In the Anthropocene, coastal settlements face escalating socio-natural hazards, demanding highly adaptive and integrated disaster risk governance. However, a significant ‘governance gap’ often persists in post-disaster implementation. Using the 2015 Illapel earthquake and tsunami (Mw 8.3) in Coquimbo (Chile) as an empirical laboratory, this qualitative study investigates the institutional friction hindering sustainable coastal recovery. Using grounded theory and ethnographic techniques, we analyze the perspectives of ‘street-level bureaucrats’, public officials executing recovery strategies. The findings reveal a critical decoupling between rigid territorial planning instruments and dynamic community risk perceptions, which are deeply rooted in place attachment. We identified three systemic barriers to coastal adaptation: institutional inertia, marginalization of psychosocial factors in technical protocols, and conflict between physical safety mandates and local socioeconomic habitability. This study demonstrates how the Global South challenges traditional top-down urban planning models. To navigate these frictions, we argue for a transition toward 'closed-loop governance’, emphasizing the need to institutionalize social resilience and 'mixed resilience zoning’ in a legally binding manner as core, non-negotiable components of coastal management in highly exposed environments.
Conventional coastal warning systems issue alerts based on regional oceanographic thresholds calibrated for navigation safety, generating a recurrent disconnection between physical hazard and documented urban impact. This study addresses that disconnection on the coast of Maricá (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), a microtidal urban shoreline of reflective beaches exposed to South Atlantic swells. Hourly significant wave height (Hs) from the ERA5 reanalysis (2022–2025) was validated against the SiMCosta buoy CDRJ-1 (R = 0.90; RMSE = 0.32 m under extreme conditions) and cross-referenced with 645 documentary records of storm surge episodes, compiled from institutional sources (Brazilian Navy, Maricá Civil Defense), local news portals, and citizen-generated Instagram content, consolidating 113 distinct events. Forecast skill metrics (POD, FAR, CSI) revealed contrasting source profiles: institutional alerts operate with FAR between 5.0
Coastal environments are traditionally characterized by relaxation and wellness but are empirically short of therapeutic research on the health value in Ghana. The blue mind concept suggests that being near water is healthy and beneficial to well-being. This qualitative study investigates the psychological, physical, and social therapeutic benefits of coastal residents living in Akosua Village, Ghana, through the Blue Mind Theory, Biophilia Hypothesis, Social Capital Theory, Therapeutic Landscapes Theory and Ostrom’s Social-Ecological Systems (SES) Framework. By conducting in-depth interviews with 15 residents, the study reveals that proximity to the ocean decreases stress and anxiety significantly, improves mood, and improves cognitive functioning, which is in line with the Blue Mind Theory and the Biophilia Hypothesis. Habituation effects also decrease emotional benefits for long-term residents, suggesting variability in environmental sensitivity. The study further highlights the physical health advantages of living on the coast, including increased activity through swimming, fishing, and walking. Sleep quality in coastal settlements differs among participants; some residents report the ocean sounds restful, while others report a disturbance. Socially, the beach is a shared space, facilitating bonding through casual meetings and shared labor, following the Social Capital Theory. Moreover, traditional seawater treatments are also prevalent, with residents using them to heal illnesses like stomach disorders and skin conditions, justifying the Therapeutic Landscapes Theory. Despite these benefits, there is conflict between restorative leisure and economic output, with some residents viewing contemplative time as unnecessary and unproductive. The study recommends the integration of blue spaces into public health policy, promoting coastal therapy in mental health care, and further research on seawater treatments. Policy-makers have to balance communal beach access with managing sleeping environment noise sensitivity.
Small tidal estuaries located in urbanized areas are subject to multiple influences of processes in the catchment area, natural river and marine factors in the estuary area, as well as anthropogenic use, which leads to changes in natural hydrological, hydrodynamic, hydromorphological processes and pollution of water masses and bottom sediments. The small size of estuaries makes its own adjustments to these processes compared to the mouths of large rivers. The granulometric composition of bottom sediments, the content of organic matter, levels and factors of accumulation of heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd) in the sediments of the estuaries of small mountain rivers Mackay Creek, Mosquito Creek, Lynn Creek and Seymour, located in the urbanized area of North Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada), were studied. It has been shown that among the many factors influencing the content of heavy metals in estuary sediments, the determining factor is the amount of organic matter present in the sediments. The composition of sediments, the conditions of sorting sediment-forming material and accumulation of heavy metals have a pronounced heterogeneity. The granulometric composition of mineral particles of sediments has a significant effect on the accumulation of heavy metals.
Accurate information on shallow water bathymetry and coral reef distribution is essential for coastal management in tropical marine environments. This study evaluates Sentinel-2 imagery for mapping bathymetry and coral reef features in Saleh Bay, Indonesia, using the Stumpf band ratio algorithm, the Lyzenga method, and datasets from the Allen Coral Atlas. Bathymetric estimates derived from Sentinel-2 imagery using the Stumpf algorithm were validated against reference depth data from the Indonesian National Bathymetry dataset (BATNAS), while reef related classes were compared with coral reef extent and geomorphic maps from the Allen Coral Atlas. The Stumpf based model showed strong agreement with BATNAS reference depth data, achieving an R² of 0.79 and an RMSE of 1.73 m. Depth estimates were obtained to approximately 27 m under the prevailing optical water conditions of the study area. The comparison of reef datasets reveals complementary spatial patterns. The Allen Coral Atlas delineates narrow reef zones along coastlines and island margins, whereas the Lyzenga based classification identifies broader shallow water areas and is more sensitive to local variations in benthic substrates. Results indicate that coral reef distribution in Saleh Bay is closely associated with shallow coastal environments, particularly at depths shallower than 10 m, including reef flats, island platforms, and upper reef slope zones. Integrating satellite derived bathymetry, geomorphic reef data, and benthic classification improves the interpretation of coral reef spatial patterns in tropical coastal waters. This approach supports marine spatial planning, habitat monitoring, and coral reef conservation in data limited regions.
