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Dunes in temperate latitudes have experienced a significant stabilization in recent times, essentially as a consequence of the expansion of dense vegetation cover. Yet, the causes for this gradual stabilization as well as the causes promoting antecedent aeolian mobilization remain poorly understood. The Traba coastal dune field, located in NW Spain, was examined to explore the causes inducing aeolian activity and subsequent stabilization since 1940. Morphological changes were identified through the combination of aerial photographs and geophysical techniques. Local wind field regimes were simulated using a regional climate model to obtain the variability of the most relevant modes of atmospheric circulation in the North Atlantic and European regions; North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), Eastern Atlantic (EA) and Scandinavian (SCAND). This allows us to identify the impact of these circulation modes over dune dynamics. Results document an episode of aeolian activity during the 1950s followed by a gradual stabilization and fixation of the dune coincident with a decrease on storm and wind intensity. Yet, aeolian sand movement remained active in small areas (blowouts), occurring mainly during the summer. NE winds associated with a negative phase of the EA explain the movement of sand within the dune field under favorable conditions of sand supply. On the other hand, sand supply to the dune field from the beach was promoted by NW winds coincident with the summer negative phase of NAO. During winter, the negative NAO favored frequent SW winds associated with the passage of intense storms, which in turn explain sand remobilization from the beach making sediment available for the NW winds to blow inland. With this work, it is proven that to understand past and future aeolian activity requires critical consideration of the variability and impact of the two principal modes of atmospheric circulation in the North Atlantic (NAO and EA). The SCAND mode explaining a lower percentage of the local wind field variability was also included to achieve higher significance levels of explained variance.

This rocky characteristic favours the development of several boulder beaches along this coast (Blanco-Chao et al., 2002; Feal-Perez et al., 2014). The barrier-lagoon systems are located within small and highly indented bays in the Rias. Lagoons located in these embayments are relatively shallow and <1 km 2 in area. These en

Tsunamis are highly energetic events that may destructively impact the coast. Resolving the degree of coastal resilience to tsunamis is extremely difficult and sometimes impossible. In part, our understanding is constrained by the limited number of contemporaneous examples and by the high dynamism of coastal systems. In fact, longterm changes of coastal systems can mask the evidence of past tsunamis, leaving us a short or incomplete sedimentary archive. Here, we present a multidisciplinary approach involving sedimentological, geomorphological and geophysical analyses and numerical modelling of the AD 1755 tsunami flood on a coastal segment located within the southern coast of Portugal. In particular, the work focuses on deciphering the impact of the tsunami waves over a coastal sand barrier enclosing two lowlands largely inundated by the tsunami flood. Erosional features documented by geophysical data were assigned to the AD 1755 event with support of sedimentological and age estimation results. Furthermore, these features allowed the calibration of the simulation settings to reconstruct the local conditions and establish the run-up range of the AD 1755 tsunami when it hit this coast (6-8 m above mean sea level). Our work highlights the usefulness of erosional imprints preserved in the sediment record to interpret the impact of the extreme events on sand barriers.

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Barrier breaching and subsequent inlet formation represent critical processes that ensure the temporary or permanent connection and transference of water, nutrients, or living organisms between a lagoon and the open sea. Here, we investigate the conditions inducing natural barrier breaching through a 34 months monitoring program of water-level oscillations within a shallow lagoon and the adjacent nearshore, at the Northern coast of the Iberian Peninsula, Louro lagoon. Seven natural openings were identified during the three monitored wet seasons (Wet1, Wet2 and Wet3), four in the Wet1, two in the Wet2 and 1 in the Wet3. Identified openings were grouped in three types depending on the observed relation between the lagoon water-level (Lwl), the berm height (Bh) and the water-level at the beach (Bwl): (i) openings by lagoon outflow, which include those characterized by Lwl higher than the Bh and lower Bwl; (ii) openings by wave overwash, including those induced by Bwl higher than the Bh, and (iii) mixed openings, which result from a combination of the two previous conditions. We have found that the Lwl is modulated by the rainfall regime (Rf) and can be explained by the accumulated precipitation while Bh and Bwl depend on the wave climate and tidal level and can be estimated applying runup equations. The inlet lifespan was found to be regulated by the wave climate and rainfall regime; in particular barrier sealing was associated with a sudden increase in wave period and reduction in precipitation. This work proves that the natural openings could be predicted successfully with support to medium term waterlevel monitoring programs, which in turn may significantly contribute to strategic decision making for management and conservation purposes.

Abstract. Foraminifera are important components of the ocean benthos and play a major role in ocean biogeochemistry and ecosystems functioning. Generating ecological baselines for ocean monitoring or biogeographical distributions requires a reference dataset of recent census data. Besides, the information from their modern biogeography can be used to interpret past environmental changes on the sea-floor. In this study, we provide the first comprehensive quantitative BENthic Foraminifera database from surface sediments of the Eastern Pacific (BENFEP). Through the collation of archival census data and its homogenization according to the most recent taxonomic standards, we are able to provide a database with 3093 sediment samples, corresponding to 2572 georeferenced stations of wide geographical coverage (60º N and 54º S) and water depths (0–7642 m). The quantitative data includes living, dead, and living and dead assemblages obtained from 47 published and unpublished documents. As well as describing the data collection and subsequent harmonization steps, we provide summarized information of metadata variables, examples of species distribution, potential applications of the database and recommendations for data archiving and publication of benthic foraminiferal data. The database is enriched with meaningful metadata for accessible data management and exploration with R and geospatial software. BENFEP will be upgraded with new records. We complement BENFEP with an additional database integrating metadata and stations geolocation of benthic foraminiferal studies dearth of quantitative data (BENFEPqual).

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