Seagrasses are ecosystem engineers, forming extensive meadows that provide critical habitat and modulate local morphodynamics. Their canopies induce drag on flow to attenuate mean flow and reduce near-bed flow velocities, which can shield the bed from erosion and sediment suspension. Alternatively, seagrass loss can enhance erosion and sediment suspension, which can be initiated through short-lived extreme events, or chronic long-term disturbances. Physical process and disturbances can govern the evolution of seagrass meadow ecosystems. In two separate chapters, this research examined 1) the influence of climate variability and storms on seagrass loss and erosion at a high spatial resolution, and 2) how flow attenuation by seagrass varies across tidal cycles and at different locations in the Choked Passage meadow, on the Central Coast of British Columbia. We used high resolution multibeam echosounder (MBES) bathymetry and backscatter data from 2018 to 2021, drone mapped seagrass delineations from 2014 to 2021, and wind and wave data from 2014 to 2021. Flow data (i.e. velocity magnitude, velocity direction, and acoustic backscatter) above the seagrass canopy was collected with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) along transects and moored to the seafloor over a tidal cycle. Sediment samples were collected from the bed to estimate critical shear stress and verify sediment classes from an acoustic backscatter analysis. From 2018 to 2021, the meadow experienced significant erosion (net surface lowering of -18,768 m3) and loss of seagrass (10% reduction), which we attribute to the preceding winter storm activity driven by moderate La Niña conditions. The spatial patterns of erosion and seagrass loss was non-uniform across the meadow. Coupled erosion and seagrass loss resulted in the generation and/or expansion of blowouts. We observed a trend of a reduction in seagrass coverage following winters with a high number of storm events and/or high recorded storm intensity from 2014 to 2021. We believe the Choked Passage seagrass meadow undergoes cyclic behaviour with reduction in seagrass coverage during energetic ENSO years, followed by a recovery period during weak years. The ADCP was used to detect the seagrass canopy height, measure flow, and estimate shear stress. Overall, flow is fastest in the northern section of the main meadow, particularly in the north-west corner where the meadow is patchy. Moreover, flow appears to accelerate through the meadow interior, which suggests that topographic steering and the strength of incoming currents exceeds the ability of seagrass to dampen flow velocity. During the transition from peak flood to ebb, flow velocity remained heightened for longer above the southern meadow and lagged the other sections. Shear stress results indicate that sediment can be transported as bedload and in suspension under peak flow velocities at some of the sites examined within the meadow. Shear stress is largest in the meadow center and lower towards the southern margin of the main meadow. Based on our results, when sediment transport is initiated under peak tidal and/or extreme conditions, sediment is likely primarily transported as bedload, creating the observed sand wave and blowout bedforms. This research demonstrated linkages between extreme storms (during ENSO years), seabed morphology, and seagrass coverage, and examined the variability in the interaction between flow, seagrass, and sediment transport. Geomorphic processes and disturbances have an important influence on ecosystem structure and function over time, therefore, it is important to understand how these processes operate and are modified by external drivers. The results of this study have significant implications on seagrass conservation, restoration, and the evolution of coastal landscapes. / Graduate

No description available.

O lixo marinho é um problema discutido desde a década de 1970, quando cientistas começaram a observar e quantificar materiais diversos nos mares e costas de alguns países, como por exemplo os plásticos. Nessa categoria se encontram os pellets de plástico, que constituem a matéria-prima de base para a produção da indústria mundial de insumos plásticos. Desde então o tema é tratado entre as formas de poluição marinha e costeira mais observadas. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida no litoral do Estado de São Paulo (Brasil), na qual se avaliou a presença de pellets e os mecanismos de sua distribuição, realizada em duas etapas: a primeira, em 55 praias de 15 municípios entre o Litoral Norte, a Baixada Santista e o Litoral Sul. A segunda, em 9 praias da Região Metropolitana da Baixada Santista. Pesquisa bibliográfica, documental, trabalhos de campo e de laboratório formaram as etapas da investigação, para a qual foram usados métodos de amostragem. Os resultados obtidos levaram à conclusão da maior concentração de pellets nas praias próximas às áreas consideradas pelo estudo como fontes emissoras do material no mar, como as zonas portuárias / industriais de São Sebastião, Santos e a de Paranaguá (Paraná). Ao longo das praias, foi constatado que os eventos extremos de ressacas / marés meteorológicas são os principais responsáveis pela distribuição dos pellets de plástico nas praias. A principal contribuição do trabalho foi a inclusão da temática da poluição costeira nos estudos de Geografia do Litoral, uma demanda desafiadora para a Geografia brasileira. / Marine debris is an issue discussed since the 1970s, when scientists began to observe and quantify different materials in the seas and coastlines of some countries, such as plastics. In this category are the plastic pellets, which are the basic raw material for the production of plastics industry worldwide inputs. Since then the issue is treated between forms of marine pollution and more coastal observed. The research was conducted in the São Paulo state coast (Brazil), in which it evaluated the presence of pellets and the mechanisms of its distribution, carried out in two stages: the first, on 55 beaches in 15 municipalities across the North Coast, the Baixada Santista and the South Coast. The second, on 9 beaches of Baixada Santista. Bibliographical research, documental, field work and laboratory formed the stages of the investigation, for which sampling methods were used. The results led to the conclusion of the higher concentration of pellets at the nearby beaches to areas considered by the study as sources emitting material at sea, such as port / industrial areas of São Sebastião, Santos and Paranaguá (Paraná). Along the beaches, it was found that extreme storm surge events are mainly responsible for the distribution of plastic pellets on beaches. The main contribution of this study was the inclusion of the issue of coastal pollution in the studies of Geography of the Coastline, a challenging demand for Brazilian Geography.

Cette thèse porte sur une étude de la morphologie et des processus morphosédimentaires qui régissent la formation, la dynamique et l'évolution des flèches littorales sableuses caractéristiques de la côte sous dominance de la houle du Sénégal. Elle insiste sur la singularité de la côte sénégalaise à fort développement de flèches par rapport aux littoraux d'Afrique de l'Ouest à cordons massifs. Ces flèches sont construites par la dérive littorale mais l'on sait très peu de leur dynamique, notamment les apports de sables, leur redistribution par la dérive littorale, les relations entre l’allongement de ces flèches et les écoulements fluviaux et tidaux sur des embouchures fluviaux ou lagunaires déviées par ces formes, et les conditions favorisant leur rupture, aspect très important en aménagement littoral. La thèse, à travers une approche combinant la télédétection, l'expérimentation in situ impliquant des mesures de topométrie à haute résolution et d'hydrodynamique, et la modélisation conceptuelle, distingue des flèches à dérive libre et à dérive entravée et les mécanismes d'allongement continu ou restreint et de courbure de ces flèches. Ces aspects morphodynamiques intègrent aussi la relation entre ces flèches et les embouchures des cours d'eau qu'elles barrent, notamment celle du delta du fleuve Sénégal. Les flèches de la côte sénégalaise jouent un rôle important en matière de protection du littoral et d'aménagement des embouchures, et sont un maillon essentiel du transit de sables le long de cette côte. Les schémas d'aménagement de ces flèches et les embouchures associées doivent mieux intégrer la façon dont ces formes fonctionnent et leurs conditions de rupture. / This thesis is a study of the morphology and morphosedimentary processes that determine the formation, dynamics and evolution of the sand spits characterizing the wave-dominated coast of Senegal. The thesis insists on the singularity of the coast of Senegal, the numerous spits of which provide a contrast with the sandy coasts of West Africa that are characterized by massive beach-ridge complexes. These spits are constructed by longshore drift but little is known of their dynamics, notably sand supply patterns, the way sand is redistributed alongshore, the relationship between these spits and river and tidal flux at the river mouths or lagoon inlets they divert, and the conditions that favour spit breaching, a mechanism that has important implications for coastal management. Using an approach that combines remote sensing, field experiments aimed at acquiring high-resolution topometric and hydrodynamic data, and conceptual models, spits characterized by free drift are distinguished from those with limited elongation, and the mechanisms pertinent to each type and to spit lengthening and recurves are analyzed. These morphodynamic aspects also include a scrutiny of the relationship between these spits and the river mouths they divert, especially that of the Senegal River delta. The spits of the coast of Senegal play an important role in coastal protection and in the management of the river mouths. They are also an essential element in sand drift along this coast. Coastal zone management plans regarding these spits and their associated river mouths need to consider more closely how these spits work and the conditions that can lead to their breaching.

FundaÃÃo de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Cearà / O objetivo deste trabalho à analisar as aÃÃes dos processos naturais, relacionados com as mudanÃas sociais impostas à Ãrea costeira de Fortaleza, Nordeste do Brasil, ao longo do sÃculo XX. O estudo està individualizado em duas faixas: Sudeste/ Noroeste (SE/NO) e Leste/Oeste (L/O). A primeira parte da desembocadura do Rio Cocà atà a Ponta do Mucuripe e a segunda da Ponta do Mucuripe atà Foz do Rio CearÃ, perfazendo um total de 23 km. Estas faixas sÃo feiÃÃes dinÃmicas que vÃm sofrendo com o avanÃo e recuo da linha de costa. A sua posiÃÃo no espaÃo geogrÃfico muda constantemente em vÃrias escalas temporais (diÃrias, sazonais, decadais, seculares e milenares). Desta forma, a faixa de praia de Fortaleza à afetada por um nÃmero muito grande de fatores, alguns de origens naturais e intrinsecamente relacionadas à dinÃmica costeira (erosÃo costeira, variaÃÃo relativa do nÃvel do mar, dispersÃo de sedimentos), outros relacionados com as intervenÃÃes humanas na zona costeira (obras de engenharia, drenagens, aterramento de praias, construÃÃo de espigÃes, muros de contenÃÃo). O impacto ambiental e as mudanÃas, naturais e sociais, nestas Ãreas, sÃo bastante considerÃveis. Por essas razÃes, à intenso o avanÃo da linha de costa na faixa SE â NO (Praia do Futuro, CaÃa e Pesca e Serviluz), ocorrendo engorda do perfil praial. Na faixa L/0, um recuo da linha de costa em direÃÃo ao continente (Praia do Meireles, Praia de Iracema, Pirambu, L/O e Barra do CearÃ) vem se intensificando. Estas aÃÃes se deram de forma mais intensa posteriormente à construÃÃo da grande obra o Porto do Mucuripe, na dÃcada de 1940, que veio alterar drasticamente toda a dinÃmica costeira da cidade de Fortaleza, colocando-se como um marco das mudanÃas ambientais da Ãrea ao longo do sÃculo XX / The objective of this dissertation is to present a synthesis of the natural processes related with the social changes of coastal area of Fortaleza city, Northeast of Brazil, along an area of 23 km, during the 20th century. The study area has been individualized in two bands: southeast/northwest and east/west. The first goes from the mouth of Cocà river until the Mucuripe headland and the second, from this point until the estuary of Cearà river. These bands are dynamic features that are suffering with the advance and recession of the shoreline. Its position changes constantly in many scales (daily and seasonal, but associated with centuries and millenniums). In such a way, the beach band of Fortaleza is affected by a very great number of factors, some of natural origins and related to the coastal dynamics (coastal erosion, relative variation of the sea level, dispersion of sediments), others related with human interventions in the coastal zone (workmanships of engineering, drainings, nourishement of beaches, construction of ridges and seawalls). The envirormental impact and the changes, natural and artificial, in these areas, are considerable. For these reasons there is an intense advance of the shoreline in the band southeast/northwest (Futuro beach, CaÃa e Pesca and Serviluz), with progradation of the beach profile. In the band east/west occurs an intense erosion of the shoreline in direction to the continent (Meireles, Iracema, Pirambu, Barra do CearÃ). These processes are more intense after the construction of the Mucuripe harbor, that modified drastically the coastal dynamics of the studied area and its a marker of the environmental chauges in the coast of Fortaleza city during the 20th century

Extensive overwash occurred along Florida's Atlantic and northern Gulf facing barrier islands during the passages of Hurricanes Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne in 2004. These high-energy storm events provided a unique opportunity to study the spatial depositional patterns and internal sedimentary architecture of fresh washover deposits resulting from inundation to collision regime overwash events. Sedimentological characteristics and 3-D internal architecture of the washover deposits were studied through coring, trenching, sediment analysis, ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys, and pre- and post-storm aerial photography and LiDAR topographic survey data. The cross-shore extent of washover deposition is controlled by sediment supply, accommodation space, and the extent of cross-shore penetration of overwash flow. Antecedent morphology of the beach or barrier island is the primary factor governing sediment supply and accommodation space. Antecedent morphology coupled with spatio-temporal factors including storm position, intensity, and duration govern the extent of landward excursion of overwash flow. Washover deposition ranges from thin deposits, limited in cross-shore extent to the beach berm, to extensive sheet-like sediment bodies extending across an entire barrier island profile. Four sedimentary facies are recognized, which can be related to antecedent morphology. Berm facies, dominates the beach and seaward side of the foredune, and is characterized by a basal erosional surface and seaward dipping planar stratification. Back-berm facies extends landward from the dune crest down the backside of the foredune, exhibits little evidence of erosion along the basal contact, and is dominated by landward inclined stratification. Platform facies, largely confined to the interior platform, exhibits little evidence of erosion along the pre-storm surface, and horizontal to gently landward dipping parallel stratification, which merges landward with, and commonly overlies steeply landward dipping foreset stratification. Antecedent hummocky dunes may be preserved within platform facies. The landward most facies, backbay facies is dominated by subaqueous deposition within the back bay, and is characterized by steeply landward dipping tabular foreset and sigmoidal stratification. In the longshore direction, backbay facies exhibit trough and mound GPR reflective patterns, representing washover sediment ridges and troughs oriented parallel to the primary flow direction, and illustrate the highly 3-dimesional nature of the washover deposits.

This paper examines the regional longshore sediment transport pattern of the seaward coast of the United States and Gulf of Mexico from northern Maine to Tampa Bay, Florida. From previous studies it is known that along the coast there are variations in direction of sediment transport known as nodal zones as well as variations in sediment transport rate. Wave Information Study (WIS) hindcast data for the interval 1976 through 1995 (United States Army Corps of Engineers, 2003) provide a spatially continuous model of the regional longshore current directions in the study area. In chapter one, all available published field studies of longshore current direction and sediment transport directions and rates are compiled to create a description of the direction and, whenever possible, magnitude of longshore transport. A detailed compilation of regional and local published studies are provided in tables. An interpretation of sediment transport rates and directions is provided in eight regional maps of the study area. In chapter two the results of the literature compilations are compared with gross and net potential sediment transport directions and rates modeled using WIS hindcast data. The WIS deep-water wave characteristics are used to predict the directions and rate of longshore sediment transport at local outer coast positions using the method of Ashton et al. (2003a). The WIS-derived transport directions, including nodal zones, generally agree with the published field studies, although there are a few local inconsistencies particularly near inlets, shoals and irregular bathymetry. Trends in longshore transport rates, such as increases and decreases in gross transport rates are well represented by the WIS-derived potential transport rates. The discrepencies between the published field studies and WIS results are apparently primarily due to assumptions in the WIS model, such as assuming shore-parallel bathymetric contours.

Annually, tropical cyclones do tremendous damage and are agents of long-term coastal change. To test this idea of different tropical cyclones delivering consistent coastal change, a landform with such evolution is needed. One such landform is a spit. What contributions do tropical cyclones give toward the evolution of a spit, and do tropical cyclones give the same kinds of impacts? To determine if tropical cyclones have similar impacts, shoreline and volumetric change from four storms impacting Bolivar Peninsula are considered. Being a southwest-trended spit at a length of 33.5 kilometers, storm impacts are measured in the form of one dimensional shoreline and two dimensional volumetric change. These impacts are abstracted into shoreline change and volumetric change patterns. These patterns are identified and compared for differences between each storm and similarity among all storms. Results indicate that shoreline accretionary zones vary alongshore. Results from Hurricane Ike indicate an accretionary zone ten kilometers from the distal end. Shoreline change patterns for Hurricane Rita show an unstable accretionary zone at four kilometers from the distal end. Results for Tropical Storm Fay indicate an unstable accretionary zone that begins at the distal end and continues to the middle of the spit. In terms of similarity for shoreline change, all patterns from storms demonstrated erosion near Rollover Fish Pass. One dimensional volumetric change patterns were entirely erosive for Hurricanes Rita and Ike, and Tropical Storm Fay had by small zones of accretion near the distal portion of the spit. Tropical Storm Josephine demonstrated an accretion zone between the middle and distal portion of the spit. Results from two dimensional volumetric change patterns suggest a threshold for inland penetration. Tropical Storm Fay showed a ten to twenty meter wide pattern of erosion around five kilometers from the distal end and near the proximal end of the spit, and Hurricane Rita demonstrated a twenty meter wide pattern of erosion near the distal end. Hurricane Ike had erosive penetration of up to 200 meters around fifteen kilometers from the distal end. Results suggest that certain storms reinforce the standard spit growth model, and others work against it.

This thesis describes the geomorphology and morphodynamics of two embayed, sandy, macrotidal beach-dune systems in the Cape St. James region of Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site. Gilbert Bay beach is a small embayment with a southwest aspect that exhibits prograding dune ridges. Woodruff Bay beach, a larger system with a SE aspect, is characterized by large erosional scarps on the established foredune. Aspect to erosive conditions and embayment size control the distinct morphologic responses of these beach-dune systems. The morphodynamic regime at Cape St. James consists of high onshore sediment transport potential combined with an increasingly erosive water level regime that is forced by PDO and ENSO climatic variability events. Conceptual models of potential future responses of these beaches to sea level rise show a possible landward migration of up to 3.5 m at Gilbert Bay beach and up to 4 m at Woodruff Bay beach.

The submarine geomorphology of Goletas Channel - Hardy Bay - Shusharti Bay is a record of environmental change, defined by sediment deposition since the late Pleistocene draped over glacially sculpted physiography. Sea level change, contiguous with waning ice extent at the termination of the Fraser Glaciation, triggered an oceanographic transition within Goletas Channel from a low energy closed embayment to a higher energy open channel environment. Morphologic evidence of lower sea level position is observed from sequence stratigraphy in Hardy Bay and suggests regression to 74 m below present. Stratigraphy also shows a correlation between sea level transgression and turbidity current flows in northwest Goletas Channel, and although triggering mechanisms remain elusive, they are likely related to reworking of glacial sediments concomitant to initial open channel conditions. Holocene sediment accumulation has been highest in southeast Goletas Channel, represented by mud with interstitial gas, and has been reworked by tidal currents into contourite structures. A combination of high-resolution multibeam bathymetry, seismic and core samples are used to study the geomorphology of the region.