Allan T. Williams

An improved user-based beach climate index

In many coastal resort areas of the world, it is likely that optimal climatic conditions for beach use might occur outside the peak of the tourist season. Investigation of this issue together with associated publicity might help to spread the tourism load and hence reduce undesirable social and environmental effects of extreme seasonality in tourist demand. For this to take place, better knowledge of beach user preferences in terms of climate and bathing water temperature is required. Questionnaire surveys were carried out in Wales, Malta and Turkey to establish the preferences of north European beach users for thermal sensation and bathing water temperature, plus priority levels for other climatic attributes. A user-based beach climate index based on these preferences and priorities was formulated. Linkage was made between the user-generated ratings for various climatic conditions and published climate data to evaluate most major Euro-Mediterranean/Black Sea and a range of other beach tourism areas on a month-by-month basis. Results showed excessively hot thermal sensation in many southern and eastern Mediterranean coastal destinations during July and August, the present peak of the beach tourism season. Highest preference was given to water temperatures rather lower than those found in these areas during late summer. Many long haul coastal destinations popular with north European visitors had similar unpleasant thermal sensations over several months. Uncertainties and deficiencies still exist with the system, but from the point of view of north European beach users the final scores generated in this study may be regarded as good approximations of the quality of resort area climates for sedentary beach use.

Theoretical strategy considerations for beach management

Abstract With increasing leisure time and opportunity and raised quality expectations, beach and bathing-related recreational management has become an increasingly important component of Integrated Coastal Area Management. Unfortunately, scientific literature appears to have allocated scant regard to such management needs and rarely in a comprehensive manner. Considerations of strategic management were reviewed and four key components identified relevant to beach and shoreline management. These were, analysis, planning, management and monitoring. In this context, dimensional analysis, comprising of five main aspects (substantive, spatial, temporal, quantitative and qualitative) was discussed in detail and presented as a management tool allowing improved definition of scale and scope of bathing environment-related problems, a clearer assessment of beach characteristics influenced by natural coastal dynamics and anthropogenic use and formulation of effective management strategy. The outcome from the development of management tools specifically addressing beach and bathing area needs are manifold, as they provide an opportunity to positively influence a plethora of social, economic and ecological issues at the coast (e.g. recreation, shoreline defence, wildlife habitats, data collection, conflict resolution, local community involvement and planning for sustainable development).

Overwash sedimentation associated with a large-scale northeaster

Abstract The December 1, 1974 northeaster was a significant event in terms of sediment transport with 20 m 3 of sand per meter of dune breach being carried onto the backdune area of Assateague Island, Maryland as overwash. Previous investigators have reported larger transport rates for landfall hurricanes, but this is the largest amount recorded for a winter northeaster. The Ash Wednesday Storm, March 6–8, 1962, was a much larger event, but no quantitative data exists for overwash deposition. The resulting sedimentary deposit can be interpreted by defining sedimentation units. Inverse sediment grading was predominant, but normal grading occurred when the material was monomineralic and the unit totally depositional in nature. The timing of the storm surge was recorded in some sections as a distinctive heavy mineral enrichment in the sediment.

Beach awards and management

Abstract Beach awards are used as promotional tools for UK coastal tourism, but information regarding public knowledge of them is sparse. Studies were carried out at two important UK resorts (Barry and Weston-super-Mare) regarding the three major beach awards — the Blue Flag, Seaside Award and Good Beach Guide. Seventy-two percent of beach users asserted that award status was an important basis for beach selection, but findings suggested poor levels of knowledge of award status at particular beaches and criteria included in awards. Research at 23 beaches in Wales, UK showed that aspects included in the Blue Flag and Seaside Award accounted for just over one-third of users total beach rating. There is a need for beach awards to take proper account of the desires of beach users. Awards should also be appropriate to undeveloped as well as commercialised beaches, thereby reducing the temptation to add possibly undesired facilities to pristine beaches for the purpose of award qualification.

Coastal Scenery: Appreciation and Evaluation

Abstract Twenty-six parameters have been selected that delineate coastal scenery. These were obtained via consultation between coastal users and experts in the field. The parameters were assessed as to their priorities and weightings given. Application of fuzzy logic techniques enabled a decision parameter (D) to be calculated for any coastal scene. Over 100 worldwide coastal sites were analysed via the technique and a five-class differentiation obtained from D values.

Assessing anthropogenic impact on Mediterranean sand dunes from aerial digital photography

The Mediterranean region plays host to ca. 33% of the world’s tourism industry. This population of visitors (ca. 147 million in 1990) inevitably exerts an enormous impact on the natural resources of this coastal zone. In May 1997, a new generation Aerial Digital Photographic System [ADPS] configured with a Kodak Digital Science 460 CIR digital camera was used to acquire colour infrared digital photographs of the sand dune systems along the Mediterranean coast of France, from Le Barcares to St-Cyprien-Plage. These have been used to assess the condition of the dunes along this coast. A series of simple analytical techniques to identify and measure features indicative of public pressure using image processing software has been devised. The dune manager with basic computer skills can analyse such indicators as path length, vegetation cover (and conversely the extent of bare sand) to enable monitoring of the performance of their dune systems under particular management regimes. These photographs have been compared with similar digital photographs of dune sites in SW France to allow a comparison of dune degradation in a region with a different population pressure and climate regime. Dune systems sampled from the Mediterranean coastal zone showed more evidence of anthropogenically induced change than those sampled in SW France.

Particle size and shape in pebble-beach sedimentation

An in-depth investigation was made of beach gravel fabrics at two beach sites located on the Glamorgan Heritage Coast, Wales, U.K. Granulometric data from 31,080 pebbles were obtained and analysis confirmed the existence of a basic shape differentiation structure when the B-axis was used at Gileston Beach — a low-energy location, and Nash Beach — a high-energy location. The use of the B-axis in size and shape analysis seems to have led some workers to incorrect rejection of size as a factor in determining the transportational and depositional potential of a particle. An inferred energy model can be constructed where the influence of particle size on sorting is predominant when energy conditions are high and particle shape factors predominate when energy conditions are low. The C-axis standard deviation value was the most effective discriminator of variation in shore-parallel sedimentation structures at both beaches. For shore-normal structural discrimination, the C-axis mean and standard deviation values were the most effective.

Integrated coastal dune management: checklists

The main objective was to assess dune vulnerability—a reduced ability to adapt to change, which is of serious concern not only in Western Europe but on a world scale. A main root checklist together with two daughter ones were devised in order to achieve this objective. The main root checklist comprised six categories (site and dune morphology, beach condition, surface character of the seaward 200 m of dune, vegetation, anthropogenic impact and protection measures in place) and dunes were classified according to their vulnerability compared to protection measures. The Resilience daughter checklist encompassed dune erosion, sand input, sand retention, degradation by use and dune management. This was compared with risk factors such as obstacles to dune transgression and recreation. The geomorphology, aeolian, vegetation, anthropogenic, marine influences daughter checklist looked at 30 dune systems in the Gulf of Cadiz and assessed dune condition by a dune vulnerability index based on the above conditioning influences. Values for all checklists were expressed as percentages. Over 200 dune sites in Spain, France, Portugal and the UK were analysed by means of these checklists. Results confirmed that regional trends concerned with dune vulnerability could be assessed, although successful differentiation at the end of the dune spectrum (large sand sheets, e.g. Pyla, France and meadow formation, e.g. many of the UK systems) and at the local scale were muted. An innovative aerial digital photographic system was developed and photographs were successfully used to assess dune condition, anthropogenic impact on dune systems, etc., i.e. the checklist parameters and was used to modify checklist procedures in assessing regional dune degradation. Ca 70% of the checklist parameters could be obtained by this means. This also provided a photographic record of the current dune condition. Principal component analysis provided a strong justification for the majority of checklist questions and the approach and relevance of the technique. The enumerated techniques provide valuable tools for dune managers. Rapid assessment of large areas of coastline can be obtained at a low cost and the resulting remote sensed images can provide a permanent record of the condition of the photographed dunes.

Coastal erosion and protection in Europe

1. Introduction Enzo Pranzini and Allan T. Williams 2. Russia Ruben Kosyan, Marina Krylenko, Daria Ryabchuk and Boris Chubarenko 3. Sweden Magnus Larson and Hans Hanson 4. The Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania Hannes Tonisson, Kaarel Orviku, Janis Lapinskis, Saulius Gulbinskas and Rimas Zaromskis 5. Poland Kazimierz Furmanczyk 6. Denmark Per Sorensen 7. Germany Jurgen Jensen and Klaus Schwarzer 8. Netherlands Frank van der Meulen, Bert van der Valk and Bas Arens 9. Belgium Roger H. Charlier 10. Great Britain (GB) Simon Blott, Robert W. Duck, Michael R. Phillips, Nigel Pontee, Kenneth Pye, and Allan T. Williams 11. Ireland Andrew Cooper 12. France Edward J. Anthony and Francois Sabatier 13. Spain Vicente Gracia, Agustin Sanchez-Arcilla and Giorgio Anfuso 14. Portugal Oscar Ferreira and Ana Matias 15. Italy Enzo Pranzini 16. Eastern Adriatic Kristina Pikelj, Vojislav Dragnic and Nemanja Malovrazic 17. Albania Gjovalin Gruda and Merita Dollma 18. Greece George Alexandrakis, George Ghionis, Serafim E. Poulos and Nikolaos A. Kampanis 19. Bulgaria Margarita Stancheva 20. Romania Adrian Stanica, Nicolae Panin and Glicherie Caraivan 21. Ukraine Yuri N. Goryachkin 22. Conclusions Enzo Pranzini, Lilian Wetzel and Allan Williams.

Beach litter sourcing in the Bristol channel and Wales, U.K.

Principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis werecarried out on beach litter found primarily along theBristol Channel, U.K., together with beaches located aroundthe Principality of Wales. Both techniques indicated threebeach survey sites as outliers, with distinctive beachlitter profiles. PCA distinguished between riverine, sewagerelated, fishing and shipping sourced items, but did notproduce a coherent grouping for beach user litter. This wasattributed to a difference in modes of transport. Beachesfrom mid and north Wales, which had small litter amounts,were not differentiated from the central grouping. Thewestern edge of the Channel was more heavily influenced byshipping and fishing inputs than was the eastern portion.Cluster analysis showed a discrete group of beaches locatedmainly on the southern side of the Bristol Channel.