Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science最新文献

{"title":"Chemical characterization of dissolved organic matter in a hurricane-impacted estuary: linking chromophores, lignin phenols, amino acids and mass spectrometry-based compositions","authors":"Mohammad Al Mukaimi ,&nbsp;Huda Alaskar ,&nbsp;Ge Yan ,&nbsp;Karl Kaiser","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109647","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109647","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hurricane Harvey brought unprecedented precipitation over an urbanized watershed, causing extensive flooding and delivering a significant pulse of terrigenous material to Galveston Bay. This study employs a comprehensive suite of techniques, including optical spectroscopy, chemical analyses of lignin phenolds and enantiomeric amino acids, and mass spectrometry, to characterize the sources, compositions and transformations of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in response to this extreme weather event.</div><div>The results revealed distinct temporal shifts in DOM composition, initially dominated by terrigenous, aromatic-rich constituents shortly after the storm. These compositions transitioned to a more diverse mixture of degraded terrestrial material and phytoplankton-derived autochthonous DOM, driven by extensive microbial processing and the secondary input of bacterial organic matter. This dynamic evolution demonstrates the rapid response of estuarine systems to extreme disturbances, with indications that the bay's ecosystem can recover from episodic events, although the impacts of repeated or sequential disturbances remain uncertain.</div><div>The integration of optical, chemical, and mass spectral analyses provided complementary insights into DOM dynamics, highlighting the value of using multiple characterization tools. While chromophoric DOM (CDOM) features and concentrations of biochemicals offered robust indicators of DOM composition, mass spectrometry data further elucidated specific transformation pathways. This comprehensive approach revealed key links between microbial community activity and DOM composition, reflecting preferences for certain DOM components and the influence of nutrient and light conditions. These findings emphasize the profound impacts of extreme weather events on estuarine carbon cycling and biogeochemical dynamics, offering critical insights into the resilience of coastal systems amid increasing climate variability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"329 ","pages":"Article 109647"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145684999","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dual drivers of Ulva blooms in Jeju Island: Submarine groundwater discharge as nutrient source and aquaculture effluent as ammonium trigger","authors":"Yongwon Kim,&nbsp;Tae-Hoon Kim,&nbsp;Min-young Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109644","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109644","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Green tides caused by <em>Ulva</em> spp. pose a significant threat to coastal ecosystems. This study examined the distinct roles of two nutrient pathways—submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and onshore aquaculture effluent—in fueling recurrent <em>Ulva</em> blooms in Bangdu Bay, Jeju Island. In winter 2023, a non-bloom period, we analyzed concentrations of nutrients (DIN, DIP, DSi, and NH₄⁺), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and particulate organic carbon (POC) in SGD, aquaculture-affected seawater, and within the bay. A mass balance model estimated total SGD flux of 3.1 × 10⁵ m³ day⁻¹, confirming SGD as the dominant nutrient source, supplying 93 % of the total DIN. The exceptionally high POC concentration in SGD (mean 426 μM) suggests a potential internal recycling mechanism, where <em>Ulva</em>-derived organic matter is recirculated into the bay. In contrast, although aquaculture contributed a smaller portion of DIN, its NH₄⁺ flux was 2.7 times higher than that from SGD. This identifies aquaculture effluent as a critical “trigger,” supplying bioavailable nitrogen that initiates rapid seasonal growth. The non-conservative behaviors of DIP, NH₄⁺ and organic carbon indicate that the bloom actively drives the bay's biogeochemical cycles. In conclusion, the bloom is sustained by a complex mechanism involving two key drivers: (1) persistent, broad-scale supply of nutrients and recycled POC via SGD, and (2) concentrated, high-flux input of NH₄⁺ from aquaculture. These findings highlight the need for a dual-management strategy targeting both chronic background loading and acute localized triggers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"329 ","pages":"Article 109644"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145685000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of algal blooms on phosphorus migration: Insights from laboratory and field cultivation enrichment experiments in the yangtze river estuary","authors":"Yu-Yuan Wang ,&nbsp;Zhi-Li Guo ,&nbsp;Han-Lin Jiang ,&nbsp;Yuan-Zhe Ni ,&nbsp;Li-Min Zhou ,&nbsp;Gui-Peng Yang ,&nbsp;Xiao-Yan Cao","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109643","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109643","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigated the interaction between algal bloom and phosphorus (P) cycling using adenosine 5′-monophosphate (AMP) as a model organic phosphorus (OP) compound through on-site cultivation experiments and laboratory simulation research. Dissolved oxygen (DO) and other redox elements, pH, P distributions, as well as chlorophyll <em>a</em> (Chl-a) and alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) were measured. On-site experimental results revealed that OP photolysis significantly contributed to inorganic phosphorus (IP) generation. The enhanced OP hydrolysis caused by algal enzyme secretion under IP scarcity stimulation is also important for IP release. Algal growth governed by differential P utilization among various P species, induced different patterns of pH and DO variations. The simulation experiment containing sediment showed that throughout the entire cultivation process, the DO penetration depth of all algal groups showed an upward trend with a higher value in the IP group. This result further affected the bioavailability of P in the sediment. The distribution of P fractions in the sediment after cultivation indicated that extractable phosphorus (Ex-P) of the groups containing algae was lower, while iron-bound phosphorus (Fe-P) and OP were obviously higher than those in the groups without algae.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"329 ","pages":"Article 109643"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145685001","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Native and invasive gelatinous species in the Northeastern Black Sea: effect on the mesozooplankton and state of environment","authors":"T.A. Shiganova,&nbsp;A.S. Kazmin","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109641","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109641","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Comprehensive study of the seasonal and interannual dynamics of mesozooplankton, biodiversity, and ecological status of the marine environment under impact of native and non-native gelatinous species were performed for the northeastern part of the Black Sea in 2016–2024. Seasonal variations of ctenophores <em>Mnemiopsis leidyi</em> and <em>Beroe ovata</em> have been investigated. Interannual variations, associated with the suppression of <em>M. leidyi</em> by its predator, <em>B. ovata</em> considered. However, decrease of <em>M. leidyi</em> abundance resulted in the increase of native Scyphozoa species (<em>Aurelia</em> sp. and <em>Rhizostoma pulmo</em>) and additional pressure on zooplankton. In addition, negative impact of <em>Noctiluca scintilans</em> upon the zooplankton has been investigated. Statistically significant negative cross-correlations between the biomass of <em>N. scintilans</em> and edible zooplankton has been discovered, confirming its impact on the zooplankton. Study of the interannual variations of zooplankton species composition and environment state have been performed, indicating an overall improvement, presumably associated with the control by <em>B. ovata</em> over the <em>M. leidyi</em> population.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"329 ","pages":"Article 109641"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145685005","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ciliate grazing control of a spring bloom in a temperate fjord","authors":"Laia Armengol ,&nbsp;Lumi Haraguchi ,&nbsp;Marta Moyano ,&nbsp;Santiago Hernández-León ,&nbsp;Hans H. Jakobsen","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109631","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109631","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plankton communities underpin marine ecosystem functioning, yet the mechanisms driving the onset and termination of spring phytoplankton blooms are not fully understood. In particular, the role of microzooplankton grazing and the impact of mixotrophic versus heterotrophic ciliates on phytoplankton dynamics. This study aimed to quantify ciliate grazing and phytoplankton growth rates throughout a spring bloom in Roskilde Fjord, Denmark; and determine whether nutrient depletion or microzooplankton grazing was the primary driver of bloom culmination. Surface water was collected during March 2017, and multiple dilution experiments were conducted to estimate phytoplankton growth and grazing mortality rates. Phytoplankton community structure was assessed by flow cytometry, while ciliate morphotypes and nutritional modes were identified using FlowCam imaging. Despite initially high nutrient concentrations, a marked decrease in DIN and DIP occurred over the study period. Phytoplankton biomass, dominated by cryptophytes, reached its peak by mid-March before declining. Concurrently, ciliate assemblages shifted from mixotrophic to heterotrophic dominance. Grazing rates frequently exceeded phytoplankton growth rates after the first experimental day, indicating strong top-down control. The lack of significant differences in growth between nutrient-amended and unamended treatments suggested grazing, rather than nutrient depletion, predominantly constrained phytoplankton accumulation. These findings highlight how ciliate grazing can exert a critical influence on spring bloom dynamics, even under moderate nutrient conditions. Understanding these trophic interactions is essential for predicting the resilience and stability of coastal marine ecosystems in the face of changing environmental conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"329 ","pages":"Article 109631"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145737150","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Climatic forcing modulates non-stationary environmental synchrony in shellfish production regions","authors":"Carlos Lara ,&nbsp;Richard Muñoz ,&nbsp;Sebastián I. Vásquez ,&nbsp;Felipe I. Torres ,&nbsp;Amalia M.S. Detoni ,&nbsp;Bernardo R. Broitman ,&nbsp;Bernard Cazelles","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109605","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109605","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Coupled fluctuations between ecological and environmental processes — i.e., synchrony — have been documented in marine ecosystems across multiple spatial and temporal scales. To investigate multiscale synchrony, we applied Wavelet Coherence (WC) and Partial Wavelet Coherence (PWC) analyses to disentangle nonstationary associations between local and regional environmental variables that are critical for shellfish aquaculture along the southeastern Pacific. Specifically, we examined and controlled the effects of local associations between sea surface temperature (<span><math><mrow><mi>S</mi><mi>S</mi><mi>T</mi></mrow></math></span>) and shellfish food supply, represented by normalized fluorescence line height (<span><math><mrow><mi>n</mi><mi>F</mi><mi>L</mi><mi>H</mi></mrow></math></span>), in relation to the regional El Niño–Southern Oscillation (<span><math><mrow><mi>E</mi><mi>N</mi><mi>S</mi><mi>O</mi></mrow></math></span>). Using MODIS-Aqua satellite time series (2003–2022) and the Multivariate ENSO Index (<span><math><mrow><mi>M</mi><mi>E</mi><mi>I</mi></mrow></math></span>), we assessed temporal changes in the coupling between <span><math><mrow><mi>S</mi><mi>S</mi><mi>T</mi></mrow></math></span> and <span><math><mrow><mi>n</mi><mi>F</mi><mi>L</mi><mi>H</mi></mrow></math></span> in two bivalve aquaculture regions: Tongoy Bay (north-central Chile) and northern Chiloé (southern Chile). Our analyses revealed that <span><math><mrow><mi>S</mi><mi>S</mi><mi>T</mi></mrow></math></span> exhibited a stationary annual cycle explaining over 95% of total variance, while <span><math><mrow><mi>n</mi><mi>F</mi><mi>L</mi><mi>H</mi></mrow></math></span> showed a dominant annual mode accounting for more than 60% of variance. However, the second mode of <span><math><mrow><mi>n</mi><mi>F</mi><mi>L</mi><mi>H</mi></mrow></math></span> in both Tongoy Bay and northern Chiloé reflected the influence of local drivers — such as freshwater discharge events — that were not synchronized with the dominant pattern. PWC analyses identified significant intra- and interannual synchrony between <span><math><mrow><mi>n</mi><mi>F</mi><mi>L</mi><mi>H</mi></mrow></math></span> and <span><math><mrow><mi>E</mi><mi>N</mi><mi>S</mi><mi>O</mi></mrow></math></span> within the 1.5–2.5 yr and 3–5 yr bands, after removing the influence of <span><math><mrow><mi>S</mi><mi>S</mi><mi>T</mi></mrow></math></span>. These results demonstrate that large-scale climatic forcing modulates local environmental synchrony through differential regional coupling strengths. Consequently, the predictability of environmental conditions relevant to shellfish aquaculture in both regions appears to be strongly constrained by <span><math><mrow><mi>E</mi><mi>N</mi><mi>S</mi><mi>O</mi></mrow></math></span>-driven variability operating across multiple temporal scales.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"329 ","pages":"Article 109605"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145685006","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Water quality impacts during Hurricane Irene (2011) in a large coastal-plain estuary","authors":"P. St-Laurent","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109632","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109632","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Embayments of North America’s east coast are positioned along the trajectory of Atlantic tropical cyclones (TCs) whose frequency and/or intensity are projected to increase over the century. Substantial water quality impacts of TCs have been documented over the years in some of those embayments, but large coastal plain estuaries remain an observational challenge that often confines water quality studies to sub-regions or to tributaries. The present study provides a ‘system-wide’ analysis of impacts on water properties during hurricane Irene (2011), reflecting the aggregate response of a large estuary (Chesapeake Bay) in terms of air/sea exchanges of CO<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span>, O<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span>, and other metrics. The study focuses on the days preceding/following the event and leverages an ensemble of atmospheric simulations of Irene (to quantify the sensitivity of its impacts on water properties to variations in the TC’s characteristics) and a 1985–2023 hindcast (to put Irene in perspective). The analysis indicates that the CO<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span> outgassing during Irene was unprecedented over 1985–2023, and that TCs regularly cause CO<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span> outgassing events of magnitude <span><math><mrow><mo>∼</mo><mn>25</mn><mtext>%</mtext></mrow></math></span> weaker than that of Irene (return period of 2–5 years). Based on the sensitivity analysis, most metrics worsen in proportion to an hypothetical intensification of Irene, but CO<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span> outgassing exhibits a slightly superlinear response. These results emphasize the need to account for the contribution of large stochastic events in estuaries in order to derive global carbon budgets representative of reality.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"329 ","pages":"Article 109632"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145610136","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparisons between estuary-associated ichthyofaunas in ecoregions around the Pacific Ocean","authors":"Alan K. Whitfield ,&nbsp;Trevor D. Harrison ,&nbsp;James R. Tweedley","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109629","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109629","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This review examines possible estuarine fish colonisation processes of the Pacific Ocean that started in the Early Jurassic and gained momentum with the break-up of Pangea. Initial colonisation of the newly-created estuaries by fish is likely to have accelerated during the Devonian, with tropical marine families from the Neotethys Sea region using epicontinental seaways between Asia, Australia, India, Arabia, Europe and the Americas to colonise estuaries on these drifting land masses. Analyses of the presence/absence of fish families and species from selected ecoregions around the Pacific Ocean rim showed that estuary-associated fish families on the eastern and western side of the Pacific Ocean separated out at a Bray-Curtis similarity of 41 % but were only ∼5 % similar at the species level. In terms of past and present geodispersal of fish taxa, tropical species may have used ‘island hopping’ to cover the &gt;19 000 km gap between the tropical western and eastern shores of the Pacific. However, most tropical taxa in the eastern Pacific appear to have originated from the Caribbean area of the Western Atlantic and not from the central Western Pacific fish species ‘hotspot’. In contrast, ichthyofaunal colonisation of Western Pacific regions to the north and south of the ‘hotspot’ was facilitated by ocean currents and the more limited distances between estuaries and coastal ecoregions in this part of the Pacific. The cold temperate waters of the Northern and Southern Pacific Ocean would have acted as a barrier to tropical species attempting to use these routes to cross the Pacific Ocean basin. The prevalence of temperate diadromous fish species in both the temperate northern (e.g. Russia and Alaska) and southern (e.g. New Zealand and Patagonia) estuaries is probably a function of local evolutionary trends that favoured such taxa in those particular regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"329 ","pages":"Article 109629"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145610293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The combined effects of salinity and inundation on bryophyte coverage and species distribution, a tidal mesocosm experiment","authors":"Roy Münstermann ,&nbsp;Katharina Wilfert ,&nbsp;Dirk De Beer ,&nbsp;Stijn Baeten ,&nbsp;Tom Maris ,&nbsp;Jonas Schoelynck","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109630","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109630","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Freshwater tidal marshes are dynamic and productive ecosystems that provide habitats to a variety of plant communities. Bryophytes are one of these communities that can play an important role in colonization as pioneers in newly developing tidal nature. This study aimed to discover the effect of inundation, salinity, and soil texture on bryophyte diversity and abundance in a controlled mesocosm setting. In contrast to our hypothesis, we found that bryophyte coverage and diversity were highest under saline circumstances with a low inundation frequency. Additionally, we found that silty loam soils had increased bryophyte coverage compared to silty loam soils mixed with gravel. These results indicate that multiple environmental factors can be important drivers of bryophyte community characteristics in tidal ecosystems. Lastly, this study successfully estimated vegetation cover using machine learning based image classification, proving the usefulness of this technique for mesoscale setups.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"328 ","pages":"Article 109630"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145624793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of coastal erosion control interventions on Ocypode quadrata (Fabricius, 1787) populations on sandy beaches in southeastern Brazil","authors":"Adriane Baudson do Nascimento ,&nbsp;Phillipe Mota Machado ,&nbsp;Eduardo Manuel Rosa Bulhões ,&nbsp;Leonardo Lopes Costa ,&nbsp;Lucia Fanini ,&nbsp;Ilana Rosental Zalmon","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109627","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109627","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Engineering actions on beaches are a frequent approach to mitigate coastal erosion and flooding and to enable recreational use. These include “hard” approaches (e.g., rock revetments) and “soft” ones (e.g., beach nourishment). One species potentially affected by these interventions is the ghost crab <em>Ocypode quadrata</em>, used as an indicator of beach use impacts in the Americas. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of erosion control interventions on <em>O. quadrata</em> populations, proposing this species as a potential indicator for impact assessment and monitoring. The hypothesis is that coastal interventions negatively affect the species, reducing its abundance and size due to changes in sediment characteristics. Sampling was conducted on beaches in southern Espírito Santo, Brazil, from 2022 to 2024. A total of 10 sampling points were selected to ensure variability in beach features, urbanization, and coastal interventions, such as rock revetments and beach nourishment, allowing the identification of patterns and possible causal relationships involving ghost crab populations. Urbanization level was assessed using the Human Modification Metric (HMc) as a proxy, and erosion trends were calculated based on shoreline displacement. As response variables, burrow counts and diameter measurements were used as indicators of population abundance and body size. <em>O. quadrata</em> populations were negatively affected by both urbanization and erosion control structures. The nourishment project also reduced population abundance, but did not affect burrow diameter. The results highlight the species vulnerability to coastal interventions and urbanization, reinforcing its role as an indicator of disturbance and management on sandy beaches.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"328 ","pages":"Article 109627"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145624791","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}