Seashells have been the most coveted and collected of nature's creations for thousands of years. They were money before coins, jewellery before gems, art before canvas. In The Sound of the Sea, Cynthia Barnett blends cultural history and environmental science to trace our long love affair with seashells and the hidden lives of the mollusks that make them. From the mysterious glow of giant clams to the surprising origin of Shell Oil as a family business importing exotic shells, the book is filled with unforgettable stories. As it explores the perfect symmetry of a Chambered Nautilus, the pink-glossed lip of a Queen Conch or what we hear when we hold a shell to the ear, it makes a powerful argument for listening to shells-and acting on what they are telling us about the impacts of climate change on the seas, marine life and humanity.

This comprehensive compendium highlights the practical side in the design of the coastal rubble mound structures. All basic rubble mound structural elements with various special features or arrangements are discussed and presented with guidelines to the best practices.A unique feature of this book offers insight into practical constraints and problems. A variety of practical designs and construction examples are elucidated to most common issues faced in the design with extensive discussions on what influences the selection of the proper solution. It is an essential aid to take the design a step further, from basic to a professional level.This useful reference benefits coastal engineers in general, design consultants, construction engineers or anyone carrying out supervision and inspection work.Related Link(s)

The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2020 is the most comprehensive review of the status of Australia's avifauna ever attempted. The latest in a series of action plans for Australian birds that have been produced every decade since 1992, it is also the largest. The accounts in this plan have been authored by more than 300 of the most knowledgeable bird experts in the country, and feature far more detail than any of the earlier plans. This volume also includes accounts of over 60 taxa that are no longer considered threatened, mainly thanks to sustained conservation action over many decades. This extensive book covers key themes that have emerged in the last decade, including the increasing impact of climate change as a threatening process, most obviously in Queensland's tropical rainforests where many birds are being pushed up the mountains. However, the effects are also indirect, as happened in the catastrophic fires of 2019/20. Many of the newly listed birds are subspecies confined to Kangaroo Island, where fire destroyed over half the population. But there are good news stories too, especially on islands where there have been spectacular successes with predator control. Such uplifting results demonstrate that when action plans are followed by action on the ground, threatened species can indeed be recovered and threats alleviated. FEATURES: Provides an overview of the conservation status of all Australian birds in 2020, including birds not yet threatened but known to be declining. Includes readily accessible status information for each species with reasons for listing and distribution maps. Outlines the actions needed for conservation and describes many birds where conservation action has allowed downlisting because they are now secure. Identifies the birds most threatened by the 2019/20 fires and draws attention to the broader role climate change is now playing in bird declines.

Beaches are the most dynamic places on Earth, offering an infinite variety of patterns and geological land formations. This book celebrates and solves the mysteries of the fascinating and frequently abstract beauty of gravitational effects at the water's edge. Lovers of natural history will appreciate the images of curiously sculpted potholes, towering sea stacks, sand and vegetal varieties, and blue sky reflected in striated rivulets, accompanied by diagrams and explanations of the natural forces at work. This book aims to enhance appreciation for oceans and their shape-shifting shorelines. They are, after all, wondrous.

This book presents the innovative concept of the dual function of wave farms as both renewable energy generators and coastal protection elements against erosion and flooding. Developing renewable energy is one of the most pressing targets for society in the coming decades due to the finite nature of fossil fuels, their high costs, and the environmental impacts of their exploration and use, including climate change and the subsequent sea-level rise. Wave energy is one of the most promising renewable energy sources, thanks to its huge potential and low impact on the environment. As such, this book discusses the development and application of artificial intelligence to optimise wave farm location and layout, assesses the influence of the wave energy converter geometry on coastal protection against erosion and flooding, and analyses how the performance of wave farms as coastal defence elements is affected by climate change and sea level rise. The concepts, methods and conclusions presented are helpful to students, researchers, academics, engineers, designers, stakeholders and managers around the globe interested in wave energy, coastal engineering, and coastal management.

San Francisco Bay is the largest and most productive estuary on the Pacific Coast of North America. It is also home to the oldest and densest urban settlements in the American West. Focusing on human inhabitation of the Bay since Ohlone times, Down by the Bay reveals the ongoing role of nature in shaping that history. From birds to oyster pirates, from gold miners to farmers, from salt ponds to ports, this is the first history of the San Francisco Bay and Delta as both a human and natural landscape. It offers invaluable context for current discussions over the best management and use of the Bay in the face of sea level rise.

This book presents cutting-edge research papers in the field of Underwater System Technology in Malaysia and Asia in general. The topics covered include intelligent robotics, novel sensor technologies, control algorithms, acoustic signal processing, imaging techniques, biomimetic robots, green energy sources, and underwater communication backbones and protocols. The book showcases some of the latest technologies and applications developed to facilitate local marine exploration and exploitation. It also addresses related topics concerning the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) outlined by the United Nations.

Tropical coastal deltas represent one of the most diverse and rapidly changing biophysical regions in the developing world. These deltas are home to large populated areas, are significant centres of agricultural production and industrial development, and contain fragile ecosystems that are now facing new threats as a result of expected sea-level rises associated with global warming. Focusing on the developing countries of Asia, Africa and South America, chapters explore the diverse livelihoods of people in these areas and the impact of land-water management on the environment. New techniques and methodologies are explored in land and water management to try and solve the conflicts between rice-based agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries and the environment in tropical delta regions. Illustrating how to protect tropical deltaic systems in the face of serious future challenges, this will be essential reading for students, researchers, policy makers and natural resource managers in agriculture and aquaculture.

The Bahia Blanca Estuary is one of the largest coastal systems in Atlantic South America. This mesotidal estuary, situated in a sharp transition between humid subtropical and semiarid climates, has a unique combination of large interannual climatic variations. The estuarine area encompasses roughly 2300 square kilometers and is composed of wide expanses of intertidal flats, salt marshes, and emerged islands, which create intricate landscape patterns. Natural environments in the estuary sustain a high concentration of marine and terrestrial species, including endemic, threatened, and endangered fish and shorebirds. Puerto Cuatreros, in the inner zone of the estuary, hosts a permanent marine research station, whose records span more than 30 years of biophysical variables, and represent one of the largest time series of ecological data in South America. Beyond its ecological relevance, the Bahia Blanca Estuary is under increasing anthropogenic pressure from large urban settlements, industrial developments and harbors, raising the question of how to balance conservation and development. The Bahia Blanca Estuary: Ecology and Biodiversity offers a comprehensive review of life in the ecosystems of the estuary. The book is divided into five major sections, the first of which provides a description of the regional setting and covers key aspects of estuarine dynamics. The three following sections are dedicated to different habitat types and, within each section, the chapters are organized around major functional groups from pelagic and benthic environments. The fifth and final section covers issues related to management and conservation. Overall, the book provides essential and up-to-date reference material on the biodiversity and ecosystem processes of the Bahia Blanca Estuary, and will appeal to a broad international audience.

The importance and ecological significance of estuaries has been long appreciated. In the last few years, there has been increased research activity, resulting in significant advances in understanding of estuarine ecology. This special thematic volume of Advances in Ecological Research provides an overview of a number of the important areas. Ranging from the macroscale: how differences in river basins influence the loads of nutrients, through the impacts and fates of the nutrient loads, to how both phytoplanktonic and benthic estuarine primary production are regulated. There is also a review of the key factors influencing the outcome of management decisions for estuaries from the point of sustainability of estuarine resources. This volume is essential reading and reference for all those interested in estuaries including ecologists, environmental scientists, botanists, and zoologists.

The Columbia River Basin is one of the nations largest watersheds and extends mainly through four Western states and into Canada. Activities such as power generation and agricultural practices have impaired water quality in some areas, so that human health is at risk and certain species, such as salmon, are threatened or extinct. Chapter 1 reports on the actions related to restoration efforts in the Basin. The San Francisco Bay Delta watershed -- which drains a vast area of California from the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the Pacific Ocean -- supplies drinking water for 25 million people and provides irrigation for about half the nations fruit and vegetable production. Decades of development and agriculture have led to large reductions in water quality and supply, natural flood protection, and habitats across the watersheds three major regions: the Bay, the Delta, and the upper watershed. As described in chapter 2, federal entities have been working with nonfederal entities for decades to protect and restore the watershed. The Long Island Sound, an estuary bordered by Connecticut and New York, provides numerous economic and recreational benefits. However, development and pollution have resulted in environmental impacts, such as the degradation of water quality. Chapter 3 focuses on the Study to restore and protect the Sound. Puget Sound is the nations second-largest estuary and serves as an important economic engine in Washington State, supporting millions of people, major industries, and a wide variety of species. However, according to the CCMP, human use and development have degraded water quality and habitats and harmed critical species such as salmon. Chapter 4 reviews the efforts to restore Puget Sound.

This publication reviews available evidence to explore the strengths, weaknesses, and uncertainties associated with various sources of information on sea-level rise in the Pacific islands. It aims to provide advisory standards for the planning, testing, and design of Asian Development Bank projects in the area.

An overview of the coordination of various requirements for coastal-zone use is provided in this book, offering examples and best practice. Although it focuses on European coastal zones, it also considers global and historical developments. Questions at the end of each chapter enable readers to test their understanding.

This encyclopedia adopts a wider definition for the concept of ocean engineering. Specifically, it includes (1) offshore engineering: fixed and floating offshore oil and gas platforms; pipelines and risers; cables and moorings; buoy technology; foundation engineering; ocean mining; marine and offshore renewable energy; aquaculture engineering; and subsea engineering; (2) naval architecture: ship and special marine vehicle design; intact and damaged stability; technology for energy efficiency and green shipping; ship production technology; decommissioning and recycling; (3) polar and Arctic Engineering: ice mechanics; ice-structure interaction; polar operations; polar design; environmental protection; (4) underwater technologies: AUV/ROV design; AUV/ROV hydrodynamics; maneuvering and control; and underwater-specific communicating and sensing systems for AUV/ROVs. It summarizes the A-Z of the background and application knowledge of ocean engineering for use by ocean scientists and ocean engineers as well as nonspecialists such as engineers and scientists from all disciplines, economists, students, and politicians. Ocean engineering theories, ocean devices and equipment, ocean design and operation technologies are described by international experts, many from industry and each entry offers an introduction and references for further study, making current technology and operating practices available for future generations to learn from. The book also furthers our understanding of the current state of the art, leading to new and more efficient technologies with breakthroughs from new theory and materials. As the land resources approach the exploitation limit, ocean resources are becoming the next choice for the sustainable development. As such, ocean engineering is vital in the 21st century.

Coastlines, like many things around us, are constantly evolving. Keeping pace with the changes and their development is necessary to ensure their stability and to maintain eco-equilibrium for nearshore hydrodynamics and morphodynamics. Supported with field measurements for model validation, several numerical and analytical tools are available to us to understand the physical processes in the vicinity of these water bodies.This book encompasses the engineering principles involved in field data observation, measurement, collection, and processing; the prediction of wave climate and sediment transport using measured field data; numerical modelling involving calibration and validation of the hydrodynamic and morphodynamic processes; and the study of the underlying physical processes and the application of sustainable engineering measures to combat coast- and estuary-related problems.The book has three sections: The first section is an elaboration on the need for and framework of the existing management and engineering notions. The second section details the measurement of the various parameters such as wave climate (offshore and nearshore), shoreline changes, beach profile variation, and sediment transport rates. The third section describes the aspects of wave prediction to arrive at design characteristics and modelling of the hydrodynamic and morphodynamic processes along open coasts and tidal inlets.This book is designed to benefit students pursuing coastal engineering as their field of specialization. It could also serve as a guidebook to engineers, planners, and decision makers working in the fields of coastal, estuarine, and harbour engineering, governmental and private agencies that plan the financial outlay for coastal development projects, and private consultants dealing with maritime hydraulics.

This book offers a new ecosystemic approach to the understanding of mangrove and salt marsh ecosystems. Brazil has one of the largest areas of mangroves in the world, where salt marshes might or might not be associated. Different landscapes comprise the extensive coastline, where mangrove and salt marsh species' composition is discussed through the analysis of physiography, zonation, and succession processes. Both salt marsh and mangrove plants and the associated macroalgae will be characterized in their ecophysiological and phenological aspects, as well as genetic and epigenetic diversity. The chapters on microbial diversity and litterfall expose the well-known importance of these ecosystems as highly productive carbon sinks and pumps. The associated fauna of invertebrates (benthic meio and macrofaunas, especially brachyuran crabs) and vertebrates (fishes, birds, and mammals) are presented in a special section. The conservational approach encompasses issues, such as historical ecology, economic valuation, protected areas, environmental education, climate changes, and adaptive management.

In "Port Cities and Intruders," historian Michael Pearson explores the role of port cities and their orientation, relations between the coast and the interior, the place of the coast in the world economy, and the impact of the Portuguese in the early modern period.

This book expounds the hydraulics of fine sediment which is almost ubiquitously found in coastal and estuarine waters, and in rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Although the basic subject may be categorized as applied marine physics in shallow waters, several physicochemical and biological effects on particulate transport have been addressed.In this second edition most of the chapters have been substantially updated, rewritten, and expanded. Overall, a significant change has also been made throughout by replacing sediment concentration, a unit dependent quantity at the heart of numerous descriptions, measurements, and calculations, with the nondimensional sediment volume fraction. It marks a divergence in the manner in which fine sediment transport data and calculations are conventionally presented.The book is mainly written for civil engineering seniors and graduate students, to offer a comprehensive foundation in hydraulics of fine sediment. The book is also a useful reference for researchers interested in the effects of physical chemistry and biology on fine sediment transport in water and to an extent on coastal and estuarine morphodynamics, sediment transport, port and harbor engineering, and applied shallow watwer marine physics. The book is also recommended reading for those interested in understanding particle transport in water.

This book covers the gamut of coastal hazards that range for short-term low-frequency events that have high-magnitude and far-reaching impacts on coastal zones the world over. Much of the world population now lives in low-lying coastal zones that are inherently vulnerable to natural hazards such as flooding from hurricane, tropical storm, and northeaster storm surges; shoreline (beach and dune) erosion; cliff and bluff failure; and saltwater intrusion in coastal aquifers used for drinking water supply. In addition to the usual range of hydrometeorological disasters in coastal zones, this book covers tsunamis impacts and warning systems as well as global perspectives of sea-level rise impacts and human perceptions of potential vulnerabilities resulting from rip currents that cause many drowning each year on beaches. Now important in modern scientific and engineering systems is the use of numerical models that help predict vulnerabilities and provide a basis for shore protection measures. Final considerations focus on the course of human action in the form of urbanization and industrialization of the coast, shore protection measures, and indicate how environmental degradation around coastal conurbations exacerbate the potential for unwanted impacts. Strategies for the environmental management in the coastal zone, from low-lying wetlands to high cliffs and rocky promontories, are highlighted as a means to live in harmony with Nature and not try to conquer it.

Nearshore hardbottom reefs of Florida's east coast are used by over 1100 species of fishes, invertebrates, algae, and sea turtles. These rocky reefs support reproduction, settlement, and habitat use, and are energy sources and sinks. They are also buried by beach renourishment projects in which artificial reefs are used for mitigation. This comprehensive book is for research scientists and agency personnel, yet accessible to interested laypersons including beachfront residents and water-users. An unprecedented collection of research information and often stunning color photographs are assembled including over 1250 technical citations and 127 figures. These shallow reefs are part of a mosaic of coastal shelf habitats including estuarine seagrasses and mangroves, and offshore coral reefs. These hardbottom habitats are federally designated as Essential Fish Habitats - Habitats of Particular Concern and are important feeding areas for federally-protected sea turtles. Organismal and assemblage responses to natural and man-made disturbances, including climate change, are examined in the context of new research and management opportunities for east Florida's islands in the sand.