have taken place from 1972 to 2013. Only an estimated .35 km2 area of accretion has taken place during the study period. Using GIS eight different landuse patterns were identified based on spatial video data.

A Review on Localization Techniques in Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks (UASN)

The development of underwater acoustics was initiated by sonar technologists to train sonar operators and to predict sonar performance. The traditional approaches of ocean monitoring have drawbacks of real time monitoring, online system configuration, storage capacity and failure detection. To overcome these drawbacks an extensive research work is being carried out by many promotional bodies and prominent researchers to promote the advances and applications of underwater features. Recent advancements in sensor technologies have explored the unexplored applications and help to monitor and forecast the ocean openings. Underwater acoustics plays important role in monitoring systems, seismic monitoring, ocean sampling networks, undersea discoveries, catastrophic prevention, environmental monitoring etc. It is highly desirable to know the location in every application. Localization plays vital role in each and every application. This chapter discusses various techniques which are experimented and tested for different architectures in underwater acoustic sensor networks.