On the observability of the fortnightly cycle of the Tagus estuary turbid plume using MODIS ocean colour images

Using three years (2003 to 2005) of MODIS-Aqua normalized water-leaving radiance at 551 nm this paper shows a fortnightly cycle in the Tagus estuary turbid plume. The Tagus estuary is one of the largest estuaries of the west coast of Europe and is located in the most populated area of Portugal, including the capital Lisbon. The turbid plume has been detected by the backscattering characteristics of the surface waters in the vicinity of the estuary mouth. In fortnightly scales, the turbid plume has smaller dimensions during and after neap tides and higher dimensions during and after spring tides. This is most probably associated with the fortnightly spring–neap tidal cycle and the consequent increase in turbidity inside the estuary during spring tides. During the summer weak spring tides (tidal amplitude approximately 2.5 m) no turbid plume is observed for an entire fortnightly cycle. Outside the summer months, precipitation, river discharge and winds, were found to increase the turbid area, but the fortnightly cycle appears to be superimposed on the large time-scale variability, and present throughout the year.     

Numerical study on active wave devouring propulsion

The possibility of extracting energy from gravity waves for marine propulsion was numerically studied by a two-dimensional oscillating hydrofoil in this study. The commercially available computational fluid dynamics software FLUENT was used for the unstructured grid based on the Reynolds-average Navier?CStokes equation. The free surface waves and motion of the flapping foil were implemented by customizing the FLUENT solver using a user-defined function technique. In addition, dynamic mesh technology and post processing capabilities were fully utilized. The validation of the model was carried out using experimental data for an oscillation hydrofoil under the waves. The results of the simulation were investigated in detail in order to explain the increase of propeller efficiency in gravity waves. Eight design parameters were identified and it was found that some of them greatly affected the performance of wave energy extraction by the active oscillating hydrofoil. Finally, the overall results suggested that when the design parameters are correctly maintained, the present approach can increase the performance of the oscillating hydrofoil by absorbing energy from sea waves.     

Urban cycling mobility: management and urban institutional arrangements to support bicycle tourism activities—case study from Curitiba,Brazil

Transportation - Simultaneously addressing micro-mobility and urban tourism has been a challenge for urban managers formulating cycle-inclusive urban policies in different countries. In this...     

Existence,relatedness and growth needs as mediators between mode choice and travel satisfaction: evidence from Denmark

Transportation - Understanding the link between mode choice and travel satisfaction is essential for promoting sustainable travel by expanding utility theory to include also the eudaimonic value of...     

The UN’s 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and the maritime transport domain: the role and challenges of IMO and its stakeholders through a grounded theory perspective

In September 2015, the United Nations (UN) officially adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development together with 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) (UN, 2016). The attainment of the SDGs requires a strong commitment by all UN Member States, not least by the Member States at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). This empirical research aims to identify the role and challenges of stakeholders at IMO, when implementing the UN’s 2030 Agenda in the international maritime transport domain using a grounded theory approach. This paper describes the methodology and the analytical process undertaken and presents the main findings based on empirical data. The results are presented as a set of six propositions. The first proposition presents the phenomena engulfing Member States at IMO stemming out from lack of knowledge and policy incoherency on the 2030 Agenda at national level. The other five propositions suggest how these challenges could potentially be best alleviated through an IMO-led strategy on sustainable development within the context of the 2030 Agenda, supported by an appropriate governance structure that sees the introduction of strategic actors for coordinating the implementation of the SDGs at national level. With the support of a Task Force, and by also making use of the IMO Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS), to create more awareness and ownership, the strategic actors could work towards balancing the three dimensions of sustainable development—the economic, the environmental, and the social dimensions—which were found to be imbalanced in the international maritime transport domain.     

Impact of biometric and anthropometric characteristics of passengers on aircraft safety and performance

Demand for commercial air travel has been increasing over the years and recent forecasts indicate similar future trends. New aircraft with enhanced design features are being built and entering the airline service globally. These enhancements aim to ensure continued safety, efficiency, performance and prolonged life serviceability. However, these new enhancements often neglect the impact of the changing anthropometric characteristics of the passenger. Past studies have identified increasing trends in the average weight, height and other anthropometrical and biometrical measures of people at a global scale. However, many are limited to only exploring the ramifications primarily from the perspective of passenger experience. This paper highlights the importance of considering passengers’ anthropometric characteristics from a holistic perspective and identifies gaps for future research.     

Public Stakeholders' Perception of ICZM and Coastal Erosion in the Mediterranean

The Mediterranean area plays a pivotal role within the definition and implementation of regional strategies for integrated coastal zone management (ICZM). Under the umbrella of the Regional Framework Operation BeachMed-e, a research project was carried out in five Mediterranean EU regions (East Macedonia and Thrace in Greece, Lazio, Liguria, and Emilia Romagna in Italy and Languedoc-Roussillon in France), in order to study the different approaches to ICZM that have been applied and also to test new approaches to these regions. The aim of this article is to present and discuss the results of the common surveys conducted in order to investigate the institutional stakeholders’ perception on ICZM in the five Mediterranean regions considered. The results are presented region by region, while comparisons are carried out among regions. Summarizing the results it can be stated that some differences and common problems affecting the coastal decision-makers of the five Mediterranean regions considered were identified. Particularly, stakeholders involved in coastal management generally perceived a lack of collaboration and a poor information exchange in all the regions, resulting sometimes in a lack of awareness on coastal erosion issues.     

Marine and coastal protected areas in Latin America: A preliminary assessment

Abstract

One approach to the management of coastal and marine areas is the establishment of protected areas (e.g., reserves, parks, sanctuaries). Under the general rubric of “marine reserves,”; this paper examines the Latin American experience with this strategy. A comprehensive table lists most, if not all, national or state declared parks or reserves. The table is organized by country. All Latin American nations have, to a varying extent, declared marine parks and protected areas. The authors review the sources or uses which have been “managed”; by marine reserves, the management approaches, uses, and problem which have been identified in achieving management objectives. The authors conclude with observations about the potential future utility of marine reserves as a management approach for areas and resources of the coastal and littoral zones of Latin America.     

A traffic analysis zone definition: a new methodology and algorithm

This paper develops a comprehensive approach to the definition of transportation analysis zones (TAZ), and therein, presents a new methodology and algorithm for the definition of TAZ embedded in geographic information systems software, improves the base algorithm with several local algorithms, and comprehensively analyses the obtained results. The results obtained are then compared to these presently used in the transportation analysis process of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. The proposed algorithm presents a new methodology for TAZ design based on a smoothed density surface of geocoded travel demand data. The algorithm aims to minimise the loss of information when moving from a continuous representation of the origin and destination of each trip to their discrete representations through zones, and focuses on the trade-off between the statistical precision, geographical error, and the percentage of intra-zonal trips of the resulting OD matrix. The results for the Lisbon Metropolitan Area case study suggest a significant improvement in OD matrix estimates compared to current transportation analysis practises based on administrative units.