Search Results (86)

Chronic coastal pollution can drive progressive mangrove degradation, yet its spatiotemporal trajectories and post-disturbance recovery remain poorly quantified from satellite observations. In this study, Landsat time-series imagery and the LandTrendr algorithm implemented on Google Earth Engine (GEE) were used to characterize mangrove responses to a kaolin pollution event in Tieshan Port, Guangxi, China. NDVI, NDMI, and NBR trajectories were first compared to identify the most sensitive indicator of contamination-induced stress, and LandTrendr was then applied to extract the timing, magnitude, duration, and spatial extent of mangrove disturbance and recovery. Results showed that kaolin contamination imposed persistent chronic stress on mangroves from 2017 to 2021, with degradation first occurring near Langen Village and then expanding northward across the port. Moderate and severe degradation were mainly distributed along tidal creeks and patch edges, indicating strong spatial control by local hydrodynamics and geomorphology. Among the tested indices, NDVI provided the earliest and clearest response to contamination, whereas NDMI and NBR showed delayed or less consistent responses. The disturbance mapping achieved an overall accuracy of 86.5% with a Kappa coefficient of 0.73. Recovery remained limited after pollution discharge ceased, suggesting persistent environmental constraints on mangrove regeneration. These findings demonstrate that Landsat–LandTrendr trajectories provide an effective framework for monitoring chronic pollution-driven mangrove degradation and recovery in coastal wetlands. Full article

Coastal wetlands are increasingly threatened by salinization and habitat degradation, which limit the natural regeneration of native halophytes. Suaeda heteroptera, an important halophytic species in temperate coastal wetlands, plays a critical role in vegetation restoration; however, its population recovery is constrained by limited seedling establishment. This study investigated the effects of seed heteromorphism, chemical priming, and environmental factors on the germination performance of S. heteroptera to provide insights for sustainable coastal wetland restoration. Two heteromorphic seed types of S. heteroptera were evaluated under potassium permanganate (KMnO₄), gibberellin (GA), and different salinity, temperature, and photoperiod conditions. The results revealed distinct germination strategies between seed types: Type B seeds showed faster germination initiation and higher early germination performance, whereas Type A seeds exhibited delayed germination characteristics, indicating differences in regeneration strategies between the two seed morphotypes. Both KMnO₄ and GA showed concentration-dependent effects, with low concentrations promoting germination and excessive concentrations inhibiting germination. Orthogonal analysis indicated that temperature had the greatest relative influence on germination, followed by salinity and photoperiod conditions. Within the tested experimental range, the optimal germination performance was observed under 10‰ salinity, 10 °C, and 24 h light exposure. These findings demonstrate that seed heteromorphism provides complementary regeneration strategies for S. heteroptera and that integrating chemical priming with environmental regulation may provide useful insights for coastal wetland restoration. Full article

Coastal peri-urban parks must simultaneously support ecological restoration, public recreation, cultural continuity, and long-term operation, yet reproducible methods for matching local cultural resources with renewal needs remain limited. Taking Yandao Mountain Park in Qingdao, China, as a case study, this research develops a culture–need matching and scenario-based evaluation framework integrating the Local Cultural Resource Identification Index (LCRI), Renewal Need Index (RNI), Culture–Renewal Need Matching Matrix (CRNM), Public Behaviour Activation Index (PBAI), and Sustainable Renewal Effect Index (SREI). Data were obtained from four field surveys, 318 valid questionnaires, 12 semi-structured interviews, GIS-supported spatial interpretation and Average Nearest Neighbor analysis, AHP weighting, two-round Delphi consultation, and sensitivity analysis. Beer culture, residents’ living memory, mountain–sea landscape imagery, and Liyuan courtyard culture showed strong identification bases, while functional integration, operational improvement, all-age sharing, and ecological restoration were the main renewal needs. CRNM revealed differentiated culture–need relationships that informed spatial translation and functional embedding. Under the proposed renewal scenario, the field-observed PBAI baseline of 0.46 was compared with a Delphi-calibrated scenario estimate of 0.82, while the estimated overall SREI was 0.87. These values indicate scenario-based potential for behavioural activation and sustainable renewal rather than verified post-implementation performance. Full article

Mangrove restoration is increasingly recognized as an effective nature-based solution for biodiversity conservation, climate-change mitigation, and coastal resilience. However, long-term evaluations of restoration outcomes remain scarce, particularly in arid coastal environments. This study assesses three decades of ecosystem recovery following the afforestation of Avicennia marina at Sajid Bay, Farasan Archipelago, Saudi Arabia. A total of 1050 seedlings were transplanted in 1994 into an unvegetated intertidal area and monitored using multi-temporal satellite imagery and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) analysis from 1994 to 2024. Results revealed a progressive expansion of mangrove cover to 15.48 ha over the 30-year period, corresponding to an average annual increase of approximately 0.516 ha yr⁻¹. Spatial patterns of expansion were strongly influenced by local geomorphological and hydrodynamic conditions. Central areas characterized by low wave energy and stable sediments exhibited the highest rates of colonization and vegetation development, whereas peripheral areas exposed to greater hydrodynamic stress expanded more slowly. The establishment of reproductive stands enabled natural regeneration, transforming the original plantation into a self-sustaining mangrove ecosystem. The findings demonstrate that relatively small-scale afforestation efforts can trigger long-term ecosystem recovery when implemented under suitable environmental conditions. The transition from planted seedlings to a naturally regenerating mangrove forest highlights the importance of site selection, hydrodynamic suitability, and ecological processes in determining restoration success. This study provides rare empirical evidence of long-term mangrove recovery in an arid coastal system and offers a practical conservation framework for restoring degraded coastal habitats throughout the Red Sea region and other environmentally comparable coastlines. Full article

The deterioration of SBS-modified asphalt under coupled temperature–ultraviolet (UV)–coastal humidity conditions is significantly accelerated in coastal regions because of seawater evaporation, leading to severe durability degradation of pavement materials. However, the performance evaluation laws and underlying regeneration mechanisms under such coupled environmental aging conditions remain insufficiently understood. Therefore, taking Shanghai as a representative coastal city, a temperature–UV–coastal humidity coupled aging system was established to simulate the saline and humid environment of coastal regions. Industrial animal oil and waste engine oil were selected as regeneration materials, and a multi-scale experimental approach was adopted to evaluate the performance recovery of aged asphalt. The results indicate that both regeneration materials effectively restore ductility and improve rheological behavior, while reducing viscosity but cause a measurable decrease in softening point, indicating a reduction in high-temperature stability. Industrial animal oil shows superior improvement in ductility, whereas waste engine oil exhibits stronger effects on viscosity reduction and microstructural regulation. A content of approximately 6% was recommended as a practical content to balance performance recovery and high-temperature stability under the tested coupled-aging condition. Microstructural analysis confirms that the regeneration mechanism is dominated by light component replenishment and colloidal structure reconstruction rather than chemical modification of SBS chains. Full article

The paper addresses the intersection between modern built heritage preservation and Climate-Aided Design (CADe) processes in fragile coastal Mediterranean contexts. The study focuses on the city of Beirut in Lebanon, part of the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (EMME) region and considered a climate change hotspot facing extreme challenges. Rapid urbanization and socio-political instability, especially during the twentieth century, have undermined the city’s ability to mitigate and adapt to future climate change scenarios. Moreover, Beirut’s modern built heritage faces a constant threat of demolition due to the absence of protective legislation, compounded by aggressive real-estate development ambitions. The hypothesis is that the integration of climatic data and regenerative design with modern cultural heritage classification frameworks can aid the preservation process, drive a more adaptive and inclusive approach to urban regeneration, and inform legislative integration of climate adaptation in conservation frameworks. To test this hypothesis, a multi-scalar case-study-based methodology is adopted using a combination of digital tools to assess and analyze the current and future impacts of climate change on two main case studies. First, the St. George Hotel & Bay, one of the first reinforced concrete recreational buildings in the city, was built during the French Mandate (1920–1946) and is vulnerable to sea-level rise, flooding, and demolition. Second, the Beirut City Center “The Egg”, a Brutalist structure built during Beirut’s modernist “golden era”, which is prone to structural deterioration and demolition. The main objective is to highlight 20th-century built heritage as part of Beirut’s spatial narrative worthy of conservation and rehabilitation by analyzing their capability to adapt to, mitigate, or benefit from future environmental risk. Ultimately, the study explores their potential to catalyze climate-resilient urban regeneration practices in the city. Results show that the integration of current and future forecast environmental analyses informed early preservation and intervention decision-making stages to position 20th-century modern built heritage as an asset to climate action in addition to being a socio-cultural and economic asset. Full article

Land use and land cover (LULC) changes are major drivers of environmental transformation in sensitive regions, such as the Marajó Archipelago in the Brazilian Amazon. This study assessed accumulated anthropization of LULC in the Immediate Geographic Region of Soure–Salvaterra, Eastern Amazon, between the reference years 1985 and 2023, using MapBiomas data and spatial statistical techniques. Bivariate Local Moran’s I (LISA) was applied to evaluate intertemporal spatial associations between areas classified as natural in 1985 and anthropized in 2023. In this approach, High–Low indicates natural areas associated with low anthropization in 2023, whereas High–High indicates areas where natural cover in 1985 was spatially associated with higher anthropization in 2023. The results indicated a strong predominance of High–Low, with values above 94% in all municipalities and up to 99.86% in Santa Cruz do Arari. In contrast, High–High had localized concentrations in Salvaterra (3.53%), Cachoeira do Arari (1.28%), and Soure (1.16%), especially in coastal zones and inland sectors. Low–Low, associated with lower anthropogenic pressure or possible signs of natural regeneration, was extremely low (≤0.0004%). These findings indicate that LISA is useful for identifying local LULC patterns and supporting environmental assessment and territorial planning in tropical regions. Full article

Mangrove forests in northern Mozambique were impacted by human and natural pressures, causing channel blockage, permanent flooding, and tree die back. To address the issue, hydrological restoration was carried out in August 2024, excavating 6.88 km of channels, with impact in 38 ha of degraded mangrove. The intervention area was divided into three zones, upper, middle, and lower, based on ecological and environmental characteristics. This study reports on the monitoring carried out 4 and 10 months later. Site salinity approached optimal levels for mangrove growth, dropping by 56% in high-salinity zones, and increasing above 100% in freshwater-invaded zones. The intervention also homogenized the previously distinct upper, middle, and lower zones to more statistically similar groups (Dunn post hoc: p > 0.05). Moreover, seedling density increased from 57.1 ± 44.1 to 4864 ± 1778.6 seedlings/ha; additionally, regenerating species increased in numbers (1 to 3 mangrove species in middle zone; and 0 to 3 mangrove species in lower zone). The study also reports the dieback of competing species, Juncus kraussii and Cyperus articulates. These changes result from the improved tidal flow and general habitat conditions in the restored site. This restoration offers a model for scaling up restoration efforts across the region, where ecological restoration remains underrepresented in many mangrove restoration initiatives. Full article

Eastern Boundary Upwelling Systems (EBUSs) are among the most productive marine biomes globally, renowned for their substantial pelagic fisheries. While the role of wind-driven upwelling in stimulating primary production is well-documented, the integral contributions of the marine benthos in maintaining ecosystem productivity and fishery yields are often underrepresented. This article analyzes evidence from the Humboldt, California, Benguela, and Canary Current systems to delineate the critical functions of the seabed and its resident communities. Three primary pathways through which the benthos supports fisheries are described: (1) by facilitating the efficient regeneration of nutrients from sedimenting organic matter, thereby replenishing the inorganic nutrient pool for subsequent primary production; (2) by providing essential habitat structure that supports the life history of a myriad of species, including demersal and coastal fish species, serving as nursery and feeding grounds; and (3) by forming the foundational trophic base for benthic-feeding fishes and invertebrates of commercial importance. By comparing system-specific characteristics, such as the influence of oxygen minimum zones on benthic community structure, the integrity of the benthic subsystem as a fundamental determinant of the productivity and sustainability of EBUS fisheries is demonstrated. A holistic management approach that includes benthic habitat conservation is therefore paramount. Full article

Against the background of industrial transformation and urban regeneration in old industrial bases, understanding the spatial pattern and driving mechanisms of industrial heritage is essential for its conservation and sustainable use. This study investigates 277 industrial heritage sites in Liaoning Province (including nationally designated sites, potential heritage within cultural relic protection units at all levels, and sites recognized by the China Association for Science and Technology) using kernel density estimation, standard deviation ellipse, and the GeoDetector model. The results reveal a significantly clustered distribution characterized by “dense in central–southern Liaoning, sparse in the periphery,” forming three major agglomerations: the Shenyang core, the Anshan–Benxi–Liaoyang heavy industry triangle, and the Dalian coastal industrial belt. Temporally, the distribution shows distinct phases closely linked to industrial development history and major socio-political events. Land use, GDP, and climatic factors dominate the spatial differentiation, with GDP and annual average temperature exhibiting the strongest combined explanatory power (41.67%). Based on these dominant factors and the identified core agglomeration areas, differentiated protection and utilization strategies should be formulated for core versus peripheral areas, different industrial types, and various historical periods. This provides direct empirical evidence for industrial heritage management and cultural revitalization in old industrial regions. Full article

Quantifying dynamic urban resilience is critical for climate adaptation. This study assesses the spatiotemporal resilience of 6838 flood-affected communities across 39 Chinese cities using high-resolution human activity data. By establishing a multi-phase framework, we extract six metrics characterizing resistance and recovery trajectories. Results reveal a distinct resilience paradox: coastal cities, despite suffering deeper instantaneous shocks from typhoons, exhibit superior adaptive capacity compared to inland cities, which face chronic recovery deficits under rainstorm stress. Unsupervised clustering identifies 12 distinct resilience phenotypes, ranging from brittle collapse to adaptive growth. Structural analysis confirms a Matthew Effect where functional diversity and economic vitality enable resource-rich communities to bounce forward, while peripheral areas remain trapped in vulnerability. These findings underscore the need for resilience-based regeneration policies that prioritize spatial justice and resource optimization over static engineering standards. Full article

City–port thresholds are increasingly exposed to multi-risk, including climate change impacts, pollution, and obsolescence of buildings and infrastructure as well as socio-economic marginalization. This paper aims to understand what role co-design—and more generally collaborative planning processes—can play in enabling communities and institutions to learn how to live with risk when managing water, city–port interfaces, and coastal public spaces. To do so, this paper analyses the experience of a co-design workshop held in Castellammare di Stabia, in the Metropolitan Area of Naples, organized within the framework of the research MIRACLE and SPArTaCHus. The results of the workshop show that co-design can act as an effective instrument for developing strategies aimed at the regeneration and valorization of underused, abandoned, or polluted spaces in the coastal thresholds of City–Port areas—wastescapes—that are exposed to multiple risks. In these complex territories new methods are needed to understand, describe and interpret the fuzzy boundaries between the city and the port to collaboratively envision sustainable strategies for urban regeneration of coastal wastescapes. Full article

The Portuguese Water Quality Policy, aligned with the Water Framework Directive, requires the monitoring of shellfish production in coastal and brackish water bodies and is based on the EC Shellfish Waters Directive; it preserves the environmental conditions necessary for shellfish growth and contributes to the production of a safe, high-quality sustainable animal food source. Between 2017 and 2021, quarterly measurements of physico-chemical and microbial parameters were conducted at 11 coastal stations and 21 estuarine/coastal lagoons stations along Portugal, to evaluate shellfish water quality and identify the environmental drivers influencing it. Results showed that estuaries and coastal lagoons were more vulnerable to fluctuations in salinity, oxygen and suspended matter and consistently exhibited higher faecal contamination in bivalves than coastal waters. These patterns were shaped by freshwater inputs, climate-driven variability, and local anthropogenic pressures, with contamination often increasing during rainy periods or under stressful environmental conditions. The study highlights the sensitivity of transitional waters to both natural and human-induced changes and underscores the need for targeted management strategies, such as improved wastewater treatment and integrated coastal management, to reduce pollution pressures. Strengthening these measures is essential for the long-term sustainability of Portugal’s shellfish industry and coastal ecosystems. Full article

Used lubricating oils (ULOs) represent one of the largest hazardous liquid waste streams globally and pose significant environmental risks if improperly managed. This study presents a structured review of ULO management pathways, including regeneration, reprocessing, and energy recovery technologies, within a sustainability and circular economy framework. The review systematically categorizes treatment options based on recovery efficiency, waste generation, environmental performance, and technical feasibility. To contextualize environmental risk, a conceptual numerical spill dispersion analysis using the SIMOIL model is included as an illustrative case study under simplified marine conditions. The simulation highlights the rapid dispersion potential of ULOs in coastal environments, reinforcing the need for preventive management strategies. The analysis indicates that refining technologies generally offer higher material circularity potential, while thermochemical processes provide viable alternatives for heavily contaminated oils. The study identifies critical gaps in technoeconomic comparability, regulatory harmonization, and source segregation practices. Strengthening integrated management systems is essential to minimize environmental impact and enhance resource recovery. Full article

Mangrove wetlands in northwestern Mexico have been highlighted due to their ecological relevance and ecosystem services. This study evaluated the mortality and natural regeneration of mangroves located in six coastal lagoons in Sinaloa, considering five plots each (400 m²), during a warm–strong (2015–2016) and cold–weak (2017–2018) El Niño–Southern Oscillation. The highest mean mortality was recorded in Huizache–Caimanero—the southern coastal lagoon—during the second stage (390 stems ha⁻¹; 22% corresponding to logging). While an increasing latitudinal (north–south) mortality trend was observed, differences between sites and stages were not statistically significant. Natural recovery was also observed due to higher abundance of seedlings, e.g., the largest increase from one stage to another was recorded in Santa María–La Reforma. Mortality and seedling regeneration are discussed in this study, particularly in relation to anthropogenic stressors, logging, and climate variability. Full article