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[Display omitted] • Elucidation of CF in rib-to-deck (RD) joints of coastal weathering steel bridges. • PCF model tailored to addresses multi-mode, multi-site failures of RD joints. • Synergy prognosis executed with traffic data, tests, simulations and predictions. • Effect of traffic-corrosivity, coatings, steel types and weld quality scrutinised. This paper introduces a pioneering probabilistic framework for predicting corrosion fatigue (CF) deterioration for coastal weathering steel bridges, employing WIM data, material testing, fracture mechanics, corrosion modelling, and numerical simulations. A comprehensive three-stage probabilistic CF (PCF) model is adapted to track CF crack growth under uncertainties. The applicability and efficacy of the proposed method are validated through a prototype cable-stayed bridge in Ningbo, China, which is subjected to severe corrosivity and heavy traffics. A thorough investigation is conducted on the impact of coating strategies, steel types, and welding quality on the service reliability of the case-study bridge. The study significantly highlights the superior corrosion fatigue performance of weathering steel bridges, elucidating an apparent improvement in the service life compared to traditional carbon steel bridges. This underscores the potential of weathering steel as a preferred material for coastal bridges facing high corrosive environments. Further enhancements can be expected with the proper design of coating strategies, which requires a defined analysis based on the site condition. In addition, the emphasis on minimizing welding flaws through improved welding processes is recommended, demonstrating a direct correlation with extended service life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the central challenges of sustainable development are well-known, sustainability science has been slow in contributing to effective and feasible solutions for sustainable development. Turning knowledge into action for sustainable development therefore remains a major challenge for sustainability science. Interactive knowledge development is considered a prerequisite for sustainability-oriented action. Most studies approach interactive knowledge development from a researcher's perspective. This paper focuses on practitioners that initiate interactive knowledge development for sustainability-oriented actions. A cross-case analysis is presented for interactive knowledge development in coastal projects. Three cases are analysed through the framework of project arrangements and knowledge arrangements. The projects are located in the Wadden Sea, San Francisco Bay and the Ems estuary and address issues of flood control, nature restoration and liveability. The cross-case analysis revealed 11 causal mechanisms that help explain how project decision-making impacts on interactive knowledge development, how a process of interactive knowledge development functions and what its outcomes are. The mechanisms clarify the key underlying processes of interactive knowledge development in coastal projects. The mechanisms show that interactive knowledge development may result in sustainability-oriented solutions that are feasible for implementation. As such, this paper contributes to a practice-oriented understanding of turning knowledge into action for sustainable coastal development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and related chemicals (collectively “PFOS equivalents”) have been released to the environment through widespread consumer use and disposal of PFOS-containing products like carpet, leather, textiles, paper, food containers, household cleansers, etc. Accordingly, in addition to PFOS-related industries, domestic activities may also considerably contribute to the PFOS emissions in the eastern coastal region of China, which has been characterized by high industrial input. In the present study, domestic emissions of PFOS equivalents derived from municipal wastewater treatment plants were estimated at the county level, using a regression model of domestic emission density with population density and per capita disposable income as independent variables. The total emission load of PFOS equivalents from domestic sources in the eastern coastal region of China was 381kg in 2010, and large cities were prominent as the emission centers. The domestic emission density averaged 0.37g/km2·a for the entire study area. Generally, the Beijing–Tianjin area, Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta, as the most populous and economically developed areas in China, showed significantly higher emission density. Geographical variations within individual provinces were noteworthy. The average per capita discharge load of PFOS equivalents arising from domestic activities was 1.91μg/day per capita in the eastern coastal region of China, which is consistent with previous estimates in Korea, but lower than those calculated for developed countries. In comparison, the spatial distributions of provincial PFOS emissions from domestic and industrial sources were similar to each other; however, the latter was much larger for all the provinces. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Values, patriarchal norms, and traditions related to gender and gendering are diverse among societies, communities, and precincts. As such, although climate change is expected to exacerbate vulnerabilities and deepen existing gender inequities and inequalities, the impacts will be unequally felt across geographical strata. This implies that the specificity of the vulnerability of women to climate change may also vary from community to community and society to societies. However, mainstream literature on the vulnerability of women to climate changes in coastal zones trivializes the plurality and nuances of different geographical contexts by universalizing context-specific vulnerability to climate change. Mindful of the limitations associated with the generalizing conception of women's vulnerability, this paper is therefore underpinned by the implicit assumption that a successful response to the vulnerability of women to climate change in coastal zone is forged in the nexus between contextual investigation of climate change parameters and a localized investigation of differentiation in gender roles, patriarchal norms and other unknown factors in a particular setting. Thus, this paper presents a case study of the contextual vulnerability of women to climate change in Ilaje coastal region in Nigeria. Examining the intersecting complex of contextual factors, the paper establishes that beyond patriarchal traditions and norms: economic, political, educational and environmental factors are at play in the vulnerability of women to climate change in Ilaje community. To this end, this paper posits that to alleviate the vulnerability of women to climate change in coastal zones, the understanding of contextual factors play a fundamental role. Image 1071 • This study shows the vulnerability of women to climate change in Ilaje coastal region of Nigeria. • The vulnerability of Ilaje women are due to economic, environmental, and sociocultural factors. • Ilaje women are custodians of local knowledge. • Gender inequality, capacity building and empowerment should be addressed in this region. • Involvement of Ilaje women is crucial for mitigation and adaptation of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predictions of the wave-induced response of floating structures that are moored in a harbour or coastal waters require an accurate description of the (nonlinear) evolution of waves over variable bottom topography, the interactions of the waves with the structure, and the dynamics of the mooring system. In this paper, we present a new advanced numerical model to simulate the wave-induced response of a floating structure that is moored in an arbitrary nearshore region. The model is based on the non-hydrostatic approach, and implemented in the open-source model SWASH, which provides an efficient numerical framework to simulate the nonlinear wave evolution over variable bottom topographies. The model is extended with a solution to the rigid body equations (governing the motions of the floating structure) that is tightly coupled to the hydrodynamic equations (governing the water motion). The model was validated for two test cases that consider different floating structures of increasing geometrical complexity: a cylindrical geometry that is representative of a wave-energy-converter, and a vessel with a more complex shaped hull. A range of wave conditions were considered, varying from monochromatic to short-crested sea states. Model predictions of the excitation forces, added mass, radiation damping, and the wave-induced response agreed well with benchmark solutions to the potential flow equations. Besides the response to the primary wave (sea-swell) components, the model was also able to capture the second-order difference-frequency forcing and response of the moored vessel. Importantly, the model captured the wave-induced response with a relatively coarse vertical resolution, allowing for applications at the scale of a realistic harbour or coastal region. The proposed model thereby provides a new tool to seamlessly simulate the nonlinear evolution of waves over complex bottom topography and the wave-induced response of a floating structure that is moored in coastal waters. • New numerical tool to predict the wave-induced response of moored floating structures. • Comparison to solutions to the potential flow equations for a variety of sea-states. • The model captures the first and second-order response induced by irregular waves. • Model can predict the motions of a moored structure based on an offshore sea state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The climate scenarios of the IPCC suggest that adaptation to future climate change will be required. The North Sea Region, a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean between Great Britain, Scandinavia, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, is particularly affected due to rising sea level and a changing water balance. Water management plays a key role in sustainable management of natural and societal resources. This paper presents a participatory study of community approaches to regional adaptation to climate change. Water management adaptation options to regional climate induced changes until 2050 were developed together with stakeholders for the Wesermarsch County (Northern Germany). Available information on expected regional climate change and a modelling study on hydrological change suggested that adaptation of water management will be required until 2050. A regional stakeholder forum formulated a vision on how the Wesermarsch should look like in 2050. Following the holistic approach of collaborative planning, two stakeholder groups developed an adaptation portfolio on how urban and rural areas could adapt their water management to cope with the expected changes. Since most of the stakeholders do not want the county to undergo significant changes in terms of landscape and land use, they proposed technical measures to enforce flood protection and enhance the performance of the existing water management system. Adaptation in terms of land use change was not proposed although information on comparable examples from similar regions was available. To justify the proposed adaptation options, available information on expected climate change impacts was used selectively. Uncertainty in model projections was partly ignored to legitimate suggesting inflexible (technical) adaptation measures. However, collaborative planning proved to be helpful for a joint adaptation to climate change at the regional scale. Stakeholders as well as scientists took active part in the participatory learning process as required by EU directives. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper outlines some important aspects of modeling oceanic fronts in the context of feature-oriented regional modeling for the deep sea and the Global Coastal Ocean. Previously developed forms of feature models for different types of fronts are presented in a generalized approach. The large-scale meandering frontal systems such as the Gulf Stream, Kuroshio and Brazil current can be represented by velocity-based feature models. Buoyancy forced coastal water mass fronts, such as the coastal currents, the tidal fronts, plume fronts, dense water fronts and inflow/outflow fronts can be represented by a generalized parameterized water mass feature model. The interface region of the deep ocean and the coastal region can be modeled by a melding of two water masses along and across a prescribed isobath in the form of a shelf-break front. Initialization and/or updating fields for a regional dynamical model can then be established in association with other available synoptic data sets via a feature-oriented strategic sampling approach for forecasting and dynamical balances. Example simulations from the western north Atlantic (WNA) and the strait of Sicily region are presented in support of the applicability of this approach for the Global Coastal Ocean. Simulations in the strait of Sicily region with fronts, eddies and background climatology help provide a perspective on dynamical processes in this region. Application of this methodology for rapid assessment of any regional ocean, based on limited data and resources is now possible. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Oil spills, amongst the most common marine hazards, are a major community concern, particularly in coastal areas where there are competing requirements due to population centres, conservation of the naturalenvironment, industrial development and transport. It has become common practice to include simulations and modelling exercises in applications for development, so that oil spill trajectory studies are regularly carried out for planning and assessment purposes as well as formaking decisions in the event of actual incidents. In this paper we present a procedure for the simulation of coastal oil spills which uses the random walk particle method with Gaussian kernel weighting to simulate the movement of oil in the sea, and includes special beaching and refloating algorithms for shorelines. This procedure allows oneto simulate coastal spills rapidly and accurately and to perform calculations at closed boundaries consisting of a variety of shoreline types such as exposed headlands, sand beaches, sheltered marshes, etc., and at open boundaries with an extended computational region. Moreover, the mass concentration of the spill can be calculated at any point of a finite diffusion domain and conveniently represented by contour and mesh plots. Simulations in a typical coastal region are presented to illustrate the procedure for spills from instantaneous point sources, instantaneous line sources, instantaneous area sources, continuous point sources and continuous moving sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]