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Percorrer CIMA por Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODS) "11:Cidades e Comunidades Sustentáveis"
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- Best beaches of the world: a critique of web-based ratingPublication . Oliveira, Elaine Baroni de; Newton, Alice; Botero, Camilo M.This study analyzes the content of internet ratings of beaches to identify the indicators used. The methodology used an exploratory internet survey using the term ‘best beaches’ in five languages. For each site, the ranking method used was extracted and the indicators considered were listed, where applicable. Of the 70 websites analyzed, 47 ranked the beaches (67%) but less than 50% used indicators. The remaining were based on the opinion of the editorial board, personal experience, and users’ perceptions. The most used indicator was the color of water, followed by the color of the sand. These results show that the majority of ‘best beaches’ lists are based on subjective criteria. They are an overview of places that appeal to the person that wrote the page and are not scientifically or analytically based. Even when indicators are considered, these are mostly a reflection of the idea of an idealized beach, crystal blue waters with white or gold sand. The actual quality of the beach, including water quality, carrying capacity, and eco system balance, is not addressed. Although visual attractiveness is a key element for the public, these rankings should incorporate a wider range of indicators to fully assess the quality of a beach.
- Controls on blowout evolution in southern Portugal: A 49-year analysisPublication . Talavera, Lara; Costas, Susana; Ferreira, ÓscarBlowouts are wind-formed depressions that help maintain the sediment budget and enhance biodiversity in coastal dunes. However, the drivers controlling their evolution and the temporal scales associated to their genesis, development and decay phases remain unclear. To address this, the morphometric characteristics of a series of blowouts on the Ancao ˜ Peninsula (South Portugal) were digitized using imagery from 1972 to 2021, and used to analyse changes in the number of blowouts, total area, morphometric characteristics (width, length, orientation), and elongation rate over time. These data were compared with metocean time series and human activities, allowing the identification of blowout phases, drivers, and associated temporal scales. This work revealed that the blowout genesis phase primarily arised from the impact of physical external factors (e.g., nonstorm low-to-moderate winds blowing out sand from dune scarp irregularities formerly created by extreme wave events), creating incisions across the foredune crest, and lasted 1 or 2 years. The blowout development phase, still ongoing, was characterized mainly by blowout expansion and rotation of large blowouts from North northeast (NNE) to the East-northeast (ENE) controlled by external physical forces at specific times (e.g., low to-moderate winds) and blowout internal factors (e.g., size and orientation). Complete blowout decay phases were not observed, except the complete artificial sealing of some blowouts due to fencing, which lasted 4 years. These findings suggest that a complete and natural blowout genesis-development-decay cycle could likely take more than five decades, with complex and spatiotemporally variable ecogeomorphic feedbacks driving their evolution. The only phase reversal documented was the reactivation of the artificially sealed blowouts, due to storm impacts. Allowing the dune and blowouts to evolve naturally appears to be the current best approach for the dune management at the studied area.
- A critical analysis of the marina environmental risk assessment method applied to PortugalPublication . Neves, Maria C.; Cravo, Alexandra; Jacob, José; Correia, CátiaThe MERA (Marina Environmental Risk Assessment) procedure was applied for the first time along the coast of Portugal to classify the risk of 26 marinas on water quality. A risk ranking Atlas was produced to provide managers or decision-makers with spatial information that can help achieve sustainable development goals. The results indicate that the eight marinas in the south coast of the country (Algarve) face the highest risk, primarily due to pressures from navigation activities. However, the ranking generated along the Algarve using indicators of trophic status (TRIX and Eff. Coeff.) based on chemical analysis of in-situ water samples do not align with MERA. The MERA methodology, as it stands, presents significant limitations. Specifically, it does not account for water chemical parameters, sediment contamination, or temporal variability, all of which are crucial for accurate assessments. To enhance the robustness of MERA, this study suggests incorporating additional parameters and metrics that encompass broader environmental indicators.
- Empowering maritime spatial planning and marine conservation efforts through digital engagement: the role of online platformsPublication . Gutierrez, Débora; Calado, Helena; Toor, Femke van; Moreira, Mariana; Paramio, Maria Luz; Martins, Francisco; Santos, Natali; Melo, Neuza; Newton, AliceThis study addresses the performance of digital platforms in enhancing ocean governance by improving communication and collaboration among stakeholders. It analyses several platforms based on their collaborative initiatives, digital tools, and ability to function as networks of knowledge. The findings show that these platforms bridge gaps between regional, national, and non-governmental organisations, promoting informed decision making. Their online presence enhances transparency and engagement, especially postCOVID-19. This study highlights the need for hybrid platforms combining informative and interactive elements to better serve both experts and the public. From this analysis, some recommendations are drawn to provide rules and design for the cooperation and co-design of a platform to foster better communication, collaboration, and sustainable ocean management practices.
- Impacts of El Niño on the sediment balance of a transgressive dune-beach systemPublication . Alegría-Arzaburu, Amaia Ruiz de; Costas, Susana; Delgado-Fernández, IreneUnderstanding long-term evolution of sandy coasts requires in-depth analysis of the sediment balance from the shoreface to the beach and dune. While storms typically erode the subaerial beach, they can also contribute sediment from deeper waters to the coastal budget. Here, we explore the impacts of El Nino-driven ˜ storms on the sediment balance across the entire shore-beach-dune profile. Satellite-derived shorelines (1984–2020) were combined with sixty-six topo-bathymetric surveys (2014–2020), along a 1 km stretch of southern Ensenada beach (Baja California). Forcing conditions were characterized using hourly wave and wind data. Multi-decadal shoreline data reveal that high-energy El Nino ˜ events have led to punctuated landward coastline translation. Interannual topo-bathymetric surveys show an active 8 to 9.5 m-high dune ridge along the upper part of the profile, migrating landward at a rate of 5 m/yr. This migration gradually decoupled the dune from the beach, occasionally creating space across the dune toe area for the formation of incipient dunes that eventually merged with the main ridge. The sediment budget analysis indicates a one-way landward transfer of sediment from the winter-berm to the dune. Interestingly, the overall shore-beach-dune sand budget remained positively balanced, with an increase of ≈40 m3 /m related to sediment availability from deeper waters and onshore transport from the lower shoreface. Shoreline trends and sediment budgets illustrate a long-term transgressive system capable of maintaining sedimentary balance in the mid-term. Increased storm activity and sea-level rise are expected to accelerate beach-dune transgression, which could retain sediment balance if offshore inputs persist.
- Just and inclusive enough? designing inclusive NBS to support communities in their just transition towards sustainability and resiliencePublication . Dushkova, Diana; Ivlieva, Olga; Vandewalle, Marie; Carrasco, Rita; Pontón-Cevallos, José; Sieber, Ina M.Nature-based Solutions (NBS) are increasingly promoted as a strategic concept and practical approach to tackle current societal challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and issues related to human health and well-being. Yet, ensuring that NBS are inclusive, just, and empower communities for decision-making remains insufficiently addressed in practice. This study, therefore, aims to a) critically review existing frameworks and approaches to NBS, with a focus on inclusivity, justice, equity, and empowerment; b) conceptualize their interlinkages and highlight their contribution to sustainability transition, and c) propose a comprehensive practitioner-oriented framework with recommended actions, measurable outcomes, and adaptive steps. A targeted semi-systematic literature review has been conducted to identify existing approaches and map knowledge gaps (e.g., current frameworks are often fragmented, lack practical applicability, and are not structured in a practitioner-friendly way). To address these gaps, the study introduces a comprehensive framework and operational guidelines for NBS researchers and practitioners, ensuring meaningful integration of inclusivity, equity, and justice throughout NBS processes. The study links inclusive NBS with just sustainability transitions defined as long-term, structural shifts that restore ecosystems while promoting social equity. It identifies three core principles: leaving no one behind, ensuring equitable distribution of NBS benefits and reduction of burdens, and fostering community empowerment through inclusive, multi-level governance. The resulting framework is structured around four thematic areas: capacity building, stakeholder involvement, inclusive NBS design, and fair benefit distribution and burden reduction. While acknowledging limitations (e.g., data scarcity and contextspecific variability), the study offers actionable guidelines and reflective considerations to support researchers and practitioners in implementing inclusive NBS as drivers of more equitable transition towards sustainability and resilience.
- Stratigraphy, evolution and morphology of a sand-rich shorefacePublication . Green, A. N.; Cooper, J. A. G.; Draycott, H. L.; Loureiro, CarlosShoreface morphology and stratigraphic evolution are poorly documented along most of the world’s coasts yet are acknowledged to be important influences on shoreline behaviour during changing sea levels. A wide, low gradient, wave-dominated shoreface characterises the area off Xai-Xai in southern Mozambique. It is developed on a Holocene wave ravinement surface cut into deltaic sands punctuated by lithified aeolianite ridges. The 2 kmwide mobile shoreface sand body extends to − 23 m depth and averages 10 m in thickness. The modern shoreface bathymetry mimics the underlying wave ravinement surface and this, in turn, is influenced by the presence of aeolianite ridges that create a pronounced break in slope that defines the base of the modern shoreface. The aeolianite influences the wave ravinement profile from which the modern bathymetry is inherited. Comparison with theoretical equilibrium shoreface profile models reveals contrasting shoreface morphodynamic state conditions, dependent upon the model chosen. Based on the model better suited for the lower shoreface. These results emphasize the widely acknowledged but still poorly understood role of geologic inheritance on shoreface morphodynamics and geomorphological evolution, even in sand-rich environments.
- Tracking tourism waves: insights from automatic identification system (AIS) data on maritime–coastal activitiesPublication . Ramos, Jorge; Drakeford, Benjamin; Costa, Joana; Madiedo Camelo, Ana Maria; Leitão, FranciscoAbstract: The demand for maritime–coastal tourism has been intensifying, but its offerings are sometimes limited to a few activities. Some of these activities do not require specific skills or certifications, while others do. This study aimed to investigate what type of activities are carried out by tourism and recreational vessels in the coastal area of the central Algarve (Portugal). To this end, data from the automatic identification system (AIS) of recreational vessels was used to monitor and categorise these activities in a non-intrusive manner. A model (TORMA) was defined to facilitate the analysis of AIS data and relate them to five independent variables (distance from the coast, boat speed, bathymetry, seabed type, and number of pings). The results of the analysis of more than 11 thousand hourly AIS records for passenger, sailing, and charter vessels showed that the 14 most regular ones had strong seasonal patterns, greater intensity in summer, and spatial patterns with more records near some coastal cliffs. This study provides valuable information on the management of motorised nautical activities near the coast and at sea, contributing to more informed and effective tourism regulation and planning.