Assessment and Application of Beach Quality Based on Analytic Hierarchy Process in Yangkou Beach, Qingdao

The whole-beach quality assessment is the basis of building and preserving beautiful beaches.The beach quality assessment index system and assessment standard have been established based on the attributes of beaches(including the width,slope,landform,and types),sorting coefficient,and softness degree of surface sediment.The assessment weight of each index for quality evaluation was analyzed using the analytic hierarchy process,and comprehensive scores of selected beach profiles were calculated in accordance with the light assessment standard.A beach quality evaluation model based on index weight and scores was established in this paper.The factors of 12 profiles of Yangkou Beach in Qingdao City were surveyed to carry out a quality assessment,and the comprehensive scores of each profile were calculated in accordance with the evaluation model.The results showed that the quality of Yangkou Beach can be divided into four ratings:excellent,good,medium,and poor.The excellent-quality area includes a wide and flat dry beach zone and soft,flat,and clean intertidal and subtidal zones covered with well-sorted fine sand,and leisure sports,such as volleyball,running,and swimming,are suitable for tourists.The good-quality area features a slightly narrow and dry beach zone,moderately soft and uneven intertidal and subtidal zones covered with fine sand and a small tidal gully,and a small amount of foreign matter;leisure sports,such as walking and running,are suitable for tourists.This study recommends the building of fixed drainage ditches or underground culverts to reduce the tidal gully.The medium-quality area consisted of a narrow and dry beach zone,moderately soft and uneven intertidal and subtidal zones covered by poorly sorted medium sand,a tide ditch,and a small amount of foreign matter.In this area,walking is suitable for tourists.Sand should be supplemented in the intertidal zone.The poor-quality area contained a very narrow and dry beach zone covered with poor-sorted gravel,a very chaotic intertidal zone with a considerable amount of foreign matters,such as bricks and rocks,wide tidal ditches,and an uneven subtidal zone with some reefs;leisure sports are unsuitable here.Thus,foreign matter and reefs should be removed,and the dry beach zone should be supplemented with sand.Therefore,the beach quality assessment is a very useful tool for building beautiful beaches.

Analysis of wave shoaling and shore-breakers on a low tide terrace beach based on in-situ measurements at Xisha Bay on South China coast

Low tide terrace beach is a main beach type along South China coasts with strong tidal actions.How strong tides affect wave transformations on low tide terrace beach still remains unclear.In this study,in-situ measurements are conducted on the low terrace beach at Xisha Bay to provide quantitative descriptions of wave shoaling and shore-breaker phenomena under the tidal effects.It is found that wave breaking is unsaturated on the low tide terrace beach at Xisha Bay.Magnitudes of wave skewness and asymmetry increase as wave shoals and achieve the maximum value at the shore-breaker,and then decrease rapidly.Mean energy dissipation rates of shore-breakers are tide-modulated since the bottom slope changes at the shoreward boundary of wave propagation in a tidal cycle.The remaining wave energy flux at the initialization of the shore-breaker is 1%–12%of offshore wave energy flux,and the energy flux ratio decreases with increasing offshore wave heights.Wave attenuation at shore-breakers can be estimated directly from offshore wave conditions based on findings in this study,favoring designs of seawalls or beach nourishment projects.Field datasets on wave transformations can also be used for verifications of wave numerical models.

Dynamic geomorphology and storm response characteristics of the promontory-straight beach-a case of Gulei Beach, Fujian

As one of the main areas of tropical storm action in the northwestern Pacific Ocean,South China experiences several typhoons each year,and coastal erosion is a problem,making the area a natural testing ground for studying the dynamic geomorphological processes and storm response of promontory-straight coasts.This study is based on three years of topographic data and remote sensing imagery of Gulei Beach and uses topographic profile morphology,single width erosion-accretion and mean change,combined with the Coastsat model to quantify the seasonal and interannual variability and storm response of the beach and to explain the evolution of shoreline change and beach dynamics geomorphology in the last decade.Gulei Beach has been in a state of overall erosion and local accretion for a long time,with relatively obvious cyclical changes;seasonal changes are also obvious,which are mainly characterized by summer accretion and winter erosion,with accretion at the top of the bay and accretion and erosion on the north and south sides of the bay corner,respectively;the seasonal erosion-accretion volume of the beach profile ranges from-80 m3/m to 95.52 m3/m,and the interannual erosion-accretion volume ranges from-69.09 m3/m to 87.31 m3/m.The response of beaches to typhoons with different paths varies greatly depending on the length,slope,orientation and scale of beach development.The large and gently developing Futou beach is less responsive to storms,while the less developed headlands in the southern Gulei Peninsula are more susceptible to disturbance by external factors and respond more strongly to typhoons.Storm distance is more influential than storm intensity.Under the influence of human activities,obvious erosion hotspots develop during normal weather,but storm processes produce redistribution of beach material patterns,and erosion hotspots disappear after storms.The results of this study enrich the theory of beach dynamics geomorphology and provide technical support for disaster prevention and mitigation,as well as ecological restoration of coastal zones.

Sediment source-to-sink process variations of sandy-muddy transitional beaches and their morphological indications

The clay mineralogy of 28 sandy-muddy transitional beach(SMT-Beach)sediments and surrounding mountain river sediments along the coasts of southeastern China was systematically investigated to reveal the sediment source-to-sink process variations of such beaches and their morphological indications.The results show that the clay mineral assemblages of these SMT-Beaches mainly comprise of almost equal illite(~30%),kaolinite(~28%),chlorite(~22%),and smectite(~20%)contents.From the surrounding mountain rivers to the SMT-Beaches,clay mineral assemblages show distinct spatial changes characterized by a large decrease(~40%)in kaolinite,whereas the other three clay minerals present relative increases,especially clear for smectite.The muddy sediment sources of SMT-Beaches inferred from the clay mineralogy are mainly derived from nearby mountain rivers coupled with long-distance transport and penetration of the Changjiang River.The sandy sediments of these beaches are predominantly sourced from nearby mountain rivers,the weathering products of surrounding rocks in both mainland and island environments,and erosion of the“Old Red Sand”and“Red Soil Platform”.However,the sandy sediment sources of the SMT-Beaches are largely reduced because of the remarkable decrease in the river fluvial supply associated with intensive human activities such as dam construction and coastal reclamation.Subsequently,the sandy sections of SMT-Beaches present clear erosion and have revealed by both time series remote sensing images and a compilation of published literature.In contrast,the muddy sediment supply of SMT-Beaches is temporarily stable and relatively constant,resulting in the landward migration of the mudflats with relative transgression or accumulation.These findings highlight that the natural evolution processes of SMT-Beaches have been greatly reshaped by intensive human activities.

Nourishment and disaster mitigation efficiency of feeding sand on the dry section of a dissipative beach

To explore the nourishment effect and disaster reduction efficiency of a fully dissipative dry beach under the impact of storms,this paper uses the measured topography and hydrodynamic data to establish a one-dimensional numerical model of the XBeach beach profile.By numerically modeling the change in the nourished profile for different dry beach widths under normal waves and storm conditions and the recovery process of the profile after the storm,the degree of response in dry beach nourishment for the fully dissipative beach is analyzed.The results show that under normal wave conditions,the response of the nourished dry beach is obvious.Sediment on the dry beach erodes heavily,and the shoreline moves landward over a long distance.With the increase in the width and size of the dry beach,the wave height at the bottom of the backshore profile decreases,the wave height attenuation rate increases continuously,and the wave elimination effect is remarkable.When the storm incident wave intensifies,the wave height attenuation rate of the nourished dry beach decreases,indicating that the smaller the storm intensity is,the more significant the wave reduction effect of the nourished dry beach is.At the same time,different profile arrangements of nourished dry beaches suffer from different degrees of erosion under storm conditions,with significant changes in profile morphology.With intensified storm action,the intensity of sediment erosion in the nourished dry beach increases,the nourishment is weakened,and the recovery effect of the profile after the storm is not obvious.The results of the numerical modeling highlight that the dry beach nourishment method can resist storms to a certain extent,but the overall effect is relatively limited.

The Probable Cause for Nesting Pattern of Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) at Ramnagar Beach, North East Coast of Andaman Island, India

The nesting behaviour of sea turtles remains a subject to study, due to their enigmatic pattern of seasonal breeding activities. Over a period of time, several reports have been made in this context associated with the nesting behaviour of the Olive Ridley turtles. In the present study, characteristics of the breeding beach and nesting pattern of Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) at Ramnagar along N-E coast of Andaman Islands were investigated, during the nesting periods 2016-2017. The study area hosts Olive Ridley, the dominant sea turtles with more than 300 individuals nesting each year. For this study, the number of sea turtles visited, nested, the sediment characters, salinity, and temperature were taken. The exposed sandy nesting beach characteristics are prone to varying degrees of morphological changes every day. The results depict that even though similar grain size (Coarse Sand to Fine Sand and Very well sorted to Poorly Sorted), with an ambient incubating temperature, pH and salinity with wide nesting area, the selective nesting in the particular location of the beach identified because of comfortable energy conditions in the waters (1.5 m/s) favours the female turtles to reach the beach at the preferable site of Ramnagar and nest.

Different responses of two adjacent artificial beaches to Typhoon Hato in Zhuhai,China

Major differences in beach erosion between two neighboring artificial beaches Xiangluwan Beach(XL beach)and Meiliwan Beach(ML beach)in Zhuhai,China,were studied after Super Typhoon Hato.In this study,a fully nonlinear Boussinesq wave model(FUNWAVE)-Total Variation Diminishing(TVD)was used to distinguish the main impact factors,their relative contributions,and the hydrodynamic mechanisms underlying the different beach responses.Results show that compared to the ML beach,the main reason for the relatively weak erosion on Xiangluwan(XL)beach was the smaller beach berm height(accounting for approximately 75.9%of the erosion response).Regarding the beach with a higher berm,the stronger wave-induced undertow flow,along with the higher sediment concentration,led to a higher offshore sediment transport flux,resulting in more severe erosion relative to the beach with a smaller berm height.The second most important reason explaining the weak erosion on XL beach was the absence of seawalls(accounting for approximately 17.9%of the erosion response).Wave reflection induced by the seawall could cause higher suspended sediment concentration,resulting in a toe scouring near the seawall.The offshore submerged breakwater protected XL beach slightly(accounting for approximately 6.1%of the erosion response).Due to the higher water level induced by storm surge,most of the wave energy could penetrate through the submerged breakwater.The effect of the larger berm width of XL beach was negligible.Compared to the beach with a larger berm width,the erosion/deposition regions in the beach with a narrower berm width showed shoreward migration,without significant changes in the erosion/deposition extent.Despite of this,the larger berm width could reduce the wave energy reaching the shoreline.This study of the storm stability of artificial beaches may be applied to beach restoration design.

Fungi Associated with Sand and Plants from Marine Coastlines: Potential Relevance for Human Health

The fungal community associated with beach sand and plants located along marine coasts are an under-studied area of research despite its potential relevance to human health. In this study, we isolated and identified the cultivable mycobiota associated with sand and plants collected along the coast of Gran Canaria (Spain) using culture-dependent and -independent methods. Clinically relevant species belonging to Cryptococcus spp. and related genera such as Naganishia and Papilotrema were isolated and identified from shoreline plants. Moreover, Candida tropicalis was isolated from beach sand, and Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus terreus strains were associated with both types of samples (i.e., plants and beach sand). We conclude that beach sand and shoreline plants are potential reservoirs of fungi of high clinical interest. We recommend including beach sand and plants from the environment when assessing the quality of marine coastal systems. Our results open a framework for studying the natural marine environment and its role in the epidemiology of infectious diseases in order to more accurately manage public health.

Analysis of the dynamic characteristics and stochastic simulation on variations of beach volumes

This paper analyzes the dynamic characteristics of the variations of the beach volumes for three level zonesof the Yanjing Beach in the Shuidong Bay of the western Guangdong Province by using the methods of dynamic systemanalysis and the multi-dimensional spectral estimation. The results show that the variations of the beach volume arecharaCterized by the multiband oscillations with a dominant semimonth period. Upwards the low tide level, the beachtends to be stable. The estimates of the partial coherences and the partial phases indicate that the variations of thebeach volumes are mainly the results of the direct actions of the waves which are influenced by the tidal level changesand driven by the wind stress. The simulation results of the beach volume series for different beach heart zones bythreshold mixed regressive models indicate that the influence of the tide on the variations of the beach volumes is weakened and the direct actions of the wave energy and the wind stress are apparently enhanced with the increase of thebeach height.(This project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.)

A geomorphological response of beaches to Typhoon Meari in the eastern Shandong Peninsula in China

Eight representative beach profiles on the eastern coast of the Shandong Peninsula are observed and measured in 2011 and 2012 to determine the coastal processes under the lower tropical wind speed condition and the beach response to and recovery from the tropical storm Meari in a rare typhoon region. The results show that it is the enhancement and directional change of cross-shore and longshore sediment transports caused by Meari that leads to the beach morphological changes, and most of the sediment transports occur during the pre-Meari landing phase. The erosional scarp formation and the berm or beach face erosion are the main geomorphological responses of the beaches to the storm. The storm characteristics are more important than the beach shapes in the storm response process of the beaches on Shandong Peninsula. The typhoon is a fortuitous strong dynamic event, and the effect on the dissipative beach is more obvious than it is on the reflective beach in the study region. Furthermore, the beach trend is the main factor that controlls the storm effect intensity, and it is also closely related to the recovery of the beach profiles.

The sedimentary source, planform stability and shore normal morphological change of the Xichong beach on the southern coast of the Dapeng Peninsula of Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China

The coast of the Dapeng Peninsula has been honored as one of “the eight most beautiful coasts in China”. The most precious tourism resource for the peninsula is headland bay beaches, among which the beach at Xichong on the southern coast of the peninsula is the longest and the most important one. The information of the stability, sedimentary source and shape change of the beach is very important for maintaining the beach in terms of sustainable development of the peninsula. Heavy minerals in the sand of the beach and the inland stream at Xichong are compared with those of a nearby beach on the same coast to determine the beach sand source; with help of a computer software, MEPBAY, the equilibrium planforms of the beaches on the peninsula are compared with those of an island without rivers to evaluate the stream＇s effects on the beach stability; cross shore profiles along the Xichong beach are also surveyed in different seasons of a year to assess the annual shore normal beach changes affected by the stream input, and the relation between the equilibrium planform state and cross shore changes of the beach. It is shown that （1） stream is the main sedimentary source of the beach and the weathering materials of the rocky headlands on both sides of the bay transported by waves are the second source for the beach but it is limited, sand from an inner shelf is not the sedimentary source for the beach at present and was not even during the Holocene transgression; （2） the Xichong beach cannot reach static equilibrium around the entire bay shoreline, the segment of the shore-line where a stream outlet is located is in dynamic equilibrium, and the unstable section occurs in the wave shadow region in the lee of an offshore island; （3） no matter whether the section of the beach shoreline at Xichong is in an equilibrium state or not, it is eroded in the typhoon season and recovered after the season, the maximum change in erosion and accretion occurs in the unstable segment; （4） the Xichong beach can only have small sand body since it is supplied with sand mainly form inland streams, resulting in a possible danger in which sand loss induced by human activities or huge storms cannot be replenished naturally.

Spatial Variations in Particle Size and Magnetite Concentration on Cedar Beach:Implications for Grain-Sorting Processes,Western Lake Erie,Canada

This study examined spatial variations in the concentration,grain size and heavy mineral assemblages on Cedar Beach（Lake Erie,Canada）.Magnetic studies of heavy mineral-enriched,dark-reddish sands present on the beach showed that magnetite（～150μm） is the dominant magnetic mineral.Surficial magnetic susceptibility values defined three zones：a lakeward region close to the water line（Zone 1）,the upper swash zone（Zone 2） and the region landwards of the upper swash zone （Zone 3）.Zone 2 showed the highest bulk and mass susceptibility（κ,χ） and the highest mass percentage of smaller grain-size（250μm） fractions in the bulk sand sample.Susceptibility（i.e.κandχ） values decreased and grain size coarsened from Zone 2 lakewards（into Zone 1） and landwards （into Zone 3）,and correlated with the distribution of the heavy mineral assemblage,most probably reflecting preferential separation of large,less dense particles by waves and currents both along and across the beach.The eroded western section of Cedar Beach showed much higher concentrations of heavy minerals including magnetite,and finer sand grain sizes than the accreting eastern section, suggesting that magnetic techniques could be used as a rapid,cost-effective way of examining erosion along sensitive coastline areas.

Siltation Prediction for Navigation Channels and Harbour Basins on Muddy Beach

This paper, after briefly reviewing the experimental research on sediment transport on muddy beach since the 1950s, improves and perfects the method for forecasting siltation in navigation channels and harbour basins which was first put forward in China by the authors. In consideration of silty sediment and sand, some factors in forecasting methods have been changed and modified. Consequently, the modified methods can be used either to compute siltation in navigation channels and harbour basins on muddy beach or to compute siltation and scouring in navigation channels and harbour basins on both silty beach and sandy beach. The verification of field data from eleven large, medium and small natural harbours shows a good agreement between the forecasting by the modified method and the natural conditions. Finally, the paper deals with the rational utilization of water area after the construction of the West Dyke in Lianyungang, the maintenance of water depth of the navigation channel at the entrance, siltation distribution, siltation in the navigation channel and harbour basin for ships of 100 thousand tonnnage. Results once again prove that the prospect of constructing Lianyungang Harbour into a deepwater harbour is bright.

Beach Profiles Characteristics Along Giao Thuy and Hai Hau Coasts,Vietnam:A Field Study

Giao Thuy and Hai Hau coasts are located in Nam Dinh province, Vietnam, with a total coastline of 54.42 km in length. The sea-dike system has been seriously damaged and there have been many dike breaches which caused floods and losses. This situation is considered of a general representative for coastal area in the northern part of Vietnam. A variety of studies have shown that the gradient in the longshore sediment transport rate and the offshore fine sediment lost are the main mechanisms causing the beach erosion. This study presents a field investigation of the beach profiles at Giao Thuy and Hai Hau beaches. Three types of empirical functions for the equilibrium beach profile are applied and compared with the observations. Results show that all observed beach profiles can be described by a single function. However, one specific equilibrium profile equation is not sufficient to assess all beach profiles. In Section 1 of Giao Thuy and Section 3 of Hai Thinh beaches, beach profiles are consistent with the logarithmic function, while the exponential function fits well in Section 2. This difference is explained with respect to coastal morphology, sediment characteristics and hydrodynamic conditions which vary in site. An analysis of the validity of the beach profile functions is recommended for the numerical modeling and engineering designs in this area.

Construction and Application of High Temperature Heat Damage Index for River Crab Culture in Hongze Lake Beach

Agrometeorology and agricultural statistics methods were used to analyze the cases of high temperature heat damage to crab breeding since 2008 in Hongze Lake Beach, finding that the high temperature heat damage was mainly under the comprehensive effects of the highest temperature, duration of high temperature weather, amount of precipitation and sunshine hours. Based on the function relation between the high temperature heat damage index and the influence factors, the linear model was used to describe the weight coefficient of each heat damage factor by using the synthesis correlation of multiple factors. The historical values of the influencing factors were used to make statistical calculation of the heat damage index model of crab culture in Hongze Lake Beach, which achieved good effects when applied in the meteorological operation of river crab culture.

Morphodynamics of sandy beaches under the influence of storm sequences:Current research status and future needs

This paper reviews and discusses the current research status, trends, and future needs in the field of beach morphodynamics under the influence of storm sequences.The paper reviews how the three main research methods, field investigations, numerical modelling, and physical modelling, have been used to study beach morphodynamics during storm sequences.Available quantitative definitions of storm sequences at different sites are presented and discussed.It is shown that the definition of storm sequences is site-specific and requires knowledge of the storm climate, beach characteristics, and the temporal scale of beach recovery.Subsequently, the paper brings together currently available approaches aimed at describing the effect of storm sequences on beach erosion in a general way.The importance of storm chronology and the effects of an extreme storm within a sequence of storms are highlighted.Following that, the more poorly studied aspect of beach recovery in between storms within a sequence is discussed.Three indicators for defining beach recovery, namely the shoreline location, sediment volumes, and the beach state, are identified and compared.Finally, important research needs, including the need for detailed physical modelling, are identified.

Typical Equilibrium Beach Profile Models and Their Significances from Different Segments of A Headland-Bay Beach

This study introduces three typical models on equilibrium beach profile, and discusses the application limitations of these models. Then this study examines the selections for applying these models on different coastal segments of a headland-bay beach in west Guangdong, South China, and explores the physical significances of those parameters in the models. The results indicate that：（1） Bodge＇s model is more in line with the equilibrium beach profile of the tangential or transitional segment, whereas Lee＇s model is more consistent with the shadow profile;（2） most of the parameters in three models have clear physical significances in accordance with the actual characteristics of this headland-bay beach; and（3） both the selections for the equilibrium beach profile from different segments and significances of most of the parameters in three models are in essence correlated with the morphodynamic states at various coastal locations.

Performance of a data-driven technique applied to changes in wave height and its effect on beach response

In this study the medium-term response of beach profiles was investigated at two sites： a gently sloping sandy beach and a steeper mixed sand and gravel beach. The former is the Duck site in North Carolina, on the east coast of the USA, which is exposed to Atlantic Ocean swells and storm waves, and the latter is the Milford-on-Sea site at Christchurch Bay, on the south coast of England, which is partially sheltered from Atlantic swells but has a directionally bimodal wave exposure. The data sets comprise detailed bathymetric surveys of beach profiles covering a period of more than 25 years for the Duck site and over 18 years for the Milford-on-Sea site. The structure of the data sets and the data-driven methods are described. Canonical correlation analysis （CCA） was used to find linkages between the wave characteristics and beach profiles. The sensitivity of the linkages was investigated by deploying a wave height threshold to filter out the smaller waves incrementally. The results of the analysis indicate that, for the gently sloping sandy beach, waves of all heights are important to the morphological response. For the mixed sand and gravel beach, filtering the smaller waves improves the statistical fit and it suggests that low-height waves do not play a primary role in the medium-term morohological resoonse, which is primarily driven by the intermittent larger storm waves.

Numerical modelling of sand beach evolution around coastal structures

A systematic study of waves, nearshore currents and sediment transport related to the coastal evolution of sand beach under the action of wave, has been carried out. On the basis of the re sults, a numerical model of sand beach evolution around coastal structures has been established. To pre dict the bed topography, the sediment transport rates of bedload and suspended load under the action of wave and nearshore current as well as the effects of wave on the sediment are considered. The sand beach evolutions caused by a breakwater and a settled ship near the shore are simulated.

Formation of Equilibrium Beach Profile of the Abandoned Yellow River Delta Coast in North Jiangsu

The abandoned Yellow River Delta coast is a typical erodible silty and muddy coast in China. The paper analyses the marine dynamic characteristics and the mechanism of beach erosion of this area. Analysis and calculation show that in this sea area wave and tidal current action should be considered. Based on the above analysis, an equilibrium beach profile calculation model is developed, in which the wave-current interaction is considered while sediment supply and sediment re-deposition are neglected. The model consists of four parts: (1) calculation of wave parameters, (2) calculation of velocity due to wave-current interaction at different water depth, (3) calculation of friction velocity and shear stress at different water depths, and (4) calculation of the amount of sediment erosion, erosion intensity and variation of beach profile. Calculated results are in good agreement with observed data. Finally, the evolution tendency is discussed and the equilibrium beach profile of this coast is calculated. B