Coasts

The study focuses on the impact of climate change and spatial planning policies on coastal landscape dynamics. We examine the present and future coastal land use/land cover (LULC) change for southwestern Ghana under the coastal resilience (CR) scenario and coastal planning (CP) scenario. It employs an integrated approach of a review of literature and satellite imagery analysis to map coastal land use/land cover (LULC) change, from 2010 to 2020, to predict future landscape transitions under a coastal resilience approach and then contrast it with a scenario where development of the coast continues. The results show a continual decline in wetlands, from 1882.43 ha in 2010 to 1743.49 ha in 2020. Increased development would dominate the landscape under a scenario where coastal planning continues to expand, whereas cultivated, agricultural lands and vegetation are likely to increase under a coastal resilience scenario in 2035 and 2057. This study recommends that government and other stakeholders should consider coastal landscape restoration plans and programmes towards landscape sustainability for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 11 and 13.

Brazil suffered the largest oil spill disaster in its history, beginning on August 2019, affecting the Northeast coast. This study proposes a chemical investigation of oils from the 2019 spill in Brazil, which had naturally undergone different weathering processes in terrestrial and aquatic environments after an extended period of exposure. Three samples were collected at different times and under distinct environmental conditions, coded as spilled oil (SO), oil recovered from the aquatic environment (SA), and oil collected from the terrestrial environment (ST), the latter two having spent more time naturally exposed to aquatic and terrestrial environments. The analyses were performed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and electrospray ionization coupled with Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI FT-ICR MS). The results of the GC-MS analysis indicated that, although the samples share a common geochemical origin, the SA and ST samples showed a decrease in the intensity of n-alkane distribution compared to the SO sample, mainly attributed to evaporation and biodegradation processes. FT-ICR MS analysis identified dozens of classes of ESI(+) and ESI(–) compounds, most of them rich in sulfur and oxygen, with the highest intensities and quantities of molecular formulas in the SA and ST samples. Diagnostic ratios for heteroatom classes concluded that the SA and ST samples had undergone a higher level of weathering, mainly associated with photooxidation and biodegradation processes. Thus, the combined use of GC-MS and FT-ICR MS proved to be a robust approach for the detailed characterization of spilled oils, contributing to a clearer understanding of the extent and type of weathering in samples from the 2019 Brazilian spill.

Unprecedented quantities of pelagic sargassum since 2011 have demanded technical and management responses. Inappropriate measures might worsen environmental impacts, particularly in low-income regions and protected natural areas that also require low-cost, socio-ecologically integrated alternatives. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and local perception of sargassum clean-up treatments developed through a community–academic collaboration within a socio-ecological systems framework in the marine protected area Xcalak Reefs National Park (PNAX), at the southernmost Mexican Caribbean coast. In 2019 and 2021, clean-up efforts were implemented through the national PROREST program and a self-organized community group of 35–40 members supported by a multidisciplinary research advisory team. Monitoring in 2021 estimated sargassum removal at 4012 m² over 50–75 work hours. Although average shoreline retreat was obtained (δ_mean = −0.22 m), final accretion of ~0.96 m alleviated community concerns about erosion linked to clean-up activities. The most effective and socially accepted clean-up treatment involved sargassum spreading, collection, drying, and revetment-type beach protection, reducing odors and harmful fauna. However, treatments aimed at shoreline stabilization were impractical, raising doubts about their long-term efficacy. These findings highlight the relevance of integrating ecological performance and social perception in sargassum management, especially where co-management with local communities in marine protected areas is needed.