water-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Decoding Sea Level Variations: Past, Present, and Future Impacts on Coastal Landscapes

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Oceans and Coastal Zones".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2024) | Viewed by 1292

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of the Geological Survey of Italy, Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Rome, Italy
Interests: coastal geomorphology; coastal evolution; beach erosion; beach monitoring; GIS analysis; coastal risk assessment

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dipartimento di ingegneria, Università Telematica Pegaso, Napoli, Italia
Interests: coastal processes; sea level changes and tectonics; geoarchaeology; geomorphology; paleogeography; GIS analysis; risk assessment

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Science and Technology, Università degli Studi Parthenope di Napoli, Napoli, Italy
Interests: coastal processes; sea-level changes and tectonics; geoarchaeology; geomorphology; paleogeography; marine geology; geographic information systems; vulnerability assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geology, University of Patras, Rio, Greece
Interests: water

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Dipartimento delle Culture Europee e del Mediterraneo (DiCEM), Università della Basilicata, Matera, Italy
Interests: geological mapping; tectonics; quaternary geology; sedimentology; coastal geomorphology; neotectonics; quaternary; coastal processes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

To accurately predict future sea level variations and guide effective coastal management strategies, it is essential to decode the complex dynamics between sea level fluctuations and their impacts on coastal zones. By tracking past sea level through erosional, depositional, and archaeological sea-level indicators we can reconstruct the paleo landscape and discern the impacts of sea level variations on our coasts, thereby providing context for the current coastal landscape evolution. Coastal regions exhibit a complex and delicate equilibrium, which is progressively undermined by the direct and indirect effects of climate change and human activities on the shoreline. Among the most evident effects is coastal erosion, a major issue due to its potential to cause significant shoreline retreat, especially in flat and low-lying areas prone to beach disappearance. This Special Issue aims to gather multidisciplinary research contributions that can significantly advance our knowledge of coastal dynamics, emphasizing the intricate interplay between coastal processes and sea level fluctuation. By bridging past and current evolution of coastal systems, this effort will establish a solid basis for evaluating the potential impacts of relative sea-level rise and facilitating the adaptation of coastal communities threatened by climate change.

We welcome submissions employing methodological and multidisciplinary approaches that address both the past and present evolution of coastal landscapes. Contributions may range from broad studies to focused examinations of specific issues, covering the following topics:

  • sea-level changes reconstruction, recent trends, and future scenarios;
  • geomorphological, stratigraphical, and archaeological sea-level markers;
  • advances methodology and applications for paleo-landscape reconstructions;
  • assessment of coastal modifications at different timescales;
  • multiproxy analysis for paleoenvironmental reconstruction in coastal areas;
  • Short and long-term tectonic rates in coastal areas;
  • VGM in coastal areas measured by remote sensing techniques;
  • beach erosion vs anthropization and defenses of the coast and coastal risk assessment;
  • beach characterization and related suitable approaches/methods.

Dr. Gianluigi Di Paola
Dr. Claudia Caporizzo
Dr. Gaia Mattei
Dr. Nikos Georgiou
Dr. Giuseppe Corrado
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • coastal system analysis and modelling
  • relative sea level change
  • sea level proxy
  • paleo-landscape reconstructions
  • vertical ground movements
  • past and current evolution of coastal systems
  • coastal geomorphology
  • coastal geoarchaeology
  • morpho-sedimentological characterization
  • coastal susceptibility risk and beach management
  • coastline defense and anthropization
  • remote sensing in coastal areas

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

35 pages, 14568 KiB  
Article
Past and Future Storm-Driven Changes to a Dynamic Sandy Barrier System: Outer Cape Cod, Massachusetts
by Daniel J. Harrington, John P. Walsh, Annette R. Grilli, Isaac Ginis, Deborah Crowley, Stephan T. Grilli, Christopher Damon, Roland Duhaime, Peter Stempel and Pam Rubinoff
Water 2025, 17(2), 245; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17020245 - 16 Jan 2025
Viewed by 902
Abstract
Sandy barrier systems are highly dynamic, with the most significant natural morphological changes to these systems occurring during high-energy storm conditions. These systems provide a range of economic and ecosystem benefits and protect inland areas from flooding and storm impacts, but the persistence [...] Read more.
Sandy barrier systems are highly dynamic, with the most significant natural morphological changes to these systems occurring during high-energy storm conditions. These systems provide a range of economic and ecosystem benefits and protect inland areas from flooding and storm impacts, but the persistence of many coastal barriers is threatened by storms and sea-level rise (SLR). This study employed observations and modeling to examine recent and potential future influences of storms on a sandy coastal barrier system in Nauset Beach, MA. Drone-derived imagery and digital elevation models (DEMs) of the study area collected throughout the 2023–2024 winter revealed significant alongshore variability in the geomorphic response to storms. Severe, highly localized erosion (i.e., an erosional “hotspot”) occurred immediately south of the Nauset Bay spit as the result of a group of storms in December and January. Modeling results demonstrated that the location of the hotspot was largely controlled by the location of a break in a nearshore sandbar system, which induced larger waves and stronger currents that affected the foreshore, backshore and dune. Additionally, model simulations of the December and January storms assuming 0.3 m (1 ft) of SLR showed the system to be relatively resistant to major geomorphic changes in response to an isolated storm event, but more susceptible to significant overwash and breaching in response to consecutive storms. This research suggests that both very strong isolated storm events and sequential moderate storms pose an enhanced risk of major overwash, breaching, and possibly inlet formation today and into the future, raising concern for adjacent communities and resource managers. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop