Repeat photography of Lake Michigan coastal dunes: Expansion of vegetation since 1900 and possible drivers

Coastal dunes are prominent features along the Lake Michigan shoreline, especially along Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Numerous studies in recent years have reconstructed the geomorphic history of these dune systems, from their initial formation in the mid-Holocene to about 300 years ago. These studies have suggested linkages between past dune behavior and climatic variability and fluctuating lake levels. Less is known, however, about how these dune systems change on shorter-temporal scales in the modern era and the potential drivers of that change. Using repeat photography, this paper attempts to demonstrate how the coastal dunes of Lake Michigan’s eastern shore have changed since the 19th century. We collected hundreds of photographs of these dunes, taken between the years 1885 and 2018, from archives and citizen scientists. In the spring and summer of 2019, we took ∼70 new photographs replicating the original images. The changes between coastal dune conditions in the original photographs and in the 2019 photographs show a general expansion of vegetation across formerly barren and active surfaces along the entire shoreline. Although human development has also played a role in reshaping the coastal dune systems, the most pronounced difference between historical and current dune conditions where repeat photography was conducted is the expansion of vegetation – grasses, shrubs, and even trees. Here, we present the 20 photograph pairs most representative of these trends, explore these changes, and discuss the likely causes, including the increase in precipitation in Michigan in the past  ∼80 years.     

Sedimentary in-filling of an urban Great Lakes waterfront embayment and implications for threshold-driven shoreline morphodynamics,Montrose Beach,SW Lake Michigan

This paper addresses subaqueous and subaerial patterns of geomorphic change across Montrose Beach, an urban embayment along Chicago’s engineered SW Lake Michigan coastline. Our goal was to better characterize the urban littoral zone, its sediment-transport processes, and associated shoreline morphodynamics (from the early 1950s to present). Succinct beach geomorphic responses to decadal base-level changes (i.e., regression during lake-level fall and transgression during lake-level rise) occurred once a morphologic threshold in the subaqueous portion of the system had been crossed. Despite continuous sand trapping, nearshore elevations were initially not conducive to promoting expansion of the subaerial beach environment, regardless of water-level condition. Rapid beach expansion after 1990 (by a factor of four in <25 years) was facilitated by prior decades of nearshore accretion. Shoreline morphodynamic trajectories and degree of coupling to nearshore sedimentary processes are important considerations for developing long-term beach-management strategies. Rapid cross-shore movements of the shoreline in response to oscillatory base levels are expected to persist at Montrose and other urban beaches of similar design (and nearshore conditions). This has important implications for managing urban lakefront ecosystems, including coastal dunes and shore-bird habitats. Few datasets have thus far quantified time-variant and threshold-driven patterns of beach geomorphic development along engineered coastlines. Such insights should help coastal managers better understand littoral sediment interconnectivity across the urban lakefront and anticipate future geomorphic trajectories of beach environments with anticipated decadal-scale oscillatory patterns in lake level.     

Spectral variations in the near-infrared ocean reflectance

The optical properties of natural waters beyond the visible range, in the near-infrared (NIR, 700-900 nm), have received little attention because they are often assumed to be mostly determined by the large absorption coefficient of pure water, and because of methodological difficulties. It is now growingly admitted that the NIR represents a potential optical source of unambiguous information about suspended sediments in turbid waters, thence the need for better understanding the NIR optical behaviour of such waters. It has recently been proposed (Ruddick et al., Limnology and Oceanography. 51, 1167-1179, 2006) that the variability in the shape of the surface ocean reflectance spectrum in the NIR is negligible in turbid waters. In the present study, we show, based on both in situ and remote sensing data, that the shape of the ocean reflectance spectrum in the NIR does vary in turbid to extremely turbid waters. Space-borne ocean reflectance data were collected using 3 different sensors (SeaWiFS, MODIS/Aqua and MERIS) over the Amazon, Mackenzie and Rio de la Plata turbid river plumes during extremely clear atmospheric conditions so that reliable removal of gas and aerosol effects on reflectance could be achieved. In situ NIR reflectance data were collected in different European estuaries where extremely turbid waters were found. In both data sets, a flattening of the NIR reflectance spectrum with increasing turbidity was observed. The ratio of reflectances at 765 nm and 865 nm, for instance, varied from ca. 2 down to 1 in our in situ data set, while a constant value of 1.61 had been proposed based on theory in a previous study. Radiative transfer calculations were performed using a range of realistic values for the seawater inherent optical properties, to determine the possible causes of variations in the shape of the NIR reflectance spectrum. Based on these simulations, we found that the most significant one was the gradual increase in the contribution of suspended sediments to the color of surface waters, which often leads to the flattening of the reflectance spectrum. Changes in the scattering and absorption properties of particles also contributed to variations in the shape of the NIR surface ocean reflectance spectrum. The impact of such variations on the interpretation of ocean color data is discussed.     

Ocean transparency from space: Validation of algorithms estimating Secchi depth using MERIS, MODIS and SeaWiFS data

Ocean transparency, often measured using Secchi disk, is a useful index of water quality or productivity and is used in many environmental studies. The spaceborne ocean color sensors provide synoptic and regular radiometric data and can be used for applying environmental policies if the data is converted into relevant biogeochemical properties. We adapted and developed semi-analytical and empirical algorithms to estimate the Secchi depth from satellite ocean color data in both coastal and oceanic waters. The development of the algorithms is based on the use of a comprehensive in situ bio-optical dataset. The algorithms are validated using an extensive set of coincident satellite estimates and in situ measurements of the Secchi depth (so-called matchups). More than 400 matchups are compiled for the MERIS, MODIS and SeaWiFS sensors. The comparison between Secchi depth retrievals from remote sensing data and in situ measurements yields determination coefficients (R²) between 0.50 and 0.73, depending on the sensor and algorithm. The type II linear regression slopes and intercepts vary between 0.95 and 1.46, and between − 0.8 and 6.2 m, respectively. While semi-analytical algorithms provide the most promising results on in situ data, the empirical one proves to be more robust on remote sensing data because it is less sensitive to error due to erroneous atmospheric corrections. Using ocean color archives, one can derive maps of ocean transparency for different areas. Our climatology of the Secchi depth based on ocean color for the transition zone between the North Sea and Baltic Sea is compared to an historical dataset.     

面向滨海湿地的全色/多光谱影像融合方法与应用分析——以杭州湾（1999~2018年）为例

影像融合在滨海湿地遥感监测中具有重要作用,然而滨海湿地区域多以水体、植物等为主,地物复杂多变,导致现有融合方法易产生光谱畸变且鲁棒性往往较差,难以满足滨海湿地的长时序动态监测需求。为此,提出基于空—谱质量评价的全色/多光谱影像融合方法SSQI_ PANSHARP,所提融合模型以融合影像的空—谱质量评价为导向,集成多种融合方法在空间增强和光谱保真方面的互补优势,满足滨海湿地长时序遥感监测对融合方法鲁棒性的需求。以杭州湾滨海湿地为研究区域,利用1999~2018年Landsat-7、Landsat-8卫星20年影像数据,从定性、定量以及滨海湿地典型地物光谱指数NDVI、NDWI等多方面,对提出方法进行充分验证,并在此基础上均匀抽取相近季度3期数据,对杭州湾滨海湿地近20年间土地覆盖类型,进行宏观长时序动态监测分析。研究结果表明,SSQI_PANSHARP方法在滨海湿地区域中的光谱保真度、空间结构信息增强效果表现较好,且鲁棒性强,适合于滨海湿地的长时序监测需求。监测结果显示,杭州湾南岸滨海湿地2010年后建筑用地比例上升,区域内池塘水田明显增加,农田绿地有所下降。     

滨海景观带园林植物的选择及应用研究--以山东省基岩海岸城市为例

城市滨海景观带是指城市临海的、海陆相互作用而产生的，具有一定景观价值的特定区域。植物对改善其生态环境，软化、强调或衬托硬质景观，提高景观带的综合效益，具有重要作用。通过对山东省六座基岩海岸城市景观带内，园林植物利用现状的调查研究，对其存在的问题提出了对策及建议。     

An Assessment of the Impact of Inland Surface Water Input to the Bacteriological Quality of Coastal Waters

The introduction of ultraviolet disinfection in Jersey has achieved significant improvements in water quality. However, bathing waters in St Aubin's Bay and shellfish flesh have failed to comply with microbial standards. Streams and seepages from coastal structures were investigated as potential indicator organism sources (total and faecal coliforms, faecal streptococci). Seepages were an unimportant bacterial source as concentrations were low. Geometric mean concentrations in streams were up to four orders of magnitude higher than in final sewage-treatment works effluent, and concentrations increased significantly at high stream discharge. Rainfall-induced pulses of poor water quality occurred two to three times per week during the 1993 summer season. Natural discharges from island catchments thus contribute significantly to the bacterial load received at the coast, especially during high flow events. These observations have implications for other UK and European schemes using tertiary disinfection technology to attain water quality targets in coastal waters.     

A major failure involving an exposed geotextile to contain dredged spoil

The development of facility for the export of LNG from coal seam gas required a major dredging program which, due to the proximity of the Great Barrier Reef, was subject to strict environmental conditions. Most of the dredged spoil was required to be disposed of into a purpose-built bunded disposal area, constructed over existing seabed shallows. The as constructed rock fill embankment unintentionally allowed significant leakage of dredged spoil through and along much of its perimeter, compromising the disposal area's effectiveness in meeting water quality requirements. The loss of the dredged material through the embankment was primarily attributed to the geotextile component of the wall not performing as anticipated by the design and construct alliance. The design and construction factors that lead to the failure are discussed. Guidance is provided so as to avoid similar designs from being implemented in the future.     

Methodologies for abstraction from coastal aquifers for supplying desalination plants in the south-east of Spain

Supplying seawater to desalination plants using boreholes or drains can be less expensive than direct water intakes, since the silt density index (SDI) tends to be much lower. This approach is dependent on the presence of coastal aquifers with good hydraulic connection to the sea. Moreover, conventional boreholes are not suitable for pumping water on a long-term basis, since seawater is very aggressive. Hence, this type of abstraction requires the application of special technologies, from borehole location to borehole lining and special operations. These include the selection of the most appropriate drilling method, which depends on the lithology to be penetrated and its structure. This study focuses on Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD), which encompasses very advanced technology. Various examples of work done in south-eastern Spain are described, along with the keys to their success.     

Initial insights into the development and implementation of a citizen-science drone-based coastal change monitoring program in the Great Lakes region

High-resolution spatio-temporal data are needed to improve coastal management programs, particularly along the Great Lakes where lake level fluctuations pose challenges to coastal decision-making and planning. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of coastal change monitoring datasets, particularly those that document event-scale changes over a large spatial scale. This paucity of data is compounded by the large size and range of shore types throughout the region.Unoccupied aerial vehicle (UAV) or drone data collected by citizen scientists are a potential solution to this challenge. However, no citizen science coastal change monitoring program exists in the Great Lakes region, nor does a comprehensive drone-based coastal change monitoring programs exist anywhere in the United States. To inform the development of drone-based citizen science programs, the goal of this paper is to describe the development and implementation of a citizen science coastal change monitoring program along the Great Lakes shores of Michigan. The citizens participating in this project generate imagery in two ways: (1) the submission of photos of coastal changes or hazards via a web app developed for the project called PicShores and (2) drone collection of survey-quality aerial imagery for use in the generation of orthomosaic images and digital elevation models (DEMs). This paper presents the methods utilized to develop the citizen science monitoring program, some initial findings from the citizen science monitoring, and explores some challenges and next steps for the program.