published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

Os grânulos plásticos são encontrados no ambiente marinho e, em função de suas características podem concentrar e transportar poluentes orgânicos. A Enseada de Santos representa um polo de grande importância econômica para o estado de São Paulo, devido à existência do Porto de Santos e do complexo industrial de Cubatão nos seus arredores. Essa região foi escolhida para o desenvolvimento deste estudo por possuir uma grande quantidade de grânulos na superfície arenosa de suas praias. O presente estudo teve como objetivos: (1) avaliar uma proposta metodológica para a coleta de grânulos plásticos, baseada no uso de transectos perpendiculares à linha da água compostos por escavações (amostragens) equidistantes; e (2) analisar a concentração, composição e fontes de contaminação de hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos (HPAs) nos grânulos coletados em praias arenosas, considerando diferentes escalas espaciais e a influência do tipo de resina que os grânulos são produzidos, bem como o tempo de exposição destes no ambiente. O resultado da avaliação da proposta metodológica determinou o diâmetro do trado que fornece a melhor combinação entre tempo e volume de sedimento coletado, além da confirmação da profundidade de maior ocorrência dos grânulos na coluna sedimentar, bem como a constatação de que transectos tornam-se inviáveis para este procedimento. É sugerido, então, o desenvolvimento de estudos futuros a fim de encontrar o melhor desenho amostral, uma vez que não foi eficaz a realização de transectos, para a amostragem de grânulos plásticos em profundidade. De acordo com os resultados das análises, a concentração e composição de HPAs nos grânulos plásticos variaram de forma expressiva entre os pontos amostrais em uma mesma praia, de forma que, para a obtenção da real variabilidade de poluentes em uma praia, são necessárias coletas em diversos pontos amostrais, a fim de evitar uma equivocada extrapolação dos resultados. As análises dos grânulos coletados em diferentes profundidades no sedimento arenoso indicam resultados semelhantes, com uma alta variabilidade na composição e concentração de HPAs. Entre as resinas, houve diferença na concentração de HPAs (polietileno > polipropileno) e no tempo de exposição, com maiores concentrações nos grânulos mais escuros, ou seja, mais tempo expostos no ambiente. A contaminação na área de coleta é oriunda da mistura de compostos provenientes de fontes petrogênicas e pirolíticas e as análises da potencial toxicidade dos HPAs em grânulos, em geral, indicam um risco iminente aos organismos. São necessários, no entanto, estudos complementares também para a investigação da possibilidade de bioacumulação dos poluentes em organismos. / Plastic pellets are easily found in marine environment and due to its characteristics they may concentrate and bring organic pollutants. Santos bay represents a major economic center for the state of São Paulo because of Santos Port and the Cubatão industrial complex in its surroundings. This place was chosen for the development of the study for the great number of pellets found in the sandy surface of its beaches. This study aimed at (1) evaluating a sampling methodology for plastic pellets based on the use of transects perpendicular to the seawater line and made by diggings equally distant from one another (samplings). It also aimed at (2) analyzing the concentration, composition and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) contamination on the pellets sampled on sandy beaches, considering different spatial scales and resin kinds which the plastic pellets were made from as well as their exposure time in the environment. As a result of the evaluation of sampling methodology the sampler diameter was defined which provides the best combination between the time and the volume of sampled sediment. Apart from that the depth of the major occurrence of plastic pellets in the sedimentary column was confirmed and it was established that transects are impracticable for this kind of procedure. The development of future studies in order to figure out the best sample design is suggested once the use of transects was not efficient for plastic pellets sampling in depth. According to analyses results the PAHs concentration and composition on the plastic pellets vary largely among sampling sites on the same beach. In order to obtain real pollutant variability on one beach, samples taken from different sampling sites are necessary to avoid a wrong over sizing of results. The plastic pellets analyses taken from different depths in sandy sediment showed similar results to those from the surface with a high variability in PAH concentration and composition. Among the resins there was a difference on PAH concentration (polyethylene > polypropylene) and exposure time, showing larger concentrations on darker pellets, that is longer exposed in the environment. The contamination in the studied area comes from the mixture of compounds from petrogenic and pyrolitic sources and the PAHs potential toxicity in plastic pellets analyses generally reflect an imminent risk to organisms. Complementary studies are also necessary to investigate the possibility of pollutant bioaccumulation in organisms.

Praias arenosas são caracterizadas por uma abundante macrofauna, composta por poliquetas, moluscos e crustáceos. Dentre os moluscos, os gastrópodes constituem um dos grupos mais conspícuos. Entretanto, as informações sobre esse grupo em praias são escassas e se referem principalmente à ocorrência em comunidades. O neogastropoda Olivella minuta é comum e abundante em praias do Litoral Norte de São Paulo. Porém, há importantes lacunas no conhecimento quanto à distribuição desta espécie. Diante desse cenário, o presente estudo visou analisar a distribuição espaço-temporal de Olivella minuta na praia de Barequeçaba, bem como os fatores ambientais relacionados a essa distribuição. Para análise da distribuição espacial de O. minuta ao longo do entre-marés da praia, amostras foram obtidas em outubro de 2009, a partir de doze estações perpendiculares à linha da água, compostas por três transectos com seis níveis cada. Os fatores abióticos (características do sedimento) e bióticos (descritores da macrofauna) que compõem cada estação também foram amostrados e relacionados com a distribuição da espécie. Os resultados revelaram que os indivíduos ocorreram em maior densidade na porção sul da praia, e nos ambientes mais úmidos, próximos a linha da água. O carbonato de cálcio e a matéria orgânica foram os fatores mais determinantes, contrastando com a hipótese de que há influência tanto dos fatores abióticos quanto dos bióticos em tal distribuição. Para análise de distribuição temporal de Olivella minuta no eixo vertical da praia, amostras foram obtidas mensalmente no entremarés, a partir de cinco transectos aleatórios estabelecidos perpendicularmente à linha da água, com nove unidades amostrais. Além disso, amostras foram obtidas trimestralmente, no entremarés e infralitoral, a partir de cinco transectos aleatórios, compostos por nove e seis níveis amostrais, respectivamente. Os resultados revelaram um padrão de distribuição da espécie no entremarés ao longo do tempo, e confirmaram a hipótese de que há uma distribuição de O. minuta de acordo com o tamanho do indivíduos no eixo vertical da praia, com indivíduos menores ocorrendo apenas no infralitoral e migrando para o entremarés ao longo de sua ontogenia. Os avanços apresentados no presente estudo contribuem para o conhecimento sobre a ecologia de populações de praias arenosas, ao relacionar a distribuição de uma espécie da macrofauna com os fatores ambientais, e principalmente ao abranger o infralitoral nas amostragens, por tratar da distribuição de uma espécie cuja distribuição não é exclusiva do entremarés / Sandy beaches have typically abundant macrofauna, comprised of polychaetes, mollusks, and crustaceans. Among mollusks, gastropods comprise one of the most conspicuous groups. Nevertheless, data on this group for beaches are scarce and refer mainly to their occurrence in communities. The neogastropoda Olivella minuta is common and abundant on beaches along the Northern Coast of São Paulo. However, there are important gaps in the knowledge regarding the distribution of this species. Based on this scenario, the present study aims at analyzing the distribution of Olivella minuta in space and over time on Barequeçaba Beach, as well as the related environmental factors. To analyze the distribution of Olivella minuta along the intertidal zone of the beach, samples were obtained in October 2009 from twelve stations perpendicular to the waterline, comprised of three transects with six levels each. Abiotic (sediment characteristics) and biotic (macrofauna descriptors) factors that comprise each station were also sampled and linked to distribution. Results showed that there was higher density of individuals in the southern part of the beach, and in more humid environments, closer to the waterline. Calcium carbonate and organic matter were the most determining factors in the species\' distribution, as opposed to the hypothesis that both abiotic and biotic factors were influencing factors. To analyze the distribution of Olivella minuta over time in the vertical axis of the beach, samples were collected monthly in the intertidal zone, from five random transects set out perpendicularly to the waterline with nine sampling units. In addition, samples were also obtained quarterly with five random transects comprised of nine and six sampling levels in the intertidal zone and in the infralittoral zone, respectively. Results showed a distribution pattern for the species in the intertidal zone over time and confirm the hypothesis that O. minuta is distributed along the vertical axis of the beach according to the size of individuals, with smaller individuals occurring in the infralittoral and migrating to the intertidal zone throughout their ontogeny. Outcomes shown in the present study help improve the knowledge on population ecology of sandy beaches because they relate the distribution of a macrofauna species to environmental factors and mainly due to the fact that sampling covers also the infralittoral zone, since its distribution is not exclusive to the intertidal zone

Praias arenosas são caracterizadas por uma abundante macrofauna, composta por poliquetas, moluscos e crustáceos. Dentre os moluscos, os gastrópodes constituem um dos grupos mais conspícuos. Entretanto, as informações sobre esse grupo em praias são escassas e se referem principalmente à ocorrência em comunidades. O neogastropoda Olivella minuta é comum e abundante em praias do Litoral Norte de São Paulo. Porém, há importantes lacunas no conhecimento quanto à distribuição desta espécie. Diante desse cenário, o presente estudo visou analisar a distribuição espaço-temporal de Olivella minuta na praia de Barequeçaba, bem como os fatores ambientais relacionados a essa distribuição. Para análise da distribuição espacial de O. minuta ao longo do entre-marés da praia, amostras foram obtidas em outubro de 2009, a partir de doze estações perpendiculares à linha da água, compostas por três transectos com seis níveis cada. Os fatores abióticos (características do sedimento) e bióticos (descritores da macrofauna) que compõem cada estação também foram amostrados e relacionados com a distribuição da espécie. Os resultados revelaram que os indivíduos ocorreram em maior densidade na porção sul da praia, e nos ambientes mais úmidos, próximos a linha da água. O carbonato de cálcio e a matéria orgânica foram os fatores mais determinantes, contrastando com a hipótese de que há influência tanto dos fatores abióticos quanto dos bióticos em tal distribuição. Para análise de distribuição temporal de Olivella minuta no eixo vertical da praia, amostras foram obtidas mensalmente no entremarés, a partir de cinco transectos aleatórios estabelecidos perpendicularmente à linha da água, com nove unidades amostrais. Além disso, amostras foram obtidas trimestralmente, no entremarés e infralitoral, a partir de cinco transectos aleatórios, compostos por nove e seis níveis amostrais, respectivamente. Os resultados revelaram um padrão de distribuição da espécie no entremarés ao longo do tempo, e confirmaram a hipótese de que há uma distribuição de O. minuta de acordo com o tamanho do indivíduos no eixo vertical da praia, com indivíduos menores ocorrendo apenas no infralitoral e migrando para o entremarés ao longo de sua ontogenia. Os avanços apresentados no presente estudo contribuem para o conhecimento sobre a ecologia de populações de praias arenosas, ao relacionar a distribuição de uma espécie da macrofauna com os fatores ambientais, e principalmente ao abranger o infralitoral nas amostragens, por tratar da distribuição de uma espécie cuja distribuição não é exclusiva do entremarés / Sandy beaches have typically abundant macrofauna, comprised of polychaetes, mollusks, and crustaceans. Among mollusks, gastropods comprise one of the most conspicuous groups. Nevertheless, data on this group for beaches are scarce and refer mainly to their occurrence in communities. The neogastropoda Olivella minuta is common and abundant on beaches along the Northern Coast of São Paulo. However, there are important gaps in the knowledge regarding the distribution of this species. Based on this scenario, the present study aims at analyzing the distribution of Olivella minuta in space and over time on Barequeçaba Beach, as well as the related environmental factors. To analyze the distribution of Olivella minuta along the intertidal zone of the beach, samples were obtained in October 2009 from twelve stations perpendicular to the waterline, comprised of three transects with six levels each. Abiotic (sediment characteristics) and biotic (macrofauna descriptors) factors that comprise each station were also sampled and linked to distribution. Results showed that there was higher density of individuals in the southern part of the beach, and in more humid environments, closer to the waterline. Calcium carbonate and organic matter were the most determining factors in the species\' distribution, as opposed to the hypothesis that both abiotic and biotic factors were influencing factors. To analyze the distribution of Olivella minuta over time in the vertical axis of the beach, samples were collected monthly in the intertidal zone, from five random transects set out perpendicularly to the waterline with nine sampling units. In addition, samples were also obtained quarterly with five random transects comprised of nine and six sampling levels in the intertidal zone and in the infralittoral zone, respectively. Results showed a distribution pattern for the species in the intertidal zone over time and confirm the hypothesis that O. minuta is distributed along the vertical axis of the beach according to the size of individuals, with smaller individuals occurring in the infralittoral and migrating to the intertidal zone throughout their ontogeny. Outcomes shown in the present study help improve the knowledge on population ecology of sandy beaches because they relate the distribution of a macrofauna species to environmental factors and mainly due to the fact that sampling covers also the infralittoral zone, since its distribution is not exclusive to the intertidal zone

Os grânulos plásticos são encontrados no ambiente marinho e, em função de suas características podem concentrar e transportar poluentes orgânicos. A Enseada de Santos representa um polo de grande importância econômica para o estado de São Paulo, devido à existência do Porto de Santos e do complexo industrial de Cubatão nos seus arredores. Essa região foi escolhida para o desenvolvimento deste estudo por possuir uma grande quantidade de grânulos na superfície arenosa de suas praias. O presente estudo teve como objetivos: (1) avaliar uma proposta metodológica para a coleta de grânulos plásticos, baseada no uso de transectos perpendiculares à linha da água compostos por escavações (amostragens) equidistantes; e (2) analisar a concentração, composição e fontes de contaminação de hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos (HPAs) nos grânulos coletados em praias arenosas, considerando diferentes escalas espaciais e a influência do tipo de resina que os grânulos são produzidos, bem como o tempo de exposição destes no ambiente. O resultado da avaliação da proposta metodológica determinou o diâmetro do trado que fornece a melhor combinação entre tempo e volume de sedimento coletado, além da confirmação da profundidade de maior ocorrência dos grânulos na coluna sedimentar, bem como a constatação de que transectos tornam-se inviáveis para este procedimento. É sugerido, então, o desenvolvimento de estudos futuros a fim de encontrar o melhor desenho amostral, uma vez que não foi eficaz a realização de transectos, para a amostragem de grânulos plásticos em profundidade. De acordo com os resultados das análises, a concentração e composição de HPAs nos grânulos plásticos variaram de forma expressiva entre os pontos amostrais em uma mesma praia, de forma que, para a obtenção da real variabilidade de poluentes em uma praia, são necessárias coletas em diversos pontos amostrais, a fim de evitar uma equivocada extrapolação dos resultados. As análises dos grânulos coletados em diferentes profundidades no sedimento arenoso indicam resultados semelhantes, com uma alta variabilidade na composição e concentração de HPAs. Entre as resinas, houve diferença na concentração de HPAs (polietileno > polipropileno) e no tempo de exposição, com maiores concentrações nos grânulos mais escuros, ou seja, mais tempo expostos no ambiente. A contaminação na área de coleta é oriunda da mistura de compostos provenientes de fontes petrogênicas e pirolíticas e as análises da potencial toxicidade dos HPAs em grânulos, em geral, indicam um risco iminente aos organismos. São necessários, no entanto, estudos complementares também para a investigação da possibilidade de bioacumulação dos poluentes em organismos. / Plastic pellets are easily found in marine environment and due to its characteristics they may concentrate and bring organic pollutants. Santos bay represents a major economic center for the state of São Paulo because of Santos Port and the Cubatão industrial complex in its surroundings. This place was chosen for the development of the study for the great number of pellets found in the sandy surface of its beaches. This study aimed at (1) evaluating a sampling methodology for plastic pellets based on the use of transects perpendicular to the seawater line and made by diggings equally distant from one another (samplings). It also aimed at (2) analyzing the concentration, composition and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) contamination on the pellets sampled on sandy beaches, considering different spatial scales and resin kinds which the plastic pellets were made from as well as their exposure time in the environment. As a result of the evaluation of sampling methodology the sampler diameter was defined which provides the best combination between the time and the volume of sampled sediment. Apart from that the depth of the major occurrence of plastic pellets in the sedimentary column was confirmed and it was established that transects are impracticable for this kind of procedure. The development of future studies in order to figure out the best sample design is suggested once the use of transects was not efficient for plastic pellets sampling in depth. According to analyses results the PAHs concentration and composition on the plastic pellets vary largely among sampling sites on the same beach. In order to obtain real pollutant variability on one beach, samples taken from different sampling sites are necessary to avoid a wrong over sizing of results. The plastic pellets analyses taken from different depths in sandy sediment showed similar results to those from the surface with a high variability in PAH concentration and composition. Among the resins there was a difference on PAH concentration (polyethylene > polypropylene) and exposure time, showing larger concentrations on darker pellets, that is longer exposed in the environment. The contamination in the studied area comes from the mixture of compounds from petrogenic and pyrolitic sources and the PAHs potential toxicity in plastic pellets analyses generally reflect an imminent risk to organisms. Complementary studies are also necessary to investigate the possibility of pollutant bioaccumulation in organisms.

La question de la remontée des niveaux marins et du recul du trait de côte est aujourd'hui une préoccupation de premier ordre face à laquelle les sociétés sont en attente de connaissances et de propositions. Or, les littoraux les plus menacés, les côtes basses, sont d'une part le siège de pratiques séculaires, de "défense contre la mer" et ont, d’autre part, été investis dans une période récente par des activités touristiques tournées vers l'exploitation des plages. Cette vulnérabilité physique et sociale explique notre choix pour les littoraux correspondants aux trois communes de Vias, Agde et Marseillan (golfe du Lion). Ces terrains réunissent un ensemble de caractéristiques qui en font un terrain laboratoire propice à l’observation et au traitement de cette problématique. L’érosion et la submersion marine ont marqué l’espace et les paysages de ces territoires. Face à cette situation de vulnérabilité se pose la question de l'adaptation des systèmes socio-économiques qui se sont développés dans ces espaces et de la résilience des territoires. La résilience désigne la capacité à anticiper, à réagir et à rebondir après un événement perturbateur. Cette approche nous permet de comprendre comment la société locale réagit face à des situations de vulnérabilité et comment se construisent les capacités d’adaptation et de résilience dans sa dimension territoriale. L’approche monographique est mobilisée dans notre travail à partir des entretiens semi-directifs, l’objectif est de confronter la notion théorique de la résilience des territoires à sa réalité pratique. À travers, ces trois territoires, il s’agit d’apporter des connaissances empiriques afin de décrypter les enjeux et révéler un modèle de développement axé sur la littoralisation des activités. Nous proposons à la fin de ce travail une nouvelle démarche, la Résilience Intégrée de Zones Côtières (RIZC), pour dépasser la complexité du réel et entretenir les solidarités entre tous les acteurs concernés. La RIZC permet de maintenir un niveau d’activité à l’aide des capacités de la souplesse du système afin de limiter les conflits d’intérêts entre public et privé et renforcer leur confiance mutuelle. / Rising sea levels and coastline recession have become a major issue about which society requires knowledges and solutions. The shorelines most threatened are low seacoasts which are both places of century-old traditions of coastal protection and localities exploited for tourism attracted by their beaches. This material and social vulnerability explains our choice of three municipalities: Vias, Agde and Marseillan (France, Gulf of Lion). These cases highlight features that permit pertinent observations on the subject. Erosion and coastal flood have shaped their landscape and planning. Can socioeconomics systems adapt to this new vulnerability? Resilience is the capacity to anticipate, react and bounce back after a disturbance. This approach allows us to understand how local communities react to vulnerability and plan new forms of resilience and adaptation. We use semi-structured interviews to build monographs and contrast theoretical resilience against real life experiences. These three territories are used to gather empirical knowledge in order to clarify the issues at stake and the need to abandon the concentration of activities on shorelines. Finally, we discuss how a new approach known as integrated coastal zone management; can overcome the complexity of the real situations encountered and underpin solidarity between all the stakeholders. Using a more versatile system, integrated coastal zone management, can help to maintain activities, limit conflicts of interest between public and private stakeholders and strengthen their mutual trust.

Coastlines are particularly susceptible to the necessary trade-offs which occur between different ecosystem services. Should the areas be managed for biodiversity or for people? Where sandy beaches are found there is usually a management decision to be made between managing for recreation or for biodiversity. Many popular tourist beaches (particularly those with a Beach Award) are often groomed with mechanical equipment to remove any stranded seaweed and associated litter which can get entangled in the wrack. This is likely to be having a negative impact on coastal biodiversity, with wide ranging implications for the entire habitat, including the intertidal zone, sand dunes and shorebirds. Beached wrack should be allowed to naturally decompose providing a habitat for numerous species of macro-invertebrates. These macro-invertebrate communities not only include many endemic species found exclusively along the strandline but they also provide a very rich source of food for shorebirds. The re-mineralised nutrients resulting from the decomposed macrophytes should then become available to provide a rich source of nutrients to dune, strandline and marine ecosystems populations of the strandline. In previous studies grooming has been shown to have a negative impact on the invertebrates of the strandline and this study reveals that tidal range has an effect on the impacts of grooming with a higher tidal range having a more negative impact on the invertebrates. A study to observe the impacts of grooming on both adult plant and seed bank communities of the sand dunes found that grooming is having a negative impact on these populations. Grooming is predominantly driven by beach managers who aspire to gain Beach Awards in order to attract tourists to their beaches. Using non-market valuation in the form of a stated preference choice experiment and a travel cost model, it was observed that Beach Awards are not valued by beach goers but are instead influenced to visit a particular beach by good bathing water quality, high levels of biodiversity and low levels of litter. It was also shown that stranded seaweed on the beach does not deter visitors. Future management suggestions include attempting to reduce the confusion arising from the presence of multiple beach awards by either removing them altogether or by making their criteria more clear and direct with consistency in their design and designation. Bathing water quality should be completely removed from the Beach Award system and real-time information in the form of electronic signage and a publicly available App should replace it.

Esta pesquisa procurou compreender e avaliar os impactos decorrentes da ocupação desordenada do litoral paulista e estabelecer prognósticos de ocupação em áreas pouco ou não ocupadas e com similaridade geomorfológicas de processos costeiros. Por meio do método de matrizes foram identificados e avaliados os seguintes impactos: alteração da linha de costa, ocorrência de erosão costeira, alteração do regime de sedimentação do perfil praial, instalação de processos erosivos nas margens de canais estuarinos e redução de áreas naturais. A partir dos impactos avaliados na Baixada Santista estabeleceu-se um prognóstico para Ilha Comprida considerando a implantação de obras de engenharia, como estruturas rígidas perpendiculares (enrocamentos e canais de drenagem), um porto, e a ocupação em áreas de preservação permanente, que acarretariam as seguintes alterações: modificação da linha de costa na face exposta da ilha, alteração do regime de sedimentação, processos erosivos nos canais estuarinos e poluição de águas superficiais. Com base nos resultados foi elaborado um roteiro-guia para orientar futuros projetos de ocupação e prevenir impactos na dinâmica sedimentar. O trabalho ressalta a necessidade do conhecimento prévio dos processos da dinâmica sedimentar bem como a avaliação de acertos e erros em áreas geomorfologicamente similares, para implantação de obras costeiras. / This research looked for to understand and to evaluate the decurrent impacts of the disordered occupation of the São Paulo coast and to establish prognostics of occupation in areas occupied or not occupied with geomorphological and coastal processes similarity. They had been identified and evaluated by method of matrices the following impacts: alteration of the shoreline, occurrence of coastal erosion, alteration of the regimen of sedimentation of the beach profile, installation of erosive processes in the edges of estuarine channels and reduction of natural areas. The impacts evaluated in the Baixada Santista could established a prognostic for Ilha Comprida considering the implantation of engineering projects, as perpendicular rigid structures (groins and drainage channels), a port, and the occupation in areas of permanent preservation, that would cause the following alterations: modification of the shoreline in the external face of the island, erosive alteration of the regimen of sedimentation, erosive processes in the estuarine channels and superficial water pollution. On the basis of the results were elaborated a script-guide to guide futures occupation projects and to prevent impacts in the dynamics sedimentary. The work stands out the necessity for previous knowledge dynamics sedimentary processes as well as the evaluation of rightness and errors in geomorphological similar areas, for coastal projects implantation.

The prediction of coastal groundwater movement is necessary in coastal management. However, the study in this field is still a great challenge due to the involvement of tidal-groundwater interactions and the phenomena of hydrodynamic dispersion between salt-fresh water in the coastal region. To date, numerous theories for groundwater dynamic have been made available in analytical, numerical and also experimental forms. Nevertheless, most of them are based on the zeroth-order shallow flow, i.e. Boussinesq approximation. Two main components for coastal unconfined aquifer have been completed in this Thesis: the vertical beach model and the sloping beach model. Both solutions are solved in closed-form up to higher order with shallow water parameter ([epsilon]) and tidal amplitude parameter ([alpha]). The vertical beach solution contributes to the higher-order tidal fluctuations while the sloping beach model overcomes the shortcomings in the existing solutions. From this study, higher-order components are found to be significant especially for larger value of [alpha] and [epsilon]. Other parameters such as hydraulic conductivity (K) and the thickness of aquifer (D) also affect the water table fluctuations. The new sloping solution demonstrated the significant influence of beach slope ([beta]) on the water table fluctuations. A comprehensive comparison between previous solution and the present sloping solution have been performed mathematically and numerically and the present solution has been demonstrated to provide a better prediction

Beaches and coastal environments are dynamic, constantly shaped and reshaped by natural processes and anthropogenic modifications. The morphodynamics and influence of natural and anthropogenic factors of two different coasts at various temporal and spatial scales are discussed. To quantify the performance of several beach nourishment projects at annual temporal and kilometer spatial scales on three adjacent microtidal low-wave energy barrier islands in west-central Florida, a total of 5,200 beach and nearshore-profiles spaced at 300 m were surveyed monthly to bi-monthly from 2006-2010. Beach nourishment performance is most significantly influenced by the interruption of longshore sediment transport by complex tidal-inlet processes. More specifically, the tidal-inlet processes influencing adjacent beach nourishment performance includes longshore transport interruption resulting from divergence induced by wave refraction over an ebb-tidal shoal, flood-tidal currents along the beach, and total littoral blockage by structured inlets. A morphologic indicator of a large longshore transport gradient within the study area is the absence of a nearshore sandbar. These non-barred beaches are characterized by persistent shoreline erosion and were almost exclusively located in areas with a large longshore transport gradient. The more typical beach state along the three barrier islands was one exhibiting a migratory bar and relatively stable shoreline. The presence of a sandbar indicates the dominance of cross-shore processes, with onshore migration during calm wave conditions and offshore migration during energetic wave conditions. The onshore and offshore migration of the sandbar is closely related to non-stormy summer and stormy winter seasonal beach changes, respectively. The morphodynamics of a mixed sand and gravel beach in Delaware were investigated based on 740 beach profiles surveyed almost monthly from 2009 to 2011, 60 sediment cores, and 550 surface sediment samples collected at various alongshore and cross-shore transects. Inter-seasonal temporal scales of storm-induced beach changes and post-storm recovery were examined based on a hurricane, a typical energetic winter storm, and an extremely energetic storm resulting from the rare collision of a hurricane and winter storm ("Nor'Ida") occurring within a 3-month period in 2009. The mixed sand and gravel beaches in Delaware are characterized by monotonically increasing water depths lacking a sandbar under all wave conditions. A distinctive beach cycle was identified consisting of a built-up berm profile and depleted nearly-planar storm profile, with a time-scale related to the frequency and intensity of storm impact and duration of intra-storm recovery instead of simple seasonality. The sedimentological characteristics of the storm deposit associated with Nor'Ida demonstrated substantial cross-shore variation ranging from sandy-gravel and gravelly-sand within the storm swash zone (near the pre-storm dune edge) to well-sorted medium to coarse sand seaward of the storm swash zone, suggesting that storm deposits along mixed beaches demonstrate a variety of sedimentological characteristics. A new dynamic beach cycle model is proposed for the non-barred mixed sand and gravel beach with temporal variability controlled by storm occurrence and inter-storm duration.