This study evaluated seasonal variations in mesozooplankton carbon biomass in Laguna de Terminos, a tropical coastal lagoon of the Southern Gulf of Mexico and a designated Ramsar site. We compared data from two contrasting 2022 sampling periods, the dry season (April) and the rainy season (October), coinciding with a strong La Niña event. Through systematic expeditions, we collected hydrographic and biological data to estimate zooplankton carbon biomass and assess its relationship with prevailing climatic conditions. Our results revealed distinct seasonal shifts. While surface water temperatures were higher in October (30 °C) than in April (28 °C), salinity and total dissolved solids exhibited the inverse trend. Chlorophyll-a peaked in April (>5 mg m−3) near river discharges and the lagoon’s connection to the Gulf of Mexico. Consistent with this, zooplankton carbon biomass was higher in April (up to 77.2 mg C m−3) than in October (up to 48.4 mg C m−3), with maximum concentrations observed in the eastern section of the lagoon. Given the scarcity of published reports for this system, these findings establish a critical baseline for future environmental monitoring. Furthermore, this data is essential for evaluating the lagoon’s primary and secondary productivity potential and for estimating the carbon pool held within lower-trophic-level organisms that support higher-level consumer groups.
Tourism is a major driver of economic growth in tropical island destinations but also places increasing pressure on fragile marine ecosystems. This study examined tourists’ environmental awareness, perceptions, and conservation-related behaviors on Cozumel Island, part of the Mesoamerican Reef System and home to multiple protected areas, including the Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park. Between June and September 2022, surveys were conducted with 144 tourists at major tourism hubs across the island. Although 86% of respondents identified themselves as environmentally conscious, awareness of local environmental impacts associated with tourism remained limited, and only 6% reported engaging in environmentally conscious actions during their visit. Awareness of the protected status and regulations of the Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park was also low (39%), and only 19% reported purchasing the required conservation bracelet or park pass. Short-stay cruise visitors represented 65% of respondents, potentially limiting opportunities for deeper environmental engagement and conservation education. These findings highlight the need for stronger pre-trip environmental communication, visible on-site interpretation, and targeted outreach strategies to support sustainable tourism and coral reef conservation in the Mexican Caribbean.
Mesophotic kelp habitats may contribute to marine carbon cycling, yet their productivity and long-term carbon retention remain poorly constrained. We assessed a depth-constrained analytical support domain for the endemic and endangered Brazilian kelp Laminaria abyssalis across 45–70 m on the southwestern Atlantic shelf using a published species distribution model, high-resolution bathymetry, biomass observations, and literature-based productivity scenarios. Accounting for within-cell bathymetric variation yielded 12,514.60 km2 of depth-constrained analytical support within non-NA SDM coverage. The biomass dataset contained 23 observations aggregated into 19 raster cells. Leave-one-out validation showed that inverse distance weighting did not outperform a non-spatial mean (RMSE = 75.25 vs. 74.02 kg km−2; r = −0.389, p = 0.100); therefore, no regional biomass or biomass-derived productivity surface was produced. Using the only depth-overlapping Laminaria productivity analog (22.32 g C m−2 yr−1), the full-occupancy area-integrated NPP scenario was 279,326 t C yr−1, with an empirical transferability envelope of 4242–1,074,367 t C yr−1. At a long-term retention fraction of 0.11, the retained-carbon equivalent ranged from 467 to 118,180 t C yr−1. These values are assumption-dependent screening estimates, not measurements of export, burial, sequestration, or carbon-credit potential. Field measurements of occupancy, local productivity, transport, burial, and permanence are required before carbon-accounting claims can be supported.
The development of healthy mangroves strongly depends on several factors including water physiochemical characteristics, soil composition and tidal inundation regimes. This article presents a characterization of tidal inundation regimes for mangroves in Abu Dhabi, based on a field measurement campaign combined with hydrodynamic modelling. Water-level measurements were collected over a 9-month period at a site where Avicennia marina is present and widespread, capturing spring-neap cycles and seasonal variability. The results provide a detailed quantification of tidal inundation characteristics. Mangroves at the study site were inundated for approximately 33–56% of the time, depending on the season, with higher inundation durations during summer months associated with seasonal mean sea level variability. Mean inundation durations averaged 371 min per inundation event and 620 min per day, with an average of 1.7 inundation events per day. A hydrodynamic numerical model was applied and validated against in situ measurements. Model outputs were used to spatially extend site-specific observations and derive estimates of target ground elevation for successful mangrove development, corresponding to values between +0.12 m and +0.14 m relative to local mean sea level. These findings provide a physically based framework to support mangrove restoration, impact assessment, and conservation efforts in Abu Dhabi, where improper tidal exposure remains a key factor limiting restoration success.
Saline habitats, which include both coastal and inland, host specialised halophytic communities that can withstand high salinity. Coastal communities are shaped by tidal inundation and marine connectivity, whereas inland saline habitats are driven by evaporation, groundwater salinisation, and greater landscape isolation. These contrasting hydrological and environmental variables likely drive divergent patterns of genetic diversity, influencing local adaptation, connectivity, and evolutionary divergence, which is important for understanding species persistence and guiding conservation of saline ecosystems under environmental change. This systematic review brings together phylogeographic studies on halophytic species from both environments to uncover global drivers of genetic difference. A systematic search of Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed was done, and 20 studies were identified focusing on key genera including Salicornia, Sarcocornia, Suaeda, and Triglochin. Distinct genetic clades were often associated with habitat type or geographic region, indicating repeated divergence linked to coastal–inland environmental gradients. Genetic differentiation between coastal and inland halophyte populations is primarily driven by habitat fragmentation, restricted gene flow, historical refugia and recolonisation, salinity-mediated adaptation, and differences in dispersal capacity. As a result, coastal populations are generally more genetically connected, whereas inland populations tend to be more isolated, structured, and evolutionarily divergent. The data also showed a strong regional bias; while research is well established in Europe, Asia, and North America, African inland saline ecosystems are critically understudied. We conclude that habitat connectivity and dispersal pathways are the primary determinants of halophyte genetic structure. Future research must integrate ecological niche modelling and landscape genetics to resolve the evolutionary dynamics of these taxa, particularly in under-sampled regions such as southern Africa, to support effective conservation of saline biodiversity. However, the synthesis is constrained by the small number of eligible studies (n = 23) and their uneven geographic distribution, with limited representation from Africa, South America, and Australia, which restricts the ability to draw fully global conclusions. Recognising and protecting these systems is essential for safeguarding global saline biodiversity.
Marine spatial planning (MSP) has emerged as a key governance approach for managing competing uses of marine space. However, implementing MSP in federal governance systems presents unique challenges due to the distribution of authority across multiple levels of government and sectoral institutions. This study examines the governance feasibility of MSP in Peninsular Malaysia by analyzing the interaction between constitutional arrangements, as well as legal, policy, institutional, and stakeholder perspectives. The coastal districts of Kuala Terengganu and Kuala Nerus are examined as potential pilot areas for exploring MSP implementation within existing planning mechanisms. This study adopts a qualitative governance analysis based on document review and stakeholder perspectives. Relevant constitutional provisions, policy documents, and institutional mandates are analyzed using qualitative coding in ATLAS.ti and synthesized through a Thematic Analysis Matrix. The findings indicate that Malaysia possesses several governance elements necessary for initiating MSP, including the statutory spatial planning system under the Town and Country Planning Act 1976 (Act 172) and policy recognition of coastal–marine integration. However, governance responsibilities remain dispersed across administrative levels and sectoral agencies. This study proposes a governance pathway demonstrating how MSP may be incrementally integrated within existing spatial planning mechanisms, through Local Plan adaptation and strengthened institutional coordination.
This study presents the first fine-scale Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI) assessment for Togo, evaluating coastal vulnerability and risk along the country’s 50 km barrier coastline in the context of accelerating erosion, rising sea level, and growing human exposure. Using remote sensing, GIS, and a CVI framework, shoreline trend rates, beach width, land use, and the role of existing coastal defences were analysed to support risk-informed decision-making. The coastline was segmented into 99 coastal units of 500 m, and shoreline trend rates were computed using the End Point Rate (EPR) method based on multi-temporal satellite-derived shorelines spanning from 1988 to 2024. Results show strong spatial contrasts in vulnerability, with the eastern sector of the Port of Lomé, particularly a 24.5 km stretch, exhibiting high vulnerability due to persistent shoreline retreat and narrow beach widths. In contrast, the western coastline displays lower vulnerability levels. Several erosion hotspots were identified, including Baguida and Dévinkemé, where recent shoreline retreat reaches up to −12.8 m/year. Existing coastal defences locally mitigate erosion impacts, reducing the extent of highly vulnerable shoreline from 23.5 km to 15 km. The integrated risk assessment identifies 6.5 km of coastline, primarily in the eastern port area, as being at high risk due to the combined effects of erosion and dense human settlement. These results provide spatially explicit information to support integrated coastal zone management, land-use planning, and adaptation strategies in Togo.
Bangladesh is an extremely climate-exposed country, with erosion, accretion, tidal surges, and cyclones continuously modifying coastal districts. Shoreline change in Bangladesh is crucial for sustainable coastal management and disaster resilience. Therefore, the objectives of this research are as follows: (i) to assess accretion- and erosion-based shoreline changes of the Bangladesh delta adjacent to the Bay of Bengal for 2021–2025 using a fixed 2021 reference shoreline and a 2025 shoreline proxy extracted from Landsat 8/9 imagery, and (ii) to explore onshore change dynamics from satellite-derived NDVI, NDBI, and NDWI for 2022–2025. The study covers 14 coastal districts and integrates the 2021 baseline shoreline, Survey of Bangladesh geospatial datasets, and 17,055 Ground Reference Points (GRPs) to support geometric consistency and spatially explicit reporting at the delta scale. Three spectral indices—Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), and Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI)—were applied to assess vegetation health, surface water distribution, and built-up/exposed land characteristics. Results indicate spatial variability in coastal change, with 383.49 km2 of land gained through accretion and 124.12 km2 lost to erosion, resulting in a neat accretion of 259.37 km2 between 2021 and 2025; 8747.91 km2 remained geomorphologically stable. Spectral index trends show minimal inter-annual NDVI and NDWI variability, suggesting stable vegetation cover and no long-term expansion of surface water. In contrast, a slight increase in NDBI indicates localized exposure of new sediments or small-scale land-use transitions along emerging coastal zones. Spearman correlation analysis highlights consistent negative relationships between NDVI and NDWI and moderate contrasts between NDVI and NDBI, reinforcing the coexistence of vegetation recovery, water withdrawal, and sediment-driven land emergence. The novelty of this study lies in the provision of consistent, near-real-time coastal change inventory for the full ~710 km Bangladesh delta coastline by combining a common 2021 baseline shoreline with harmonized Landsat 8/9 OLI surface reflectance (2022–2025) and linked onshore spectral-index dynamics over the same period. Overall, this short-term assessment reveals a sedimentary system that is active but balanced, with accretion surpassing erosion despite cyclone-affected disturbances, underscoring the value of operational satellite monitoring for coastal management, hazard preparedness, and climate-adaptive planning.
Coastal zones are dynamic interfaces where land, ocean, and atmosphere interact, making them sensitive indicators of environmental change. However, quantifying shoreline movement across long distances and over multi-year timescales remains challenging using traditional ground-based methods alone. We conducted an analysis of environmental factors and shoreline dynamics along a 58 km stretch of the arid Cabo Pulmo shoreline in Mexico from 2020 to 2026 using the CoastSat tool. The landscape is characterized by a diverse array of geographical features, including sandy beaches, granite cliffs, estuarine systems, and various anthropogenic structures. Results indicated a sea-level rise of 2 mm/year over the last 27 years, which is consistent with the reported range for the Pacific (1.8 to 3.8 mm/year). Notably, we observed an increasing trend of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes in the Mexican Pacific, with an average of 1 additional hurricane per decade (1950–2023). A total of 457 Sentinel-2 satellite images were used for automated analysis using the CoastSat platform, all of which were acquired under tidal conditions not exceeding 1 m. Our findings indicate that the granite cliffs show no detectable horizontal changes in the satellite images; however, their minimal vertical erosion contributes sediment to adjacent beaches. The most significant shoreline erosion was observed north of a marina breakwater, measuring −19.7 m, attributed to the disruption of littoral transport toward the southeast. In contrast, sandy beaches located in front of streams and estuaries—characterized by a lack of infrastructure (houses and breakwaters) and gentle slopes of 2° to 4°—demonstrated positive accretion of up to 5.9 m. According to the autoregressive distributed lag model, wave energy and hurricane-driven wind gusts are the primary agents of shoreline retreat, displacing sediment seaward to the continental shelf. Sea level rise exacerbates this retreat, while rainfall plays a minor but contributing role by transporting sediment during hurricanes in this arid region. This study highlights the effectiveness of CoastSat as a neural network-based tool for analyzing shoreline changes; however, we faced certain limitations, such as the absence of in situ beach profiles due to restricted access.
In estuarine environments, machine learning (ML) methods have been widely applied to predict water-level variations prone to flooding. However, most studies have focused on low-frequency components driven by tides and surges, neglecting high-frequency oscillations such as seiches. This study addresses this gap by assessing the ability of ML methods to predict seiche-influenced water levels. The application was conducted in the upper Elorn estuary (France), where seiches exceeded 0.6 m in height, with first-mode periods of 45–70 min. The ML procedure relied on a series of recurrent neural networks (RNNs, LSTM, and GRUs) and was implemented in a two-step framework to separately predict (i) low-frequency water-level variations and (ii) high-frequency seiche oscillations. The model accurately reproduced low-frequency dynamics (with a coefficient of determination of 0.98) and captured a substantial portion of seiches-related variability during major events. The integration of seiches improved peak total water-level predictions, reducing the mean absolute error by 30% during tidal cycles characterized by strong seiches (amplitude exceeding 0.1 m). Furthermore, the inclusion of seiches enhanced the estimation of the highest 10% peak water levels while reducing the tendency to underestimate measurements. These findings emphasize the importance of integrating seiche-generating physical processes into ML-based forecasting frameworks.
Microplastic contamination is a growing environmental concern in coastal ecosystems, particularly on recreational beaches where human activities may influence plastic inputs. This study investigated microplastic abundance and particle characteristics across five recreational zones along Hatwanakorn Beach in the Gulf of Thailand, focusing on fine-scale variability within a spatially continuous beach system and across management regimes. Supratidal sediments were collected using a quadrat-based approach, and polymer types were identified using Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Fibers were the predominant particle type, followed by fragments, and most particles were classified as large microplastics (1–5 mm). Significant spatial differences in abundance were observed among recreational zones (Kruskal–Wallis test, χ2 = 13.37, p = 0.0096). At the management regime scale, a negative binomial generalized linear model also indicated significant differences (χ2 = 30.58, p < 0.001), with higher abundance in the Hatwanakorn Forestry Research and Student Training Station (HWK Station) and Community regimes than in the National Park regime. These results indicate that microplastic distribution can be spatially heterogeneous even within a continuous recreational beach system, underscoring the importance of accounting for fine-scale spatial variability when assessing microplastic contamination in coastal environments.
As they are home to numerous significant ecosystems, natural resources, and a growing population, coastal regions are among the most vital locations on Earth. This study, pertaining to the east coast of the UAE, integrates nine distinct characteristics to provide a thorough methodology for assessing integrated coastal vulnerability. Land use and land cover (LULC), nearshore bathymetry, coastal geomorphology, coastal slope, shoreline erosion and deposition, population density, wave and tide, and nearshore benthic features are important parameters that are examined. For the first time, coastal benthic features are included to assess coastal vulnerability in this region. By combining the variably weighted rank values of the nine variables, an Integrated Coastal Vulnerability Index was created, which divides the coastline into low-, moderate-, and high-risk categories. The methodology improves the precision of regional risk assessments by combining these factors with data from real-time coastal surveillance. Approximately 26.4% of the UAE’s 178 km east coast (or 47.1 km) is at high risk, followed by 17.3% (or 30.9 km) at moderate risk and 56.3% (or 100.2 km) at low risk. The offshore areas of the east coast of the UAE are prone to shoaling and tunneling effects from incoming high waves at certain areas due to the concave-shaped bathymetry and medium-range canyons present, which exacerbate storm surges or tsunamis due to the shoaling effect. For a 3 m rise in sea level, most significantly, 5.58 km2 of plantation and 14.39 km2 of residential areas will be damaged in the Kalba and Fujairah regions. Additional commercial spaces totaling 1.07 km2 will also have an impact, adding to the existing 2.59 km2 of oil bunkers in Fujairah. More than 40,000 people who live within 3.0 m of the UAE’s east coast in six separate districts—Kalba, Fujairah City, Mirbah and Qidfa, Khorfakkan, Dadna and Bidya, and Dibba—will be impacted if a tsunami wave or storm surge of three meters strikes the east coast. Our results are intended to assist government agencies, coastal planners, and policymakers in the Northeast Emirates (Fujairah and Sharjah) in creating sustainable and successful adaptation and mitigation plans for areas most vulnerable to coastal hazards. In addition to enhancing scientific knowledge of coastal vulnerabilities, this integrative method is a useful tool for making well-informed decisions in the face of shifting socio-economic and climatic situations.
A remote analysis of coastal sedimentation in northern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, describes how summer runoff and winter wave-action operate within a highly variable climate. Despite rising sea levels, the sediment flux can sustain beaches under certain conditions. Daily satellite red-band reflectivity and ocean–atmosphere reanalysis datasets were studied over the period of 2018–2025. Statistical results indicate that streamflow discharges are spread northward by oblique wave-driven currents. Sediment concentrations peak during late winter (>1 mg/L, May–October) when deep turbulent mixing (>40 m) mobilizes sand from the seabed. A case study from September 2021 revealed that ridging high-pressure/cut-off low weather patterns can simultaneously increase streamflow, wave energy, and wind power, creating a surf-zone sediment conveyor along the coast of northern KZN. Long-term climate diagnostics from 1981 to 2025 reveal upward trends in coastal runoff, vegetation, and turbidity (0.29 σ/yr) that point to an increasingly vigorous water cycle. The warming of the southeast Atlantic intensifies the sub-tropical upper-level westerlies and late winter storms over southeast Africa. These processes occur in 5–8 year cycles and drive shoreline advance and retreat, from accretion ~1 T/m and storm surge inundations up to 5.5 m. Using Digital Earth, it was noted that ~1/4 of beaches around Africa are gaining sediment while ~1/3 are eroding. Although remote information could not close the sediment budget, realistic estimates of long-shore transport in the surf-zone (>104 kg/yr/m) and on the beach (>103 kg/yr/m) were calculated. These provide an emerging explanation for the resilience of northern KZN beaches, as sea levels rise at a rate of 0.6 cm/yr.
For the development of conservation and management strategies, scientists often define a ‘typical’ individual from a population and act as if all members of that group are basically the same, ecologically speaking. However, studies have found that resource use can vary among individuals from the same population, often due to their life stage, and that this variation helps reduce intraspecific competition among them. In this study, the feeding habits and the degree of individual specialization in the use of food resources, determined by the individual specialization index, were analyzed for the populations of the Brazilian silverside (Atherinella brasiliensis), mojarra (Eucinostomus argenteus), and two anchovy species (Anchoa tricolor and Lycengraulis grossidens) in different estuarine habitats. A total of 3855 specimens were collected from vegetated and unvegetated areas during the rainy and dry seasons of 2014. Overall, the highest density and biomass were registered in unvegetated areas. Density differed significantly among sites for A. brasiliensis, while for anchovies it differed significantly among seasons. Species exhibited spatial segregation in feeding, with anchovies feeding primarily in the water column, while A. brasiliensis and E. argenteus were benthic feeders. Despite using similar items, benthic species showed little dietary overlap, coexisting through differential use of prey proportions. A. brasiliensis, E. argenteus and A. tricolor were generalists, with the first two showing high intrapopulational diet variation (low IS values), whereas L. grossidens was a specialist with narrower niche breadth and lower individual specialization. Corroborating the Niche Variation Hypothesis, generalist species had a higher degree of individual specialization, which may be related both to an attempt at resource partitioning and to reducing intraspecific competition.
Oil spills along the northeast coast of Brazil have the potential to cause catastrophic contamination of coastal environments and their associated biota. Beyond the direct contamination processes occurring on beaches, oil can also be transported inland by tides through estuaries. In addition, wind-driven transport of oil was observed in nearly all sections studied along the coast. Therefore, this study evaluated the potential of wind to transport oil fragments inland using both direct and indirect methods, including field observations and GIS-based mapping tools. The results identified and quantified oil fragmentation processes and wind-driven transport over relatively large distances (hundreds of meters). The presence of exhumed beachrock, combined with the absence or low elevation of foredunes and the high potential for wind transport, plays a crucial role in trapping oil on the beach surface. These factors further facilitate the fragmentation and inland dispersal of oil particles, allowing them to penetrate deeper into the coastal environment. The findings underscore the importance of assessing the contamination risks posed by oil fragments as they become incorporated into aeolian and other interconnected inland systems.
This study considers temperature gradients over recent decades near Trujillo, Peru, (8.15 S, 78.95 W) using high-resolution data assimilation. Statistical analyses describe a steep gradient from the cool foggy coast to the warm coastal plains below the Andes. A cross-coast transect is analyzed for seasonal changes in maximum air temperature from SENAMHI station data interpolated with satellite infrared measurements. Weather forecasts aimed at the urban area show a cool bias at higher temperatures and often under-represent the landward increase of 5 °C/10 km, induced by wind-driven upwelling and turbulent heat flux. Morning fog-stratus tends to delay diurnal heating on the beachfront, whereas, a few kilometers inland, warming occurs due to the segregating effect of channeled long-shore winds. Although seasonality is limited near Trujillo, winter exhibits the greatest variance of maximum temperature due to fluctuations of cloud albedo. Regressions of temperature time series onto meteorological fields identify that a subtropical trough/ridge pattern leads to higher winter values due to weaker upwelling, warmer sea temperatures, and reduced fog-stratus. Long-term trends for increased sea/land gradients have implications for the adaptation to climate change.
Ecological risk assessment of ecosystems facing anthropogenic pressures informs coastal management. This study evaluated the ecological risk of ecosystems in two coastal municipalities in the Gulf of California, Mexico. The coastal area under study spans 175 km of coastline and includes various ecosystems, as well as the cities of Guaymas and Empalme (~160,000 inhabitants). Ecological risk was assessed by surveying the opinions of experts on local and global activities and influences (climate change), the ecological consequences of hazards, and the resilience (fragmentation) and natural recovery of ecosystems. In addition, potential synergies between human activities and the effects of climate change were identified. The results showed that the main threats are discharges of raw or poorly treated wastewater into the sea, the generation and dumping of garbage, and illegal fishing. Wastewater discharges represent the local threat that interacts most intensively with the effects of climate change. Mangroves, coastal water bodies, and rocky shores face the greatest ecological risk due to continuous exposure to anthropogenic threats, poorly planned urban growth, and industrial development. Approximately 20% of the coastal zone is estimated to correspond to the metropolitan areas of Guaymas and Empalme, where the greatest ecological risk occurs, and these represent opportunities to promote coastal management processes aimed at ecosystem restoration and planned urban development to prevent the loss of coastal ecosystem functions and the services they provide to society.
Given the continuous expansion of global trade, coastal and estuarine environments have been increasingly modified by anthropogenic pressures associated with port development, particularly through inlet stabilization by jetties, which often causes unintended environmental changes. This study evaluates alterations in estuarine and coastal hydro-sedimentological dynamics resulting from the construction of jetties (1911–1915) in the Patos Lagoon estuary, Brazil. A calibrated and validated numerical model (TELEMAC-3D) was used to compare pre-jetties and present conditions. Results showed that the morphological changes induced by the jetties altered estuarine circulation and sediment retention mechanisms. The reduction in current velocities within the channel increased sediment trapping, decreasing sediment transport capacity towards the adjacent coast. In contrast, along the plume jet, flow acceleration enhanced offshore export of fine suspended sediments, shifting deposition from nearshore areas to deeper offshore zones. Under northeastern wind conditions, a higher potential for mud deposition near the western jetty was observed in the post-construction scenario, reflecting a change in local deposition trends. These human-induced modifications not only reorganize sediment pathways but also influence habitat distribution and deposition patterns, highlighting the importance of considering engineering structures in sustainable coastal and estuarine management strategies.
The tourism sector in the Sultanate of Oman is central to “Oman Vision 2040”, with a strategic focus of the government on its dynamic transformation. Coastal regions, vital to tourism, are affected by changes to the coastline due to flash floods, sea-water flooding, and erosion. Despite its implications for tourism and the economy, this topic remains relatively under-explored, especially as to use of Sentinel-1 satellite images. This study assesses water-level changes due to erosion in the urban coastal region of the Al-Batinah governorate via land cover classification. Using the Support Vector Machine (SVM) classification technique, the overall accuracy is found to be 97.7% and the Kappa coefficient value for the year 2018 is 1.0. Although, when using the Random Forest (RF) classification technique, the accuracy is nearly identical, there is varying precision for the water area. A critical observation is made, showing significant increase of the water area from 2.99% in the year 2017 to 12.36% in the year 2025, suggesting water encroachment. With fixed-effect and combined-effect size meta-analysis models, the confidence levels were identified as 95.0% and 0.37, respectively, indicating a consistent variation in water area that supports the outcomes of image classification. This study offers a valuable insight for policymakers as to managing coastal regions, along with providing assistance to vulnerable coastal communities. The study focuses on a particular governorate, given the satellite images, whereas a broader regional comparison would address the limitation of the generalizability of results. In the future, the research could integrate surveys from coastal communities and businesses for a comprehensive qualitative data perspective on the region’s tourism sector.
Incidental capture (bycatch) is a major threat to all seven marine turtle species worldwide. This systematic review assessed (i) research trends over the past 20 years; (ii) relationships between fishery types, gear, and species caught; (iii) post-capture outcomes; and (iv) challenges in bycatch mitigation. A systematic search of Web of Science and Scopus up to April 2024 identified 236 studies, comprising 336,616 global bycatch records. Publications on turtle bycatch increased significantly (p < 0.001), peaking in 2020. Reported captures also rose (ρ = 0.45; p = 0.026), with Caretta caretta most frequently documented (74.8%). Methodology influenced outcomes: aerial monitoring and direct observation underestimated captures of Chelonia mydas, Lepidochelys kempii, and Eretmochelys imbricata compared with mixed methods; interviews only affected the latter. Regarding fishery interactions, Dermochelys coriacea was more susceptible to hook-and-line fishing (p = 0.0079), while C. mydas was more associated with small-scale fisheries (p = 0.0115). Most turtles were released after capture (60.6%), with no significant temporal variation in outcomes (p > 0.05). Despite growing monitoring, knowledge gaps remain in standardized reporting, regional and species coverage, and methodological integration. Addressing these issues is essential to guide effective, collaborative conservation strategies.
