Abstract:Marine coastal ecosystems are crucial to human populations in reducing disaster risk. Least Developed Countries are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, such as sea-level rise and storm surges. The Mauritanian coast, West Africa, ranks among the most vulnerable worldwide to sealevel rise, and coastal communities in the National Park of Banc d'Arguin (PNBA) are particularly at risk. Here, we assessed the service of coastal protection in PNBA by (1) mapping the coastal marine ecosystems with… Show more
“…It could be that the lowest part of the core consists of a large sand deposition from the nearby sandy island, Nair (Figure 1). Occasional extreme storm events have been shown to cause strong morphological changes in the intertidal systems of Banc d'Arguin (Treǵarot et al, 2021).…”
Coastal systems store enormous carbon quantities in their sediment, which originates from various autochthonous and allochthonous sources. Carbon fluxes in coastal ecosystems have a strong effect on the recipient food-webs and carbon emission offsets. Yet, the relative importance of autochthonous vs. allochthonous C inputs to coastal carbon budget is still challenging to identify. Here, we combine diatoms preserved in the sediment with geochemical analyses to identify the sources of carbon stored in Africa’s largest intertidal seagrass beds at Banc d’Arguin, Mauritania. The area lies between an active ocean upwelling and the ‘Sahara-dust hotspot’ systems. The extensive seagrass beds of the area are thus expected to receive C from these neighboring systems in addition to producing C in-situ. Three sediment cores (50 cm) were collected at three intertidal sites with different hydrodynamic regimes, and analyzed for diatom composition, total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and carbon isotopic signatures (δ13C). Diatom taxa are grouped into three guilds: (1) benthic (epiphyte, epipelon, and epipsammon), (2) planktonic, and (3) freshwater. Benthic diatoms are considered to be autochthonous, while typical oceanic and freshwater diatoms are considered to be allochthonous. Benthic diatoms are the most diverse and abundant group, while allochthonous freshwater (i.e., dust imported) and typical upwelling (i.e., tidal imported) taxa ranked last in both abundance and species’ richness. Structure equation modelling shows that variation in the stored carbon is best explained by the total abundance of diatoms and guild composition. We conclude that the C stored in the intertidal seagrass beds of Banc d’Arguin is predominantly autochthonous. Our method provides an effective way to identify historical carbon sources in coastal systems.
“…It could be that the lowest part of the core consists of a large sand deposition from the nearby sandy island, Nair (Figure 1). Occasional extreme storm events have been shown to cause strong morphological changes in the intertidal systems of Banc d'Arguin (Treǵarot et al, 2021).…”
Coastal systems store enormous carbon quantities in their sediment, which originates from various autochthonous and allochthonous sources. Carbon fluxes in coastal ecosystems have a strong effect on the recipient food-webs and carbon emission offsets. Yet, the relative importance of autochthonous vs. allochthonous C inputs to coastal carbon budget is still challenging to identify. Here, we combine diatoms preserved in the sediment with geochemical analyses to identify the sources of carbon stored in Africa’s largest intertidal seagrass beds at Banc d’Arguin, Mauritania. The area lies between an active ocean upwelling and the ‘Sahara-dust hotspot’ systems. The extensive seagrass beds of the area are thus expected to receive C from these neighboring systems in addition to producing C in-situ. Three sediment cores (50 cm) were collected at three intertidal sites with different hydrodynamic regimes, and analyzed for diatom composition, total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and carbon isotopic signatures (δ13C). Diatom taxa are grouped into three guilds: (1) benthic (epiphyte, epipelon, and epipsammon), (2) planktonic, and (3) freshwater. Benthic diatoms are considered to be autochthonous, while typical oceanic and freshwater diatoms are considered to be allochthonous. Benthic diatoms are the most diverse and abundant group, while allochthonous freshwater (i.e., dust imported) and typical upwelling (i.e., tidal imported) taxa ranked last in both abundance and species’ richness. Structure equation modelling shows that variation in the stored carbon is best explained by the total abundance of diatoms and guild composition. We conclude that the C stored in the intertidal seagrass beds of Banc d’Arguin is predominantly autochthonous. Our method provides an effective way to identify historical carbon sources in coastal systems.
“…En ese mismo sentido, El Mahrad et al (2020) proponen que, para avanzar en la gestión sostenible de las lagunas, se requiere adoptar métodos participativos que incluyan a todas las partes interesadas. Estos enfoques inclusivos son necesarios para mejorar el servicio de protección costera y privilegiar los recursos naturales (Tregarot et al, 2021). El uso de métodos cuantitativos y cualitativos contribuye a una mejor comprensión de la complejidad de las lagunas (Zaucha et al, 2016), así como los enfoques interdisciplinarios y transdisciplinarios (El Mahrad et al, 2020).…”
Section: La Complejidad De Las Lagunas Costeras Y Su Análisis Socioam...unclassified
The coastal lagoons have an important function in the regulation of the biogeochemical cycles and supply of natural resources for the entire region, which are highly valued by the population. Our research presents a socio-environmental analysis of the Tres Palos Lagoon, Guerrero, with a socio-ecosystem approach, based on a workshop to fill out the structural analysis matrix and an expert judgment. The information obtained was analyzed with the methods of structural analysis and the MICMAC tool. We identified the variables with the greatest influence and dependence on the system; environmental education stood out as a highly determinant, and quality of life, solid waste, social capital, and deforestation stood out as dependent variables. The findings indicate that the origin of the socio-environmental deterioration of the area lies in the corruption of the authorities and in weak governance and governability.
Resumen
Las lagunas costeras tienen una función importante en la regulación de ciclos biogeoquímicos y en el suministro de recursos naturales a escala regional, los cuales son altamente valorados por la población. Nuestra investigación presenta un análisis socioambiental de la Laguna de Tres Palos, Guerrero, con un enfoque socioecosistémico a partir de un taller para el llenado de la matriz de análisis estructural y un juicio de expertos. La información obtenida se analizó con los métodos de análisis estructural y la herramienta MICMAC. Identificamos las variables con mayor influencia y dependencia del sistema; sobresalió la educación ambiental como altamente determinante, y destacaron calidad de vida, residuos sólidos, capital social y deforestación como variables dependientes. Los hallazgos apuntan a que el origen del deterioro socioambiental de la zona radica en la corrupción de las autoridades y en la débil gobernanza y gobernabilidad.
RésuméLas lagunes côtières jouent un rôle fondamental pour la régulation des cycles géo biochimiques et pour les ressources naturelles régionales qui sont grandement valorisées par la population. Notre recherche présente une analyse socio-environnementale de la lagune de Tres Palos au Guerrero à partir d'une approche socio-écosystémique sur la base d'un atelier destiné à remplir une matrice d'analyse structurelle et une opinion d'expert. L'information obtenue fut analysée suivant les méthodes de l'analyse structurelle et l'outil MICMAC. Nous avons identifié les variables qui ont le plus d'influence et de dépendance sur le système ; l’éducation à l'environnement s'est avérée être un facteur déterminant, avec la qualité de vie, les déchets solides, le capital social et la déforestation comme variable dépendantes. Les résultats suggèrent que la cause première de la détérioration socio-environnementale dans la région réside dans la corruption des autorités et la faiblesse de la gouvernance et de la gouvernabilité.
“…To map coastal protection for Greece, we adapted the coastal protection model proposed by [19,20] Liquete et al Within their work, they modelled three indicators for coastal protection to capture the coastal zone's capacity to protect, its exposure, and the societal demand for coastal protection. Based on the country's attributes and scientific literature [3,14,19,45], a set of variables such as slope, geomorphology, submarine habitat, emerged habitat, and sediment accretion rate were chosen to assess coastal protection capacity. To assess the coastal protection exposure indicator, eight variables, namely sea-level rise, storm surge height, wave regime, tidal range, wind speed, ocean current (eastward and northward), and seawater potential temperature, were selected.…”
Section: Quantifying and Mapping Coastal Protection At The National L...mentioning
We explore the requirements for adapting coastal protection EU-wide indicators nationally. The aim of this research is threefold: (a) to map coastal protection at the national level; (b) to assess the congruence between the regional and national coastal protection estimates; and (c) to qualitatively assess the congruence of our findings with subnational estimates. We assessed coastal protection capacity, exposure, and demand and adapted them for the coastal zone of Greece. We quantitatively compared our findings with the results of the EU model. Through visual interpretation, we compared national estimates with those for the coastal zone of Peloponnese. Most islands have lower protection capacity than the mainland areas, while the southern part of the country’s coastal zone is the most exposed to natural hazards. Higher coastal protection demand was detected in the country’s largest cities (Athens, Thessaloniki). Areas of attention for management were small and medium islands and urban centres, as they mostly revealed high demand and exposure but the lowest natural capacity. The differences observed in the modelling outputs across scales are attributed to the differences in the demarcation process of the coastal zone, the additional variables considered, the terminology used, and the experts involved. Such national adaptations should be considered in order to build or update EU-wide indicators for coastal protection and beyond, towards a rule-based rather than a one-size-fits-all methodology.
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