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Coastal Modification in Ancient Times: Echoes of the Past
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Coastal Modification in Ancient Times: Echoes of the Past

A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Geological Oceanography".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 November 2023) | Viewed by 6832

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Michael Lazar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Marine Geosciences, Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
Interests: marine geology; marine geophysics; coastal geology; shallow geophysical methods; neotectonics; geophysics and archaeology; science outreach
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Coastal construction and engineering projects are nothing new. While we tend to think of them as products of the modern age, man has been modifying the coastal area for thousands of years. At present, major efforts are devoted to understanding (and mitigating) the effect of modern-day coastal construction on surrounding coastlines. A new breakwater will affect the nearby shore for only a few years (hopefully) before reaching a new steady state in terms of morphological changes. However, what about the longer-term influences of previous construction that reach down through the ages and still affect the morphology, oceanographic parameters and/or geology of a coastline? What can we learn from ancient coastal engineering? Were ancient engineers aware of the influence of construction on the coast and on the marine environment? Were people in ancient times mindful of climate change and rising sea levels and did they try to cope? What lessons can we learn from past successes or mistakes? What can ancient texts tell us about how previous societies coped with such issues? How has our current culture been affected by the spread of idea (art, philosophy, music…) via the sea and ports?

This call invites researchers from all fields of coastal study (engineers, morphologists, geologists, oceanographers, archaeologists, historians, etc.) to think outside the box in their submission to this Special Issue. Articles can be data-based, theoretical or conceptual (a rarity at present). All, however, should be based on rigorous scientific methodologies.

Prof. Michael Lazar
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • coastal construction
  • archaeology
  • coastal change
  • coastal morphology
  • sand transport

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2099 KiB  
Article
To Build or Not to Build: Considerations of Coastal Development in the Ancient Southern Levant
by Gil Gambash
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(5), 803; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12050803 - 11 May 2024
Viewed by 1026
Abstract
The employment of the maritime medium by Southern Levantine societies is examined here through its engagement with coastline facilitation and the building of artificial harbors where natural bays are insufficient or non-existent. The development and availability of technologies and methods are surveyed and [...] Read more.
The employment of the maritime medium by Southern Levantine societies is examined here through its engagement with coastline facilitation and the building of artificial harbors where natural bays are insufficient or non-existent. The development and availability of technologies and methods are surveyed and analyzed vis-à-vis local choices made to adopt or to reject mediating tools such as jetties, quays, and breakwaters. The article discusses technological and conceptual innovations against the background of long-term practices, essentially in favor of natural features. Despite the early adoption of emerging technologies by such exemplars as Iron Age Atlit, Hellenistic Akko-Ptolemaïs, or Roman Caesarea, the rest of the Southern Levant did not join in, and Caesarea, Akko-Ptolemaïs, and Atlit fell short of maintaining their facilities in the long term. The solution for ships was found instead in natural anchorages and, much more dominantly, in the beaching of smaller vessels and offshore anchoring of larger ones. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coastal Modification in Ancient Times: Echoes of the Past)
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19 pages, 9405 KiB  
Article
Late Holocene Climate Warming Events and Their Linkage to Hydraulic Engineering on the Coast of Hangzhou Bay, East China
by Xunpeng Li, Xiaolei You, Sen Lin, Wentong Zhang, Zeen Cheng and Zhanghua Wang
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(1), 79; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12010079 - 29 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1300
Abstract
The coastal lowlands in East China are very sensitive to climate change and marine disasters, and much large-scale hydraulic engineering was recorded in the historical documents of the Late Holocene. In this study, AMS 14C and OSL were used to date three [...] Read more.
The coastal lowlands in East China are very sensitive to climate change and marine disasters, and much large-scale hydraulic engineering was recorded in the historical documents of the Late Holocene. In this study, AMS 14C and OSL were used to date three sedimentary profiles from the north and south coasts of inner Hangzhou Bay, and grain size and geochemical analyses including organic carbon, macro-elements, and alkaline earth metals were performed, while hydraulic engineering records in historical documents were compiled, in an attempt to reveal the sedimentary records of extreme climatic and hydrological events over the past 3000 years and to probe into the correlation between them and hydraulic engineering. The results show that the intensified chemical weathering during ca. 200 BCE to 900 CE in East China corresponded to the warm and humid climate during the Qin-Han and Sui-Tang dynasties. Salinity intrusion with rising local water levels occurred in the lowland plains along the south coast of Hangzhou Bay from 120 to 895 CE. Low-salinity water intrusion from 32 to 488 CE was also recorded in the stratigraphy of lowland plains along the north coast of Hangzhou Bay. The sedimentary records of the East Tiaoxi River basin show river floods about 2000 years ago. The above sedimentary records indicate that the relative sea level rose in the Hangzhou Bay area during the Qin-Han and Sui-Tang Warm Periods, resulting in frequent salinity intrusion and river floods, which coincided with the historical records of hydraulic engineering such as the construction of seawalls, river levees, and the enclosure of lakes for restoration of river floods during the Han and Tang dynasties. Such coincidence reflects that climate change profoundly affected the hydrological environment of the coastal areas in East China as well as the response of the human societies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coastal Modification in Ancient Times: Echoes of the Past)
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19 pages, 8634 KiB  
Article
Holocene Evolution of the Pearl River Delta: Mapping Integral Isobaths and Delta Progradation
by Yongjie Tang, Zhuo Zheng, Kangyou Huang, Cong Chen, Zhen Chen, Hongyu Lu, Weisheng Wu, Xiaoming Lin, Xianhe Zhang and Hongwei Li
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(10), 1986; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11101986 - 14 Oct 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1843
Abstract
The Pearl River Delta (PRD, China) has undergone complex geological development within a multi-island faulted basin, shaped by the interplay of regional tectonic movements, Quaternary sea-level fluctuations, and fluvial-marine interactions. Despite a great number of studies on the Holocene sedimentary sequences and spatial [...] Read more.
The Pearl River Delta (PRD, China) has undergone complex geological development within a multi-island faulted basin, shaped by the interplay of regional tectonic movements, Quaternary sea-level fluctuations, and fluvial-marine interactions. Despite a great number of studies on the Holocene sedimentary sequences and spatial differences of lithofacies and environments, scant attention has been paid to the overarching human influence on deltaic evolution and coastline modifications since the Neolithic epoch. To further elucidate the spatial variation in Holocene sedimentation and its underlying basement topography shaped during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), we compiled a comprehensive dataset incorporating borehole data from over 2800 cores (the maximum depth can reach 92.5 m) within the PRD. Subsequently, high-resolution isobath maps of Quaternary deltaic deposits were generated, offering unprecedented insights into sediment distribution. This dataset facilitated a nuanced reconstruction of pre-Holocene topography, revealing a zone characterized by elongated, deep-incised valleys governed by NW-SE fault orientations. Further, we delineated coastline shifts since the period of maximum Holocene transgression (~7000 years BP), contributing to an enhanced understanding of the formation and evolutionary patterns of the delta and river network oscillations. Our findings illuminate an increasing anthropogenic impact on the rate of fluvial sedimentation and land growth, particularly accentuated over the last two millennia, favoring deltaic accretion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coastal Modification in Ancient Times: Echoes of the Past)
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15 pages, 3684 KiB  
Article
The Anthropogenic Affect—Humans and Geology: An Example from Tel Dor, Israel
by Omry Nachum, Or Bialik, Uri Basson, Assaf Yasur-Landau and Michael Lazar
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(2), 283; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11020283 - 27 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1807
Abstract
Geology usually deals with rocks formed long ago, which are static and stable over the span of human lifetime. This study aims to analyze anthropogenic influence on the formation of geological features in the southeastern Mediterranean. Tel Dor, along Israel’s northern coast, was [...] Read more.
Geology usually deals with rocks formed long ago, which are static and stable over the span of human lifetime. This study aims to analyze anthropogenic influence on the formation of geological features in the southeastern Mediterranean. Tel Dor, along Israel’s northern coast, was chosen due to the continuous presence of humans in the area for over 4000 years and the protective environment of its natural bays that preserve geomorphological changes. This allows for the examination of whether and how humans affect their (geological) environment. Three rocky platforms were chosen in the shallow waters of the South Bay adjacent to the Tel, and four cores were extracted. Results show the extent of the direct and indirect anthropological influences on the landscape. The presence of building stones consisting of dolomite, which is not found along the Carmel coast, is an example of direct influence (importation). The evolution of a biological and non-biological reef upon the sturdy base of the port constructions is an indirect influence. The formation of a non-biological reef upon an archaeological feature is a unique process. It would not have consolidated without the presence of anthropogenic activity. This study shows how human interference in the coastal area can trigger a chain reaction of geological processes lasting more than 2000 years. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coastal Modification in Ancient Times: Echoes of the Past)
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