Search Results (39)

Under climate change, the increasing typhoon intensity poses a severe threat to fishery harbor safety through storm surges and extreme waves. Traditional empirical management approaches fail to capture the complex wave-surge coupling inside harbors, leading to risk blind spots in berth allocation. This study enhances the fishery harbor disaster resilience by employing high-resolution coupled wave-storm surge modeling, taking Xinying Central Fishing Harbor (Hainan, China) during Super Typhoon Yagi (September 2024) as a case study. A Holland typhoon model integrated with ERA5 reanalysis data was used to reconstruct the wind field, which subsequently drove a one-way coupled MIKE 21 FM–SW model to simulate regional tides and deep-water waves. A Boussinesq wave model was then applied to resolve nearshore shallow-water wave transformations inside the harbor. Model validation showed strong agreement with observations: correlation coefficients of 0.97 for tides in Xinying station and 0.95, 0.97, 0.93 for significant wave heights in three buoys around Hainan island, with root-mean-square errors of 0.19 m and 0.67, 0.69, 0.31 m, respectively. The Boussinesq wave simulations revealed detailed spatial distributions of wave heights inside the harbor during the typhoon. Based on these simulations, a dynamic berth zoning strategy was developed, mapping safety zones for different vessel sizes according to wave-height tolerance (e.g., ≤0.6 m for medium-sized trawlers). This framework can provide potential support for decision-making regarding fishing vessel refuge during typhoons, maximizing safe capacity while minimizing capsizing risks. Overall, this study demonstrates a feasible pathway from advanced numerical modeling to practical engineering management, supporting a transition from experience-based to data- and model-driven disaster prevention for coastal fishery harbors. Full article

Rapid urbanization and increasing traffic volumes necessitate effective road safety measures, particularly in metropolitan areas. Enhancing road safety is a fundamental pillar of social sustainability as it directly reduces the socio-economic burden of traffic accidents and promotes resilient urban environments. This article analyzes the impact of infrastructural traffic-calming devices on road safety parameters using a GIS-based method. This study provides a quantitative tool for monitoring and measuring the effectiveness of sustainable transport infrastructure. The study examines six different types of devices across 44 locations within the GZM Metropolis, Poland, utilizing official police data (Accident and Collision Records System—SEWIK) from a period of two years before and two years after implementation. The primary parameters analyzed include the frequency of incidents, the severity of injuries, and the structure of accident types. The results demonstrate a substantial positive association following the interventions, with an average 41.33% reduction in road incidents across all tested devices. Specifically, speed bumps proved most effective, reducing incidents by over 66%. However, the analysis revealed a critical anomaly: While pedestrian refuge islands decreased the overall number of minor injuries, they correlated with an increase in the number of severe injuries, suggesting a need for careful consideration. Furthermore, the study confirms a positive shift in the structure of incidents, notably a substantial decrease in rear-end and side-impact collisions. The findings offer practical evidence for evidence-based urban policies, contributing to the development of safe, inclusive, and sustainable transport systems in line with global sustainability goals. Full article

Speed limits are widely used in transition zones between rural and urban areas, where road and environmental conditions change and drivers are expected to reduce their speed. These locations often generate particularly complex driver behaviour in response to applied traffic calming measures (TCMs). Previous studies have mainly focused on the effectiveness of individual TCMs in reducing speed; however, analyses directly comparing drivers’ declared behaviours with actual measured speeds remain limited. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of selected TCMs—chicanes, central island, refuges island, and dynamic speed feedback signs (DSFSs)—across 26 transition zones, taking into account land-use characteristics, driver fixation points, and the road’s visual perspective. To evaluate consistency or discrepancies, the declared behaviours of survey respondents assessing these locations were compared with speed measurements collected from other drivers travelling through the same zones. The analyses help define the relationship between drivers’ perception and their actual behaviour, identifying which TCMs, when combined with specific road-environment features, are most effective in achieving the target speed of 50 km/h in built-up areas. The most effective chicanes proved to be those with the greatest width (2.5 m), i.e., almost equal to the width of a traffic lane, as well as those with a width of 2.0 m combined with a change in pavement surface from asphalt to stone paving, or those located upstream of a road section characterised by high curvature and limited visibility. In contrast, symmetrical islands, even with a width of 3.0 m, were found to be completely ineffective. The findings support the development of more effective transition-zone design principles and provide guidance for future mobility strategies, including the integration of automated vehicles in smart cities. Full article

Three species of land crab occur in The Bahamas; these are an important source of protein and income for Bahamian islanders. The crab harvesters represent an important and largely untapped knowledge source. We conducted surveys on the Bahamian islands of Andros, New Providence, and Eleuthera to document crabbing practices and catalogue this local ecological knowledge (LEK) of land crabs. The survey primarily employed close-ended questions targeting land crab harvesters; we also recorded general feedback from open-ended questions. Crab collection was primarily for self-consumption. Catch rates varied among islands, and were the highest on Andros. There was a preference for white land crabs (Cardisoma guanhumi) on Andros, whereas on Eleuthera and New Providence, there was no preference for either white or black crabs (Gecarcinus ruricola). The majority of respondents reported a decline in white and black crab numbers, with land development and overharvesting being consistently cited factors. On Andros, forest fires were also reported to account for the loss of crab habitat, whereas on Eleuthera, invasive raccoons were blamed for the population decline. Respondents identified broadleaf forests as critical refuges and food sources for black crabs. Birds were the major predator, confirming findings for other land crab species. Land crabs were not merely a food resource but represented a complex nexus of ecological knowledge, economic systems, cultural traditions, and community practices within Bahamian society. We demonstrated a substantial overlap between traditional and scientific knowledge systems, providing valuable insights into land crab behaviour, habitat use, and ecology that complements formal scientific research. Full article

There is increasing interest in the role of parks as potential cool refuges in the age of climate change. Such potential refuges result from the Park Cool Island (PCI) effect, reflecting the temperature differential between the park and surrounding urban areas. However, this study of different park typologies in Perth, Australia, illustrates that while surface temperatures are 10–15 °C lower in parks during summer afternoons (much less than at other times), air temperatures are generally no different from the adjacent streetscape for the smaller parks. Only the largest park in the study had 1–2 °C lower morning and mid-afternoon air temperature differentials. The study illustrates that while the PCI is a real phenomenon, the magnitude in terms of air temperature is small, and it is of less relevance to the conditions felt by humans in average summer daytime conditions than the direct effects of solar radiation. Many studies have assessed the PCI effect, an indicator that has shown a wide range across different studies and measurement techniques. However, this novel paper utilises satellite remote-sensed land surface temperatures, on-ground measurements of surface temperatures, air temperatures, and humidity, as well as modelling using the microclimatic simulation software ENVI-met version 5.0. A reliance on land surface temperature, which in isolation has a marginal correlation with human experience of thermal comfort, has led some researchers to overstate the PCI effect and its influence on adjoining urban areas. The research reported in this paper illustrates that it is the shade provided by the canopy in parks, rather than parks themselves, that provides meaningful thermal comfort benefits. Accordingly, adaptation to increasing temperatures requires the creation of a continuous canopy, ideally over parks, streetscapes, and private lots in an interconnected network. Full article

Extreme sea surface temperature (SST) events, such as marine heatwaves (MHWs) and marine cold spells (MCSs), severely affect warm water coral reefs. However, further study is required on their historical and future spatiotemporal patterns, driving mechanisms, and impacts in coral reef regions. This study analyzed the spatiotemporal patterns in MHWs/MCSs for the periods 1982–2022 and 2023–2070 using ten indices based on OISSTv2.1 and CMIP6 data, respectively, identified key MHW drivers via four machine learning methods (Random Forest, Extreme Gradient Boosting, Light Gradient Boosting Machine, and categorical boosting) and SHAP values (Shapley Additive Explanations), and then examined their relationship with coral coverage across ten global marine regions. Our results revealed that (1) MHWs are not only increasing in their average intensity but also becoming more extreme, while MCSs have declined. More MHW days are observed in regions like the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the South Pacific Islands, with increases of up to 28 days per decade. (2) Higher-latitude coral reefs are experiencing more severe MHWs than equatorial regions, with up to 1.24 times more MHW days, emphasizing the urgent need to protect coral refuges. (3) MHWs are projected to occur nearly year-round by 2070 under scenario SSP5–8.5. The area ratio of MHWs to MCSs is expected to rise sharply from 2040 onward, reaching approximately 100-fold under the SSP2–4.5 scenario and 196-fold under the SSP5–8.5 scenario, particularly in the Marshall Islands and Caribbean Sea regions. (4) The coefficient of variation (CV) of annual temperature, annual ocean heat content, and monthly temperature were the top three factors driving MHW intensity. We emphasize that future MHW predictions should focus more on the CV of forecasting indicators rather than just the climate means. (5) Coral coverage exhibited post-mortality processes following MHWs, showing a strong negative correlation (r = −0.54, p < 0.01) with MHWs while demonstrating a significant positive correlation (r = 0.6, p < 0.01) with MCSs. Our research underscores the sustained efforts to protect and restore coral reefs amid escalating climate-induced stressors. Full article

Cold-water soft corals are a known habitat for juvenile basket stars (Gorgonocephalus sp.), but the role of this relationship in the earliest life stages of basket stars warrants further investigation. Here, basket stars and colonies of the soft coral Gersemia rubiformis were collected together from the Funk Island Deep Marine Refuge (NW Atlantic) and maintained in a laboratory setting for observation. During this time, two developing (<1 mm disc diameter) basket stars were discovered on coral colonies and could be seen retracting with the coral polyp into the colony. The basket stars were recorded unharmed once the polyps were expanded again and continued to retract within the colony over the period of observation. The results of this study show that developing basket stars can spend time inside the coral colony, which could be a form of protection. Full article

Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Lawson & C. Lawson) forests in the western United States have experienced reduced fire frequency since Euro-American settlement, usually because of successful fire suppression policies and even without such human impacts at remote sites in the Great Basin and Mojave Deserts. In an effort to improve our understanding of long-term environmental dynamics in sky-island ecosystems, we developed tree-ring chronologies from ponderosa pines located in the Sheep Mountain Range of southern Nevada, inside the Desert National Wildlife Refuge (DNWR). After comparing those dendrochronological records with other ones available for the south-central Great Basin, we analyzed their climatic response using station-recorded monthly precipitation and air temperature data from 1950 to 2024. The main climatic signal was December through May total precipitation, which was then reconstructed at annual resolution over the past five centuries, from 1490 to 2011 CE. The mean episode duration was 2.6 years, and the maximum drought duration was 11 years (1924–1934; the “Dust Bowl” period), while the longest episode, 19 years (1905–1923), is known throughout North America as the “early 1900s pluvial”. By quantifying multi-annual dry and wet episodes, the period since DNWR establishment was placed in a long-term dendroclimatic framework, allowing us to estimate the potential drought resilience of its unique, tree-dominated environments. Full article

Argonauta argo (Linnaeus, 1758), commonly known as the greater argonaut, is a pelagic octopod with a circumglobal distribution in warm and temperate seas. Although the species is occasionally reported in the Mediterranean Sea, confirmed in situ observations of live individuals remain scarce, particularly in the eastern basin. Here, we document the occurrence of a live female A. argo entangled in aquaculture nets at a sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) facility off the coast of Lesvos Island in the northeastern Aegean Sea, Greece. This represents the first confirmed observation in this part of the Mediterranean and only the second confirmed observation of a live individual in Greek waters. The individual was photographed in situ and identified based on diagnostic morphological features. The encounter occurred under specific hydrodynamic and environmental conditions potentially favorable to the species, including enhanced prey availability and structural refuge within the aquaculture infrastructure. This record contributes to the limited dataset on Mediterranean argonauts and underscores the need for further research into their ecology, distribution patterns, and potential interactions with anthropogenic marine structures. Full article

Santa María Bay–La Reforma (SMBLR), with its 58,300 ha is one of Mexico’s most extensive estuarine lagoon systems. It is made up of islands, estuaries, and mangrove areas, which provide a vital part of the habitat and refuge of a significant number of birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. The fishing of blue and brown shrimp, marine and estuarine fish, as well as the exploitation of crab and bivalve mollusks, represent an important economic value for the communities that live there and for the state of Sinaloa, Mexico. This state ranked second in fisheries production and first in aquaculture production by 2023. However, the biological richness of this ecosystem has historically been threatened by economic activities such as agriculture, livestock, and aquaculture that, via watersheds, translate into continuous inputs of nutrients and other pollutants. This has led to modifications to the system such as changes in the structure of pelagic and benthic communities, mainly in response to eutrophication. To understand the dynamics of nutrient inputs to the ecosystem, this work presents a comparative analysis of the system’s carrying capacity and the magnitude of the main economic activities from 2007 to 2019. We found that during each season of the year and its transitions, the system functions as a nitrogen and phosphorus sink, which is associated with autotrophic net ecosystem metabolism and nitrogen fixation processes. We suggest that while water residence times in SMBLR are short, these are strongly influenced by the high volumes of water and nutrient loads determined by the spatio-temporal variations in hydrological drainage from the basins of influence of the system. The discharge of agriculture and aquaculture drains into SMBLR are areas of concern due to the high amount of nutrients. Although SMBLR is mostly an autotrophic system, there are signs that the carrying capacity during some seasons has been exceeded, and adverse ecological and socioeconomic effects in the basin are evident. Full article

This study assessed the growth characteristics of Conger myriaster in large-scale floating raft aquaculture habitats and natural habitats. Monthly sampling in aquaculture and control areas, combined with biological and morphological data analyses, were used to investigate the growth, morphological differences, and seasonal distribution of Conger myriaster in different habitats. The results showed that the floating raft aquaculture habitat was dominated by juveniles, with a higher abundance compared to the control areas. The juveniles exhibited favorable levels of growth and ecological performance in the floating raft aquaculture habitat and experienced less environmental stress. This research shows that the floating raft aquaculture habitat provides a critical stage habitat for juvenile Conger myriaster in island reef areas, providing refuge from predation and facilitating juvenile development. The integration of surface floating rafts and bottom-set artificial reefs in marine ranching can create a fisheries model that focuses on the protection of juveniles and the exploitation of adults. Full article

In this study, a focus on the populations of bryophytes living in aquatic and humid habitats of Sicily is presented. This investigation aims to evaluate the consistency and diversity of this group of taxa. The complete list of taxa known to date in these habitats is provided, with reference to hornworts, liverworts, and mosses, and the patterns related to the biological, ecological, and chorological features of this bryophyte flora are also illustrated. Since climate change is currently the major threat of extinction for many of these species growing in aquatic and humid environments, these taxa constitute a component of the flora worthy of particular interest in studies on the quantification of the impact of global warming on biodiversity. Overall, the analysis found that, with a total of 224 taxa, this group constitutes 36% of the Sicilian bryophyte flora; it is quite diversified from a taxonomic point of view, being represented by 55 families and 106 genera. Related to ecological features and reproductive biology, some aspects of possible vulnerability are highlighted, as well as others of resilience. Moreover, the importance of future monitoring of these taxa is underlined, also in consideration of the fact that some of them, such as Sciuro-hypnum ornellanum, are species of conservation interest in Italy and in Europe, and that four other taxa are threatened in Italy. Full article

The distribution of species in relation to latitude and altitude is of fundamental interest to ecologists and is expected to attain increasing importance as the Earth’s climate continues to change. Species diversity is commonly greater at lower than higher latitudes on a global scale, and the similarity of communities frequently decreases with distance. Nevertheless, reasons for such patterns are not well understood. We investigated species richness and changes in community composition of mayflies (Ephemeroptera) over 13 degrees of latitude at 81 locations throughout New Zealand by light-trapping and the benthic sampling of streams. Mayflies were also sampled along an altitudinal gradient on a prominent inactive volcano in the east of North Island. Sampled streams were predominantly in the native forest, at a wide range of altitudes from sea level to c. 1000 m a. s. l. A total of 47 of the 59 described New Zealand mayflies were recorded during the study, along with five undescribed morphospecies. Species richness declined and the degree of dissimilarity (beta diversity) of mayfly communities increased significantly from north to south but less strongly with increasing altitude. Our results suggest that the southward decline in species richness has historical origins with the north of the country having acted as a major refuge and region of speciation during the Pleistocene. The increasing dissimilarity of the northern and southern communities may reflect an increasingly harsh climate, variable amounts of subsequent southward dispersal of northern species and, in the South Island, the presence of species which may have evolved in the newly uplifted mountains during the Miocene–Pliocene. Full article

The Matsu Islands Tern Refuge comprises eight reefs located at a relay station on the East Asian bird migration route, and it attracts many transiting, wintering, or breeding birds to inhabit and live on the reefs every year. In order to understand the compositions of plant communities as a breeding habitat for seabirds, we investigated the plant communities of the eight reefs. A total of 130 plots of 10 × 10 square meters were established, from which we found 107 species of plants in 102 genera and 51 families. Among this, we found one critically endangered (CR) species, four vulnerable (VU) species, and three near-threatened (NT) species. The result of two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) and indicator value (IndVal) showed 130 samples were divided into 11 vegetation types; most of the vegetation types had significant indicator species. We also use the two-way to present the plot of detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) by vegetation types and reefs. Moreover, this result reveals that these samples were more clearly cluster divided by islands. Our results reveal that the compositions and characteristics of plant communities were related clearly to the environmental factors for each reef in the Matsu Islands Tern Refuge. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicated that species composition of vegetation yielded high correlation with soil property, especially with soil pH. In addition, we found that the traces of bird activity is relevant to the characteristics and structures of plant communities. We found that the plant communities comprising low-grass shrubs would provide relatively soft nesting materials and sheltering effects for eggs or hatchlings for terns. Compared to low-grass shrubs, the traits of high-grass shrubs would not be beneficial to nest for breeding of terns on the ground, and no nested trace was found in these plant communities. Full article

The northeastern Red Sea (Saudi Arabia) is currently being transformed to become a global hub of economic activity and tourism. This transformation requires the development of pristine coastal areas into populated and dynamic settlements. At the same time, the northern Red Sea is considered a climate refuge for corals in changing climate conditions, and efforts to preserve and protect marine biodiversity are being proposed. Accordingly, foraminifers are an efficient tool to assess and monitor their associated coral reefs’ health. This study reports a modern-day health assessment of the corals of Shushah Island (Saudi Arabia) in the northeastern Red Sea as a reference for future monitoring as inferred by applying the FoRAM Index method. In general, our results revealed healthy conditions conducive to coral growth, yet some precautions and regular assessments are recommended. Full article