Coastal Systems and Continental Margins – serie

Sequence stratigraphy has advanced considerably since the early applications of the concepts on seismic data. It attempts to discern the migration of facies re­ sulting from changes in a combination of factors such as, sea level, tectonics, climate and sediment flux, and integrates it with a meaningful chronostratigraphy. The stratigraphic record is envisioned as a framework of repetitive packages of genetically-related strata, formed in response to the shifting base level, in which the locus of deposition of various sediment types may be anticipated. This attribute is rapidly promoting sequence stratigraphy as an indispensable tool for prediction of facies in exploration and production geology. In hydrocarbon exploration the application of sequence stratigraphy has ranged from anticipating reservoir- and source-rock distribution to predicting carbonate diagenesis, porosity and permeability. The capability to anticipate vertical and lateral distribution of facies and reservoir sands in the basinal, shoreface, incised valley-fill and regressive settings alone has been a great asset for exploration. In frontier areas, where data are often limited to seismic lines, sequence-stratigraphic methodology has helped determine the timing and of types of unconformities and anticipate transgressive- and regressive-prone intervals. In production it is aiding in field development by providing improved source and seal predictions for secondary oil recovery. A recognition of stratigraphic causes of poor recovery through improved understanding of internal stratal architecture can lead to new well recompletions and enhanced exploitation in existing fields. The sequence-stratigraphic discipline is in a state of rapid expansion.

Greenhouse-induced climate warming increasingly appears to be a reality, and the warming climate will be accompanied by an accelerated sea level rise - as much as 60-100cm over the next century. What is commonly absent in the discussion of rising sea level, however, is the role played by the subsidence of low-lying coastal areas, which can have a far greater local effect than the eustatic rise of the sea. The combined sea-level rise and land subsidence will almost certainly make the greatest impact on coastal societies in the densely populated regions of southern Asia, but its effects will be felt globally. This volume explores the concepts of sea-level rise and coastal subsidence, both natural and anthropogenically accelerated, in the form of a series of case studies in such diverse locations as Bangkok, Bangladesh, Venice, and the Niger and Mississippi deltas, as well as a discussion of the economic, engineering and policy responses that must be considered if the effects of local sea-level rise are to be mitigated.

Anthropogenic transformation of the coastal zone continues at a steady pace, especially in the developing maritime countries, where coastal resources are often crucial to national economies. However, exploitation of these resources is often indiscriminate, ill planned, or carried out without adequate scientific knowledge. This leads to rapid resource depletion, and often irreversible environmental degradation. The 1992 Rio de Janeiro UN Conference on Environment and Development recognized the expediency of an integrated and sustainable use of all coastal resources, functions and services grounded on sound scientific data. The present volume is based on the 1994 international workshop Integrated Coastal Zone Management, and brings together contributions by leading specialists both on basic concepts and on applications of coastal management. The work is divided into six parts, dealing with the conceptual framework of ICZM; regional and global aspects of coastal management; environmental assessment in ICZM; capacity building and technology transfer; monitoring and environmental analysis; and case studies and status of ICZM plans. The book also incorporates an interactive ICZM planning module, COSMO, which can be of use in designing a management plan for a coast. Attention is also given to long-term environmental effects of present-day actions. It is hoped that COSMO will prove an additional learning tool for ICZM practitioners and enhance the value of the book. This work is intended to give a broad coverage of conceptual and technical aspects of ICZM, and will be of use to operational executives as well as students of ICZM, environmental economists, policy-makers and senior managers in the international development agencies and governmental and non-governmental organizations. It can be recommended as a textbook and as a reference work.

The emphasis now placed on the concept of sediment cells as boundaries for coastal defence groups, and the development of SMPs, should help CPAs realise the importance of natural processes at the coast when designing defence and protection schemes. However, this will only be the case where defence groups exist, and where CPAs take up the challenge of developing SMPs. Coastal landscapes have been produced by the natural forces of wind, waves and tides, and many are nationally or internationally important for their habitats and natural features. Past practices at the coast, such as the construction of harbours, jetties and traditional defence systems may have contributed to the deterioration of the coast. English Nature (1992) have argued that if practices and methods of coastal defence are allowed to continue, then coastlines would be faced with worsening consequences, including: The loss of mudflats and the birds which live on them Damage to geological Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and scenic heritage by erosion, due to the stabilisation of the coast elsewhere Cutting of sediment supplies to beaches resulting in the loss of coastal wildlife Cessation through isolation from coastal processes, of the natural operation of spits, with serious deterioration of rare plants, animals and geomorphological and scenic qualities (English Nature, 1992) A number of designations, provided by national and international legislation do exist to aid conservation.

Increasing population, expanding industry and commerce, and tourism are placing added pressures on an already highly-utilized coastal zone. This book, through a series of case studies, illustrates the variety of changes already made along the coastlines of the world. The examples used are mainly from China, Japan, The Netherlands, and the United States, all countries with extensively engineered shorelines. Modifications emphasized include those associated with protection against coastal erosion, building of artificial beaches and islands, reclamation for aquaculture and agriculture, and the construction of harbors. The information in this book should be useful for all planners and engineers involved in the construction of coastal engineering works and for students interested in coastal modification.

Global warming, melting polar caps, rising sea levels and intensifying wave-current action, factors responsible for the alarming phenomena of coastal erosion on the one hand and adverse environmental impacts and the high cost of 'hard' protection schemes, on the other, have created interest in the detailed examination of the potential and range of applicability of the emerging and promising category of 'soft' shore protection methods. 'Soft' methods such as beach nourishment, submerged breakwaters, artificial reefs, gravity drain systems, floating breakwaters, plantations of hydrophylous shrubs or even dry branches, applied mostly during the past 20 years, are recognised as possessing technical, environmental and financial advantageous properties deserving more attention and further developmental experimentation than has occured hitherto. On the other hand, 'hard' shore protection methods such as seawalls, groins and detached breakwaters, artefacts borrowed from port design and construction technology, no matter how well designed and well implemented they may be, can hardly avoid intensification of the consequential erosive, often devastating, effects on the down-drift shores. Moreover, they often do not constitute environmentally and financially attractive solutions for long stretches of eroding shoreline. Engineers and scientists practising design and implementation of shore defence schemes have been aware for many years of the public demand for improved shore protection technologies. They are encouraging efforts that promise enrichment of those environmentally sound and financially attractive methods that can be safely applied.

1. THE BEGINNINGS OF HYDRATE RESEARCH Until very recently, our understanding of hydrate in the natural environment and its impact on seafloor stability, its importance as a sequester of methane, and its potential as an important mechanism in the Earth's climate change system, was masked by our lack of appreciation of the vastness of the hydrate resource. Only a few publications on naturally occurring hydrate existed prior to 1975. The first published reference to oceanic gas hydrate (Bryan and Markl, 1966) and the first publication in the scientific literature (Stoll, et a1., 1971) show how recently it has been since the topic of naturally occurring hydrate has been raised. Recently, however, the number of hydrate publications has increased substantially, reflecting increased research into hydrate topics and the initiation of funding to support the researchers. Awareness of the existence of naturally occurring gas hydrate now has spread beyond the few scientific enthusiasts who pursued knowledge about the elusive hydrate because of simple interest and lurking suspicions that hydrate would prove to be an important topic. The first national conference on gas hydrate in the U.S. was held as recently as April, 1991 at the U.S. National Center of the U.s. Geological Survey in Reston Virginia (Max et al., 1991). The meeting was co-hosted by the U.s. Geological Survey, the Naval Research Laboratory, and the U.S.

Estuaries occur along many of the world’s coastlines irrespective of geologic setting, energy regime, and depositional environment. They represent the interface between fluvial, coastal and marine environments and they contain the sedimentary record of geological changes among these systems. However, detailed case studies on the morphodynamics and sedimentary evolution of different estuarine environments are notably lacking. This book focuses on the use of high-resolution geophysical techniques, field observations and modeling to investigate the morphodynamics of estuaries on both glaciated and non-glaciated coasts and on different time scales. Papers in this book offer a new approach to nearshore and estuary studies, with an emphasis on multidisciplinary techniques and data integration. Results of these studies have important implications for estuary resource management and shoreline stability. This book will be of interest to sedimentologists, coastal and Quaternary geologists, environmental scientists, and coastal managers.

The Asia-Pacific region is home to the world’s largest region of coral reefs and mangroves. It accommodates two-thirds of the world’s human population and its economic activities have the highest growth rate in the world. Ongoing degradation of the environment, resulting from coastal development, deforestation, desertification and over-harvesting, are becoming a matter of great concern, as floods and droughts occur as a result of this degradation. The Asia-Pacific region also includes part of the ‘Pacific Rim of Fire’ and is, therefore, vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis, as the world became aware following the Sumatra earthquake and tsunami on 26 December 2004. Threats of global environmental change, such as climate change and sea-level rise, will exacerbate such problems. Therefore, appropriate policies and measures are needed for coastal management, to address both the local and global trends. This book gives an overview of the state-of-the-art understanding on the drivers, state, and responses to coastal environmental changes in the Asia-Pacific region. It provides excellent perspectives on current and anticipated environmental changes in the region’s coastal areas, to researchers, students, policy makers, coastal managers and other stakeholders.

Most of the world’s population lives close to the coast and is highly dependent on coastal resources, which are being exploited at unsustainable rates. These resources are being subject to further pressures associated with population increase and the globalization of coastal resource demand. This is particularly so for the Asia-Pacific region which contains almost two thirds of the world’s population and most of the world’s coastal megacities. The region has globally important atmospheric and oceanic phenomena, which affect world climate such as the Asian Monsoon and the El-Niño Southern Oscillation phenomena. The Asia-Pacific region also has highly significant marine diversity but over the last few decades, coastal resources such as mangroves, coral reefs and fisheries have experienced large-scale depletion. The need to find appropriate management solutions to these and other coastal issues is made more complex by the need to take account of international scientific predictions for global climate change and sea-level rise which will further impact on these coasts. The idea for this book arose from a meeting of coastal scientists in Kobe, Japan in May 2003. The meeting was organized by the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN), an inter-governmental network, comprising 21 member countries, for the promotion of global change research and links between science and policy making in the region.

This book is a companion to “Natural Gas Hydrate in Oceanic and Permafrost Environments” (Max, 2000, 2003), which is the first book on gas hydrate in this series. Although other gases can naturally form clathrate hydrates (referred to after as ‘hydrate’), we are concerned here only with hydrocarbon gases that form hydrates. The most important of these natural gases is methane. Whereas the first book is a general introduction to the subject of natural gas hydrate, this book focuses on the geology and geochemical controls of gas hydrate development and on gas extraction from naturally occurring hydrocarbon hydrates. This is the first broad treatment of gas hydrate as a natural resource within an economic geological framework. This book is written mainly to stand alone for brevity and to minimize duplication. Information in Max (2000; 2003) should also be consulted for completeness. Hydrate is a type of clathrate (Sloan, 1998) that is formed from a cage structure of water molecules in which gas molecules occupying void sites within the cages stabilize the structure through van der Waals or hydrogen bonding.

Coastal habitats provide the link between the land and the sea. They are dynamic, combine to form ecosystems of great complexity and provide significant areas for wildlife. Their landscapes are treasured by visitors, painters and musicians. They also provide locations for significant economic activity and are intimately bound up with fisheries, providing food and shelter for some species of commercially exploited fish stocks. The habitats themselves provide a buffer to tides and wave action, which may be particularly important in areas where relative sea level is rising and during storm periods. Managing these assets in the face of continuing pressure from human populations on a sustainable basis is a major task.

In 2005 the CoastGIS symposium and exhibition was once again held in Aberdeen, Scotland, in the UK, the second time that we have had the privilege host this international event in the city of Aberdeen. This was the 6th International S- posium Computer Mapping and GIS for Coastal Zone Management, a collabo- tion between the International Cartographic Association’s (ICA) Commission on Marine Cartography, and the International Geographical Union’s (IGU) Comm- sion on Coastal Systems. The theme for 2005 was: De ning and Building a Marine and Coastal Spatial Data Infrastructure. As a major coastal event, the CoastGIS series of conferences always attracts an international audience of coastal researchers, managers, and pr- titioners who use one or more of the geospatial technologies (e. g. GIS, GPS, digital mapping, remote sensing, databases, and the Internet) in their work. The CoastGIS series is fundamentally an international event which over the years has gained a strong following attracting delegates from around the globe. Hosted by the University of Aberdeen – at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC) – once again CoastGIS 2005 provided an opportunity to communicate the results of a wide range of innovative scienti c research into coastal and marine applications of the geospatial technologies, including remote sensing, Geograp- cal Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), databases, data models, the Internet and online mapping systems.

Sequence stratigraphy has advanced considerably since the early applications of the concepts on seismic data. It attempts to discern the migration of facies re­ sulting from changes in a combination of factors such as, sea level, tectonics, climate and sediment flux, and integrates it with a meaningful chronostratigraphy. The stratigraphic record is envisioned as a framework of repetitive packages of genetically-related strata, formed in response to the shifting base level, in which the locus of deposition of various sediment types may be anticipated. This attribute is rapidly promoting sequence stratigraphy as an indispensable tool for prediction of facies in exploration and production geology. In hydrocarbon exploration the application of sequence stratigraphy has ranged from anticipating reservoir- and source-rock distribution to predicting carbonate diagenesis, porosity and permeability. The capability to anticipate vertical and lateral distribution of facies and reservoir sands in the basinal, shoreface, incised valley-fill and regressive settings alone has been a great asset for exploration. In frontier areas, where data are often limited to seismic lines, sequence-stratigraphic methodology has helped determine the timing and of types of unconformities and anticipate transgressive- and regressive-prone intervals. In production it is aiding in field development by providing improved source and seal predictions for secondary oil recovery. A recognition of stratigraphic causes of poor recovery through improved understanding of internal stratal architecture can lead to new well recompletions and enhanced exploitation in existing fields. The sequence-stratigraphic discipline is in a state of rapid expansion.

Greenhouse-induced climate warming increasingly appears to be a reality, and the warming climate will be accompanied by an accelerated sea level rise - as much as 60-100 cm over the next century. What is commonly absent in the discussion of rising sea level, however, is the role played by the subsidence of low-lying coastal areas, which can have a far greater local effect than the eustatic rise of the sea. The combined sea-level rise and land subsidence will almost certainly make the greatest impact on coastal societies in the densely populated regions of southern Asia, but its effects will be felt globally. This volume explores the concepts of sea-level rise and coastal subsidence, both natural and anthropogenically accelerated, in the form of a series of case studies in such diverse locations as Bangkok, Bangladesh, Venice, and the Niger and Mississippi deltas, as well as a discussion of the economic, engineering and policy responses that must be considered if the effects of local sea-level rise are to be mitigated.

Anthropogenic transformation of the coastal zone continues at a steady pace, especially in the developing maritime countries, where coastal resources are often crucial to national economies. However, exploitation of these resources is often indiscriminate, ill planned, or carried out without adequate scientific knowledge. This leads to rapid resource depletion, and often irreversible environmental degradation. The 1992 Rio de Janeiro UN Conference on Environment and Development recognized the expediency of an integrated and sustainable use of all coastal resources, functions and services grounded on sound scientific data. The present volume is based on the 1994 international workshop Integrated Coastal Zone Management, and brings together contributions by leading specialists both on basic concepts and on applications of coastal management. The work is divided into six parts, dealing with the conceptual framework of ICZM; regional and global aspects of coastal management; environmental assessment in ICZM; capacity building and technology transfer; monitoring and environmental analysis; and case studies and status of ICZM plans. The book also incorporates an interactive ICZM planning module, COSMO, which can be of use in designing a management plan for a coast. Attention is also given to long-term environmental effects of present-day actions. It is hoped that COSMO will prove an additional learning tool for ICZM practitioners and enhance the value of the book. This work is intended to give a broad coverage of conceptual and technical aspects of ICZM, and will be of use to operational executives as well as students of ICZM, environmental economists, policy-makers and senior managers in the international development agencies and governmental and non-governmental organizations. It can be recommended as a textbook and as a reference work.

The emphasis now placed on the concept of sediment cells as boundaries for coastal defence groups, and the development of SMPs, should help CPAs realise the importance of natural processes at the coast when designing defence and protection schemes. However, this will only be the case where defence groups exist, and where CPAs take up the challenge of developing SMPs. Coastal landscapes have been produced by the natural forces of wind, waves and tides, and many are nationally or internationally important for their habitats and natural features. Past practices at the coast, such as the construction of harbours, jetties and traditional defence systems may have contributed to the deterioration of the coast. English Nature (1992) have argued that if practices and methods of coastal defence are allowed to continue, then coastlines would be faced with worsening consequences, including: The loss of mudflats and the birds which live on them Damage to geological Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and scenic heritage by erosion, due to the stabilisation of the coast elsewhere Cutting of sediment supplies to beaches resulting in the loss of coastal wildlife Cessation through isolation from coastal processes, of the natural operation of spits, with serious deterioration of rare plants, animals and geomorphological and scenic qualities (English Nature, 1992) A number of designations, provided by national and international legislation do exist to aid conservation.

Increasing population, expanding industry and commerce, and tourism are placing added pressures on an already highly-utilized coastal zone. This book, through a series of case studies, illustrates the variety of changes already made along the coastlines of the world. The examples used are mainly from China, Japan, The Netherlands, and the United States, all countries with extensively engineered shorelines. Modifications emphasized include those associated with protection against coastal erosion, building of artificial beaches and islands, reclamation for aquaculture and agriculture, and the construction of harbors. The information in this book should be useful for all planners and engineers involved in the construction of coastal engineering works and for students interested in coastal modification.

Estuaries occur along many of the world’s coastlines irrespective of geologic setting, energy regime, and depositional environment. They represent the interface between fluvial, coastal and marine environments and they contain the sedimentary record of geological changes among these systems. However, detailed case studies on the morphodynamics and sedimentary evolution of different estuarine environments are notably lacking. This book focuses on the use of high-resolution geophysical techniques, field observations and modeling to investigate the morphodynamics of estuaries on both glaciated and non-glaciated coasts and on different time scales. Papers in this book offer a new approach to nearshore and estuary studies, with an emphasis on multidisciplinary techniques and data integration. Results of these studies have important implications for estuary resource management and shoreline stability. This book will be of interest to sedimentologists, coastal and Quaternary geologists, environmental scientists, and coastal managers.

In 2005 the CoastGIS symposium and exhibition was once again held in Aberdeen, Scotland, in the UK, the second time that we have had the privilege host this international event in the city of Aberdeen. This was the 6th International S- posium Computer Mapping and GIS for Coastal Zone Management, a collabo- tion between the International Cartographic Association’s (ICA) Commission on Marine Cartography, and the International Geographical Union’s (IGU) Comm- sion on Coastal Systems. The theme for 2005 was: De ning and Building a Marine and Coastal Spatial Data Infrastructure. As a major coastal event, the CoastGIS series of conferences always attracts an international audience of coastal researchers, managers, and pr- titioners who use one or more of the geospatial technologies (e. g. GIS, GPS, digital mapping, remote sensing, databases, and the Internet) in their work. The CoastGIS series is fundamentally an international event which over the years has gained a strong following attracting delegates from around the globe. Hosted by the University of Aberdeen – at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC) – once again CoastGIS 2005 provided an opportunity to communicate the results of a wide range of innovative scienti c research into coastal and marine applications of the geospatial technologies, including remote sensing, Geograp- cal Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), databases, data models, the Internet and online mapping systems.

This book is a companion to “Natural Gas Hydrate in Oceanic and Permafrost Environments” (Max, 2000, 2003), which is the first book on gas hydrate in this series. Although other gases can naturally form clathrate hydrates (referred to after as ‘hydrate’), we are concerned here only with hydrocarbon gases that form hydrates. The most important of these natural gases is methane. Whereas the first book is a general introduction to the subject of natural gas hydrate, this book focuses on the geology and geochemical controls of gas hydrate development and on gas extraction from naturally occurring hydrocarbon hydrates. This is the first broad treatment of gas hydrate as a natural resource within an economic geological framework. This book is written mainly to stand alone for brevity and to minimize duplication. Information in Max (2000; 2003) should also be consulted for completeness. Hydrate is a type of clathrate (Sloan, 1998) that is formed from a cage structure of water molecules in which gas molecules occupying void sites within the cages stabilize the structure through van der Waals or hydrogen bonding.

The Asia-Pacific region is home to the world’s largest region of coral reefs and mangroves. It accommodates two-thirds of the world’s human population and its economic activities have the highest growth rate in the world. Ongoing degradation of the environment, resulting from coastal development, deforestation, desertification and over-harvesting, are becoming a matter of great concern, as floods and droughts occur as a result of this degradation. The Asia-Pacific region also includes part of the ‘Pacific Rim of Fire’ and is, therefore, vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis, as the world became aware following the Sumatra earthquake and tsunami on 26 December 2004. Threats of global environmental change, such as climate change and sea-level rise, will exacerbate such problems. Therefore, appropriate policies and measures are needed for coastal management, to address both the local and global trends. This book gives an overview of the state-of-the-art understanding on the drivers, state, and responses to coastal environmental changes in the Asia-Pacific region. It provides excellent perspectives on current and anticipated environmental changes in the region’s coastal areas, to researchers, students, policy makers, coastal managers and other stakeholders.

Most of the world’s population lives close to the coast and is highly dependent on coastal resources, which are being exploited at unsustainable rates. These resources are being subject to further pressures associated with population increase and the globalization of coastal resource demand. This is particularly so for the Asia-Pacific region which contains almost two thirds of the world’s population and most of the world’s coastal megacities. The region has globally important atmospheric and oceanic phenomena, which affect world climate such as the Asian Monsoon and the El-Niño Southern Oscillation phenomena. The Asia-Pacific region also has highly significant marine diversity but over the last few decades, coastal resources such as mangroves, coral reefs and fisheries have experienced large-scale depletion. The need to find appropriate management solutions to these and other coastal issues is made more complex by the need to take account of international scientific predictions for global climate change and sea-level rise which will further impact on these coasts. The idea for this book arose from a meeting of coastal scientists in Kobe, Japan in May 2003. The meeting was organized by the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN), an inter-governmental network, comprising 21 member countries, for the promotion of global change research and links between science and policy making in the region.

Global warming, melting polar caps, rising sea levels and intensifying wave-current action, factors responsible for the alarming phenomena of coastal erosion on the one hand and adverse environmental impacts and the high cost of 'hard' protection schemes, on the other, have created interest in the detailed examination of the potential and range of applicability of the emerging and promising category of 'soft' shore protection methods. 'Soft' methods such as beach nourishment, submerged breakwaters, artificial reefs, gravity drain systems, floating breakwaters, plantations of hydrophylous shrubs or even dry branches, applied mostly during the past 20 years, are recognised as possessing technical, environmental and financial advantageous properties deserving more attention and further developmental experimentation than has occured hitherto. On the other hand, 'hard' shore protection methods such as seawalls, groins and detached breakwaters, artefacts borrowed from port design and construction technology, no matter how well designed and well implemented they may be, can hardly avoid intensification of the consequential erosive, often devastating, effects on the down-drift shores. Moreover, they often do not constitute environmentally and financially attractive solutions for long stretches of eroding shoreline. Engineers and scientists practising design and implementation of shore defence schemes have been aware for many years of the public demand for improved shore protection technologies. They are encouraging efforts that promise enrichment of those environmentally sound and financially attractive methods that can be safely applied.