This chapter presents the Late Quaternary neo-tectonic movement in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region of China and its effects on the coastal sedimentary environment. Taking the Xilin Hill fault as the example, we have explained the reason of the PRD formation, inferred its interactions with local/regional climate and sea-level changes, and analyzed the evolution of the PRD formation and its co...

Most infrastructure, settlements and facilities are located near the coast and are highly vulnerable to sea-level rise (SLR), coastal erosion and storms. Continued population growth in low-lying coastal areas will increase vulnerability to these hazards. The impacts of SLR are highly variable across regions and difficult to predict over time and space. Principally, due to constraints on the ada...

Coastal regions are of much importance to human socio-economic activities. As a result much of the world’s population live along, or within 150 km of, coasts. Increasing coastal populations, especially in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), are on a collision course with climate change. Climate change is now considered a very real international threat. Sea level rise and other climate change...

This paper explores some key challenges the Mexican government may face when implementing climate change adaptation initiatives in coastal lagoon communities in the Mexican state of Tabasco, in the Gulf of Mexico. I discuss some challenges state initiatives of this type may encounter considering the existence of local contentious political issues among various actors – fishers and the state-own...

In the Atacama Desert, the narrow littoral plain and the adjacent mountain range have a unique climate. This area is locally called the “coastal desert with abundant cloudiness”, and extends from the coastline up to an elevation of 1000 m. The climate is designated as being BWn according to Köppen's Climate Classification as adapted for Chile. In the original classification the acronym (Bn) is ...

Babolsar eastern coastal dunes have been developed along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea. The studied area is coordinated in N36°43' to N36°44' latitude and E52°44' to E52°52' longitude. The objectives of this research were to: Study mineralogy and geochemistry of sand dunes, to obtain chemical alteration index (CIA) and its relationship to climate and mineralogy, to de...

The Chinese coastline is 32000 km long. The 12 coastal provinces are very important in terms of population and their contribution to the economy, and contain 41.9% and 72.5% of China’s total, respectively. There are 8 coastal vulnerable areas and most of them are related to large deltas which presently have a large sediment-supply. 70% of muddy and sandy coasts suffer from erosion, but the main...

Sea level rise is already damaging coastal areas, and habitat damage will only increase. Wetlands and other coastal habitats serve many useful ecological purposes well documented in the literature. As sea level rise inundates former terrestrial coastal areas, the lost wetlands, cypress forests, spawning areas, and other valuable habitats can be replaced in newly inundated areas by assisted biot...

Local increases in sea level caused by global climate change pose a significant threat to the persistence of many coastal plant species through exacerbating inundation, flooding, and erosion. In addition to sea level rise (SLR), climate changes in the form of air temperature and precipitation regimes will also alter habitats of coastal plant species. Although numerous studies have analyzed the ...

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. coastal counties have grown by more than 45 percent between 1970 and 2010, amounting to 50 million new coastal residents and billions of dollars in additional assets (homes and businesses) in these areas.1 Coastal residents are vulnerable to many potential risks, including damage to human life and property that result from storm flooding. And the increa...