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The main objective of this work is to present a novel methodology to assess the environmental, ecological, and conservation status of mid-latitude estuaries by means of an index-based method, EstuarIndex. The EstuarIndex is an integration of four sub-indexes, assessing the status of the main subsystems present on estuaries: sandy environments, dunes, tidal flats, and the drainage network. Each sub-index includes variables combining three types of factors: morphosedimentary and oceanographic factors, ecological factors, and management and protection factors. The environmental status is finally evaluated in five possible classes: (1) Very low, (2) Low, (3) Medium, (4) High, and (5) Very High, according to EU requirements for classifying the conservation status of habitats. Three pilot zones along the Spanish coast have been chosen for testing the method: San Vicente de la Barquera estuary (N Spain), Guadiana estuary (SW Spain), and Ebro River delta mouth (E Spain). They present different oceanographic and geomorphological conditions. The results obtained have proven that EstuarIndex is a suitable methodology for the application to other estuaries. The systematic application of EstuarIndex on broad time scales would allow evaluating the system trends, what seems key for implementation of more realistic restoration strategies, and it has a great potential as a tool for environmental management in natural protected areas. Furthermore, it may help in the detection of the most relevant site-specific vulnerabilities for long-term sustainability in response to both natural and artificial drivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coasts of the Mediterranean Sea are characterized by the presence of many archaeological remains (ports, protection structures, villas, fish tanks, etc.) that have been emplaced since the Roman Age and have persisted until present day. Due to their archaeological value, these structures represent an inestimable cultural heritage at regional and national scale. As consequence of local sea level variations, most of these structures are today submerged and, for this reason, they represent an important geo-archaeological proxy for the reconstruction of the ancient coastal landscape. Nevertheless, marine processes, such as coastal erosion and/or flooding, are among the main factors contributing to their damage and, hence, protection and conservation strategies need to be enhanced. In this paper, the vulnerability to marine factors of five coastal archaeological sites has been assessed. The investigated sites are located along the Posillipo Hill, one of the most beautiful and attractive coastal sector in the Gulf of Naples (Southern Italy). The analysis has been carried out by applying a vulnerability index method, which is based on the combination of a number of different indicators accounting for both marine processes and the typology of the remains. The results of this study allowed identifying the most vulnerable sites that require, for their conservation and sustainable usability, urgent management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of this paper is to present a new methodology to determine coastal susceptibility to erosion and flooding processes by means of an index-based method. The proposed indices take into account physical parameters, such as dune and beach geomorphologic characteristics, shoreline evolution, local significant wave height and relative run-up. The coastal susceptibility has been estimated by elaboration of spatial input data into a GIS environment. The method has been tested in Valdelagrana area, a sandy spit located in SW Spain. The spit includes several morpho-sedimentary environments: sandy beach, discontinuous embryo dunes and foredunes, mud flats and wide areas of vegetated salt marshes. The Northernmost sector is densely urbanized whilst the rest is part of a natural protected area belonging to the Bahía de Cádiz Natural Park. The results obtained showed how the Southern part of the spit presented a high susceptibility due to an elevated erosion rate and the presence of low and discontinuous dune ridges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents the results of a beach-monitoring program carried out in the Bay of Cadiz (SW Spain), which consists of urban, natural and nourished beaches. In the present study, 24 topographic profiles have been monthly monitored during the 1996–1998 period, in order to draw the morphodynamic behavior of this coast and the general characterization of short-term coastal trends. This way, total volumetric budgets have been calculated for each beach profile in order to group beaches in different erosive/accreting sectors. Studied beaches recorded both erosion and accretion: the greatest accretionary trends have been observed at Aguadulce, La Costilla and Rota beaches, with values ranging from 30 to 70 m3/m. The largest erosion episodes have been recorded in the southernmost end of Valdelagrana spit, with values over 50 m3/m, and in Rota and Vistahermosa, after nourishment works. Main erosion and accretion pathways have been related to the existence of natural and human structures, which blocked the longshore drift suggesting the existence of littoral cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study assesses coastal vulnerability to erosion processes along a 23-km-long coastal sector that presents different morphological features and grades of human occupation. Seven photogrammetric flights, at different scales, were used for reconstructing the coastal evolution from 1956 to 2001. Several sources were compiled to assess human activities and land uses in the coastal zones that were mapped and divided into four different types. As a further step, coastal vulnerability to erosion was assessed combining the potential coastal retreat with land-use type. More than one third of the studied coast presents a very high–medium risk level and many human structures and activities at Sanlúcar village and La Ballena beach will be threatened by erosional processes in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]