UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES

C.M Recto Avenue, Lapasan , Cagayan de Oro City , 9000

College og Engineering and Architecture

CE90: SPECIAL PROBLEMS IN CE: RESEARCH1

REVIEW OF
RELATED LITERATURE
Submitted By:

Steffany Rose B. Alivio

Manuel John Amora

Jamalia Dimangadap

Hera Deanne R. Agcopra

September 17, 2020

TOPIC1: PROPOSED FLYOVER
ARTICLE 1: Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment of JHAL flyover
and underpass project in Faisalabad
This article gives attention about the rapid increase in population and economy which is
one of the major obstacles facing by Pakistan now. Road projects are planned to
improve the economic and social prosperity of the people. Along with the positive
aspects, it also has some negative impacts on the nearby communities and also on
environment. Construction of new roads provides a pathway for the development of
undeveloped areas, which can significantly affect the natural environment and also the
life of the people. Roads can be responsible for benefits and also damages to the
presented balance among the people and the environment. It allow smooth movement
of local people and goods from one place to another and due to the rapidly increasing
population, roads have also been expanding day by day.
In Faisalabad city, a proposed project of flyover and underpass is under construction
with the purpose to overcome the heavy traffic load from different areas of the city. This
research is based on defining the parameters for conducting project to minimize the
adverse effects of the project. Based on the objective of research, the most appropriate
methodology was finalized and further research procedures were adopted in order to
find out the basic parameters required for this running project. This research covers a
wide area which has been investigated for the potential environmental impacts of the
project identifies significant parameters regarding environmental degradation and
proposed plan for mitigation of these compliances.
Due to the result of the conducted survey it is much better that there should be a small
tenure after that all parameters should be checked again if it is according to the
presented level of EIA then project will further proceed if it is not according to that
before moving on they should take satisfactory measures.
This are the following measures that are recommended to diminish probable
environmental and communal impacts:
•Provision of walker overhead bridges in design;
•Smattering of water in the building phase to manage dust;
•Dumping of solid waste and discharging of wastewater at the permitted sites;
•Preventing construction work through peak traffic stream particularly in the opening
and finishing times of learning institutions;
•Taking actions like traffic signals, road markings, road illumination, traffic police
force at distraction points and utilization of barriers to maintain even traffic current
and protection of road users.
•Cultivated of new plants and trees in the construction period to recompense
possible thrashing of plants and to manage the air pollution, noise pollution and
dust pollution; and
•Rehabilitation of broken utility facilities on main concern basis.

REFERENCES:
1. (Aslam,2006; Canter,1997) studied Environmental Impact Assessment system
2. Cohen et Al. (2005). Research methods in education London: Routledge.

ARTICLE2: Infrastructural Development and Vulnerabilities: A Sociological

Study of Two Selected Flyovers in Dhaka City, Bangladesh
This article answers the question if an infrastructural development cause
underdevelopment of the third world peripheral states like Bangladesh. If flyover
project can overcome traffic congestion. If it creates vulnerabilities for the common
people. Depending on the qualitative research design, this study was conducted
on the two selected flyover projects in Dhaka, Bangladesh named Mayor Hanif
Flyover and Khilgaon Flyover.

Infrastructure matters to growth are relatively well recognized and widely

understood among practitioners and policymakers. There is a technical evidence
that better quantity and quality of infrastructure can directly raise the productivity of
human and physical capital and thus it promotes growth. It is stated that
infrastructural development improves education and markets for farmer’s outputs
and others by cutting costs, facilitates private investment, and improves jobs and
income levels for many others. Energy and transport are essential elements of the
modern production along with the distribution processes as well as the efficiency
and the relative cost of these inputs are often a key determinant of
competitiveness in the global economy.

We are all aware that there is a growing consensus against constructing flyovers all
over the world. Even Bangladesh data of the Strategic Transport Plan does not support
flyovers and subway in Dhaka. The National Land transport policy which was adopted in
2004 does not support flyover and subway. However, the government of Bangladesh
initiated these megaprojects for reducing traffic congestion and people’s sufferings. But
the real scenario is different. Khilgaon and Mayor Hanif flyover depicted how those
projects decreased local businesses, caused loss of lands, displacement of population
and loss of social cohesion, loss of employment, potential health hazards, and negative
impacts on environment as well as traffic congestion increased.

The study then reveals that although these mega projects benefited the communication
system, it literally failed to fulfill public core demands and interests by making people
marginalized and vulnerable. Besides, this study explored that mega projects like
flyover are an outcome of bureaucratic decision in which social and environmental
impact assessment was ignored.

REFERENCES:
1. Kabir, S. (2014) Rethinking Overpasses: A Case Study in the Planning and
Design of Flyovers in Dhaka City. Unpublished Master’s Thesis, Harvard University,
Graduate School of Design, Cambridge, 1-65.
2. The Ministry of Finance (2013). https://mof.gov.bd/site/page/f9aab5cd-f644-47bb-
bb94-a70cb64c15ce/Budget-in-Brief-(2000-01-to-2016-17)
ARTICLE 3: Total distance approximations for routing solutions

In this article in order to make strategic, tactical and operational decisions, carriers and
logistic companies need to evaluate scenarios with high levels of accuracy by solving a
large number of routing problems. This also might require relatively high computational
efforts and time. In this paper, we present regression-based estimation models that
provide fast predictions for the travel distance in the traveling salesman problem, the
capacitated vehicle routing problem with Time Windows, and the multi-region multi-
depot pickup and delivery problem. The use of general characteristics such as
distances, time windows, capacities and demands, allows us to extend the models and
adjust them to different problems and also to different solution methods. The resulting
regression models in most cases achieve good approximations of total travel distances
except in cases where strong random noise is present, and outperform previous
models.

REFERENCE:
1. D Nicola, R Vetschera, A Dragomir - Computers & Operations Research, 2019 –
Published by Elsevier Ltd.
ARTICLE 4: Operationalizing a concept: The systematic review of composite
indicator building for measuring community disaster resilience
The measurement of community disaster resilience through the development of a
comprehensive set of composite indicators is becoming increasingly commonplace.
Despite this growing trend, there is neither an agreement upon a standard procedure
nor a comprehensive assessment of existing measurement frameworks in the relevant
literature. To tackle these challenges, this study (1) proposes an overarching eight-step
procedure for composite indicator building and (2) develops a meta-level assessment
framework to allow for a systematic review of existing disaster resilience measurement
frameworks in application of composite indicator building. This meta-level framework
was established on the basis of the proposed eight-step composite indicator building
procedure and qualified with the introduction of 19 dimensions and 36 metrics for quality
assessment. In order to select relevant disaster resilience measures for this analysis,
the study applied a systematic survey to collect measures based on four inclusion
criteria: community-based, multifaceted, quantitative, and operationalized. Accordingly,
17 resilience measurement frameworks were chosen for further analysis in this review.
The results of the quality assessment demonstrated that, from the theoretical
perspective, resilience assessments originate from either the socio-ecological or
engineering fields and can be classified into two main types of resilience indices and
tools. This differs from results of the methodological perspective, which indicate that
resilience measures can be characterized as deductive or similar to hierarchical and
inductive assessments.

REFERENCE:
1. Aydin N.Y., Duzgun H.S., Wenzel F. et al., 2018. Integration of stress testing with
graph theory to assess the resilience of urban road networks under seismic hazards,
Natural Hazards, 91(1), 37-68
ARTICLE 5: Quantifying the impact of urban road networks on the efficiency of
local trips
City-level circuity factors have been introduced to quantify and compare the
directness of vehicular travel across different cities. While these city-level factors help to
improve the quality of distance approximation functions for city-wide vehicle
movements, more granular factors are needed to obtain accurate shortest path distance
approximations for last- mile transportation systems that are typically characterized by
local trips. More importantly, local circuity factors encode valuable information about the
efficiency and complexity of the urban road network, which can be leveraged to inform
policy and practice. In this paper, we quantify and analyze local network circuity
leveraging contemporary traffic datasets. Using the city of Sao Paulo as our primary
case study and a combination of supervised and un-supervised machine learning
methods, we observe significant heterogeneities in local network circuity, explained by
dimensional and topological properties of the road network. Locally, real trip distances
are about twice as long as distances predicted by the L1 norm. Results from Sao Paulo
are compared to seven additional urban areas in Latin America and the United States.
At a coarse-grained level of analysis, we observe similar correlations between road
network properties and local circuity across these cities.

REFERENCE:

1. Merchán D., Snoeck A., Winkenbach M. (2019), Quantifying the impact of urban road
networks on the efficiency of local trips. MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics,
Working Paper Number 19-01.
ARTICLE 6: Ideal Flow Traffic Analysis: A Case Study on a Campus Road Network

Traditional traffic assignment models often use historical travel demand, such as the
costly origin-destination flow distribution and actual flow distribution, as inputs in
determining the most efficient distribution of flow on a road network. In this paper, the
authors examine the ideal flow network (IFN) model, a novel and alternative traffic
assignment model. The IFN model is compared with a traditional traffic assignment
model using a generic model comparison method. The application of the method is
presented using a campus road network as a case study to examine the importance of
understanding the road network structure – by making a comparison between the
results of a traditional traffic assignment model and the IFN model to gain nuanced
insights into the distribution of the traffic flow. The authors suggest that – while both
models can yield almost the same result – the IFN model has the advantage of using a
stochastic matrix, which is more readily available than demand data. The IFN model is
likewise more geared toward evaluating the ideas of solving the traffic problem through
simulation modeling, which – as a form of social engineering – is easier to stabilize into
traffic management.

Traffic congestion has always been a perennial problem, especially on important roads
such as those located in densely populated metropolitan areas. The problem of
congestion is not easy to handle, and varied solutions have been suggested and
implemented to address the challenge. These solutions necessitate the creation of, or
the improvement of, existing traffic assignment models. Traditional traffic assignment
models make use of historical travel demand data, specifically from the costly origin-
destination (OD) survey. This is a difficulty for low-income societies, especially those
with limited OD data or minimal budget for data collection. It is beneficial, therefore, to
view traffic assignment from both sides of supply (road infrastructure) and demand
rather than merely from the demand side. This is the uniqueness and novelty of the
Ideal Flow Network (IFN) model (Teknomo 2017, Teknomo and Gardon 2017). The IFN
models the ideal flow matrix with which one can measure the efficiency of the current
traffic flow. In other words, one can use the flow matrix generated by the model as a
guide to how the current traffic flow should be managed.

REFERENCE:

1. Teknomo, K., Gardon, R. W., Saloma, C. 2019. Ideal Flow Traffic Analysis: A Case
Study on a Campus Road Network
ARTICLE 7:
Engineering Formality: Flyover and Skywalk Construction in Mumbai

This article investigates the engineering of elevated transport infrastructure in

contemporary Mumbai. It argues that the conception, construction and implementation
of flyovers and skywalks in Mumbai over the past 20 years has been part of elite efforts
seeking to instill a more free‐flowing, predictable and regulated city. The techniques,
routines, standards and visualizations comprising these engineering schemes have
promised ways of reshaping the socio‐material configurations and everyday landscapes
of Mumbai into a more knowable, functional and integrated realm. The article suggests
that this can be understood analytically as a means of trying to establish and maintain
‘formal’ ideals, citizens and spaces in Mumbai against wider urban contexts perceived
as increasingly ‘informal’. The article thus emphasizes the importance of exploring how
the ‘informal’ and ‘formal’ are actively produced and imagined against each other
through material practices and procedures, and the central role of urban engineering in
attempts at reconfiguring the social and political dimensions of urban life.

REFERENCE:

1. Harris, A. 2018. Engineering Formality: Flyover and Skywalk Construction in Mumbai

ARTICLE 8: A study of a flyover-bridge - improved intersection

To reduce traffic congestion at an at-grade intersection near a big city,

one method is construction a flyover bridge at the old junction in two directions on one
of the main highways. The flyover facilitates the traffic flow in the directions of the
bridge, but the infrastructure cannot fully solve all of the problems especially on the
secondary road. Under the bridge, although it relieves the traffic congestion at the
intersection; the traffic signal still uses the same control as the “before” situation, that is
the fixed time control plan. With the flyover bridge in place, it was found that about 30-
35% of all traffic volumes diverted to the bridges, and time delay reduced by 30% over
the same period. This paper which is one part of the first author’s thesis, presents the
issues that still exist at the flyover-improved junction and makes suggestions to increase
the benefits of the flyover such as creating a new cycle and phase times and improving
the physical area under the bridge. The SIDRA software is used to determine the
appropriate fixed time plans, and using the process of Road Safety Inspection (RSI) to
audit the safety of the site and presents the improvements to the remaining problems.

REFERENCE:

1. Salatoom, N., Taneerananon, P. 2015. A study of a flyover-bridge - improved

intersection
ARTICLE 9: Assessment of environmental benefits of flyover construction over
signalized junctions: A case study

In the present study, the impact of the flyover construction to curb traffic congestion
problem has been assessed in terms of traffic decongestion, time saving, fuel saving
and emission reduction. A flyover has also been constructed over four signalized
junctions in the main commercial area in Nagpur city, India. It was found that about 35%
of the total traffic is diverted to the flyover, which results in a reduction of about 32% in
the total emission generation. Travel on the flyover resulted in as much as 60-70%
saving in time, compared to the travel on the main road, particularly when all the four
signals are found to be in the red phase. The loss of fuel for combustion and the
associated cost resulting from waiting for the signal to change are also estimated, and
these are found to be significant.

REFERENCE:

1. Goyal, S. K., Goel, S. G., 2008. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 148(1-

4):397-408
ARTICLE 10: A STUDY ON FLYOVER CONSTRUCTION WITH ECOTECHNICAL
ROAD SYSTEM
Our project deals with planning and proposal of a flyover at Kallumthazham which is
located at the heart of Kollam , Kerala and will become the center of attraction by the
coming of Kollam bypass. This place is one of the most accident prone areas in the city.
To reduce the traffic congestion at the region, a flyover connecting the bypass in the
Mevaram-Kavanad side of Kollam city is proposed. The flyover at the region is
introduced using echo-technic road system. Echo- technic road system is mainly
focused on move towards a green infrastructure. It is a concept of an integrated
infrastructure based on the most innovative technologies adopted inorder to control
global air pollution due to traffic as well as water logging on road surfaces. These
technologies can hence promote smooth transportation at the junction with reduced
accident rates. As for air quality treatment, the main solution is the treatment of
pollutants as close to the sources as possible. Therefore photo catalytic materials can
be added to the surface of pavement and building material. The pollutants are
neutralized by the action of light and then gets washed away by rain. Hence air pollution
due to traffic can be controlled. Particles get charged and then grounded which can be
cleaned periodically. For the successful completion of the project, we have mainly
conducted the site survey and feasibility study of the region. Also; both traffic and
rainfall data were collected. We further conducted tests for controlling air pollution and
also for water absorption. For water controlling measurements, pavements with filtering
type nature is to be provided. To prevent water logging, the pavements should be laid
with permeable layers which act as a water absorbing or filtration unit beneath the top
layer and hence the water will not be accumulated as such on the road surface.
REFERENCE:

1. Vijayan et Al. (2018). A STUDY ON FLYOVER CONSTRUCTION WITH

ECOTECHNICAL ROAD SYSTEM
TOPIC 2: DIVERSION ROAD

ARTICLE1: The importance of preserving pavements

A simplistic definition of pavement preservation could be “keeping the good roads good”
or “taking care of our existing pavement assets.” Most people have heard the catch
phrase “right treatment on the right pavement at the right time.”
Pavement preservation is a major consideration of owners and managers of streets,
highways, parking lots and all types of pavements. The reason for this concern is that
our pavements are steadily deteriorating due to traffic, weather and time. This situation
is a big deal. According to the National Center for Pavement Preservation, “There are
nearly 4 million miles of paved public roads in the United States, valued at $1.75 trillion.”
Our U.S. roads and other pavements are a huge investment and are vital for moving
people and goods in an efficient manner. In order to better understand and apply
pavement preservation, this is the first in a series of articles in “ASPHALT” on the topic.
This piece gives an overview, including an explanation of what pavement preservation
is, a brief description of some of the types of treatments and information on resources
available to those interested in more details. Future articles will cover specific
preservation techniques.
There are many recognized techniques for preserving asphalt pavements, including:
• crack sealing and crack filling;
• fog seals and asphalt rejuvenators; 
• seal treatments – scrub, sand, chip, and cape;
• slurry seal and micro-surfacing; and
• overlays – thin, ultra-thin, and bonded wearing courses.

REFERENCES:
[1] Dwight Walker, P.E. , contributing editor for ASPHALT magazine and is a consulting
engineer specializing in asphalt materials, construction and preservation.
ARTICLE2: Design of Road Pavement Using Recycled Aggregate

The presented article gives special attention to codified or systematized clauses of the
road construction law, the relevant clauses of the standards and technical regulations to
design and control the quality of recycled aggregate constructions.
The article also presents the authors' suggestions to design of earth constructions and
pavements of roads according to the Slovak technical standards, technical regulations
and objectively determined results of research and development of road infrastructure.
The article presents a comparison of the mechanical characteristic’s measurements of
the structural layers of road pavements built from the recycled and natural aggregate. It
also presents correlation functions of results obtained from in situ and in laboratory CBR
(Californian Bearing Ratio) measuring, representing the world's most widely used
control method of bearing capacity of mentioned construction layers.

REFERENCES:
1. EN ISO 9000 (01 0300): 2016 Quality management systems. Fundamentals and
vocabulary (ISO 9000:2015) Google Scholar
2. Decký M., Remišová E. et al 2015 In situ Determination of Load Bearing Capacity of
Soils on the Airfields Procedia Earth and Planetary Science, Procedia Earth and
Planetary Science 15 11-18 In 1878-5220 CrossrefGoogle Scholar
[3]Decký M., Remišová E., Kováč M. and Zgútová K. 2015 Bearing capacity
objectification of the earth structures of airfields using in labo and in situ CBR
measurements International journal of Advances in Engineering Research (IJAER) 10
73-80 In 2231-5152 254-1796
ARTICLE3: Impact of Rigid Pavements with the asphalt-concrete wearing
course on road performance and traffic safety

The article presents basic parameters of road pavements, affecting performance of

motor roads and traffic safety. Current design loads on the structure, peculiarities of
their influence on the wearing course are given. Pavement repair technologies,
influence of various wearing course defects on the accident rate are described.
Prospects and advantages of rigid pavement with asphalt concrete wearing course are
provided with regard to traffic safety improvement.
As economy develops, transport flows on motor roads and highways increase. As a
result, to an increase in loads on the pavement structure. Ever-increasing loads
represent one of the causes of pavement damage and deformation, deterioration of
pavement performance.
Road pavement is one of the main factors affecting traffic safety. Therefore, its structure
shall provide the required technical characteristics during the entire design service life.
Non-observance of the requirements to road pavements leads to an increase in the
number of accidents. The purpose of the study is to determine a dependence of traffic
safety on the road pavement structure and wearing course condition, as well as to
define a method of accident rate decrease by means of various engineering solutions.
Basic road performance indicators (Dan et al., 2017) are as follows:
1. speed ensured by road conditions
2. traffic convenience and safety
3. traffic capacity and level of congestion
4. allowable axial load
5. total mass of cars
6. ergonomic, aesthetic and environmental properties of the road
The application (arrangement) of rigid pavements with the asphalt-concrete wearing
course will significantly improve wearing course performance, increase traffic safety,
convenience and comfort.

REFERENCES:
1. Dan et al. (2017). Experimental investigation on skid resistance of asphalt pavement
under various slippery conditions. International Journal of Pavement Engineering, 6(18),
485–499. https://doi.org/10.1080/10298436.2015.1095901.

2. Deja, J., 2011. Polish experiences in concrete roads construction. Alitinform5-6 (22),
53–67. Ekblad, J., Lundström, R., 2018. Causes of rutting in flexible and semi-rigid test
sections after 14 years of service. International Journal of Pavement Engineering 4(19),
878–897. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680629.2017.1281151

[4]Gokhman, L., 2015. Increase in time between repairs. Avtomobilniye Dorogi 5(1002).
ARTICLE 4: DPWH Construction of Angono-Antipolo Diversion Road Underway
A diversion road that cuts travel time from Angono to Antipolo is under construction,
the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said Wednesday.
“[The] construction of a diversion road that will reduce travel time from Angono to
Antipolo is in full swing,” Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar said in a
statement.

Citing a report from DPWH Regional Office 4-A Director Samson Hebra, Villar said
the diversion road is expected to decongest traffic in the Municipality of Taytay and
along Manggahan Floodway which are the frequent routes of motorists going to the
inner towns of Rizal Province.

The road, Villar added, spans 6.97 kilometers and covers Barangay San Isidro in
Angono to Barangay Mahabang Parang near the boundary of Angono and Antipolo.
The construction of the project was divided into three packages.

“Going in and out of Rizal will soon be traffic jam-free with the completion of this
project. Packages A and B of the four-lane bypass road now have a significant
accomplishment, with a 49.5 percent and 45.08 percent completion rate,
respectively,” Villar said, noting that the Package C of the road project, which has
an approved allocation of P150 million, will start soon.

A portion of the road about a kilometer long was completed in 2018. With total
funding of P122 million covered by the 2018 DPWH Regular Infrastructure program,
packages A and B of the bypass road are expected to be completed in June this
year.

REFERENCE:

1. Unite, B. 2020. DPWH: Construction of Angono-Antipolo Diversion Road underway 

ARTICLE 5: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Traffic Diversion and Managed Lanes
on Highway Work Zones

Highway repair and maintenance projects (e.g. deck replacement, resurfacing, joint
repairs, utility works, etc.) occupy the road and disrupt traffic operations, which increase
delays because of reduced capacity.
The vehicle miles travelled has far exceeded the addition of new lane miles to the
Highway System. Therefore, extending the useful life of the existing system of roads by
optimizing the capacity utilization is becoming more imperative. Temporary work zones
(TWZs) have become the second largest contributor to the non-recurring delay of U.S.
highways, which caused nearly 24 % of all nonrecurring delay and 10% of overall delay.

In addition to congestion impact, construction and maintenance operations on highways

also increase safety concerns to motorists, pedestrians, and workers. Efficient
management of traffic within a TWZ and its vicinity has the potential of increasing safety
and mobility benefits thereby reducing the total cost, including user and agency. The
development of a robust and accurate model is important to evaluate the impacts of
traffic diversion and managed lanes (i.e. the use of road shoulders) for mitigating
congestion
Temporary work zones (TWZs) have become the second largest contributor to the non-
recurring delay of U.S. highways, causing nearly 24 % of all non-recurring delay and 10
% of overall delay. Efficient traffic management in vicinity of a TWZ may greatly reduce
the total cost attributed to this delay, including user and agency costs. Therefore, it is
desirable to develop an accurate model to assist in evaluating the impact of traffic
diversion and managed lanes (i.e. the use of road shoulders) and alternatives for
mitigating congestion. The objective of this study is to develop a mathematical model
that can be used to quantify impacts of planned traffic diversion and managed lanes for
TWZs on multi-lane highways, considering prevailing road capacity, and time-varying
traffic volumes. The findings of this study would be useful in developing decision
support guidance on alternative strategy selection to mitigate traffic congestion caused
by a work zone

The research team conducted a comprehensive review of available literature relevant to

this study.

REFERENCES:
1. Bai, Y. and Li, Y. (2011), Determining the Drivers’ Acceptance of EFTCD in Highway
Work Zones, Accident Analysis and Prevention, Vol. 43, No. 3, pp. 762-768. Batson, R.
G., Turner, D. S., Ray, P. S.,
2. Bourne et al. (2010). Best Practices in Work Zone Assessment, Data Collection, and
Performance Evaluation. NCHRP Scan Team Report- Scan 08-04.
ARTICLE 6: Benefit evaluation analysis and simulation of road traffic diversion

Traffic diversion is an effective measure for alleviating road traffic congestion. The
theoretic analysis and simulation methods were proposed for evaluating the benefit of
road traffic diversion. The non-liner cost model was developed for estimating road
network travel time. A diversion benefit was deduced from the time-cost equations. The
impact factors and critical value were analyzed from the diversion benefit formula. The
microscopic traffic simulation software, Paramics, was used for the complicated
practical road network. The subroutine for modeling traffic diversion was developed and
validated by a case study.

REFERENCE:
1. Hu, M. –W. 2009. Benefit evaluation analysis and simulation of road traffic diversion
ARTICLE 7: Model of the Heavy Freight Vehicle's Running Speed Used for
Diversion Traffic Routes Determination

This paper describes the construction process of a discrete model of a heavy

truck running speed. The running speed calculation is based on the technical
parameters of the road (geometry, gradient, curves, etc.) and valid Czech legislation for
road designing. In this article, road factors influencing the final heavy freight vehicle's
running speed are presented as well. The main assumption is the fact that every heavy
vehicle moves on the road by speed allowed by the geometry of this road, road signs
and traffic flow characteristics (intensity, density or road capacity).
The main objective of this paper was to familiarize readers with the main factors
influencing the resulting velocity of the heavy freight vehicle (determinant vehicle for
road designing) as the most limiting factor of the entire traffic flow moving on the road
section. The contribution describes the individual parameters (characteristics) directly
affecting the freight vehicle driving speed. It is not only a legislative measure, but also a
design parameter of the road and the characteristics of the traffic flow, which are
described. As mentioned in chapters above, the text of the paper is based largely on [1],
in which the 7 MATEC Web of Conferences 134, 00017 (2017) DOI:
10.1051/matecconf/201713400017 LOGI 2017 whole issue is described in more detail
as part of the so-called analytical model for peer assessment of roads, expressed in
financial equivalence.
REFERENCE:

1. J. Hanzl. Determination of alternative routes of main roads in the event of

extraordinary and planned traffic constraints: dissertation (Czech Technical University in
Prague, Faculty of Transportation Engineering, Czech Republic, 2017)
ARTICLE 8: Traffic modelling in system boundary expansion of road pavement
life cycle assessment
This article uses a case study of a UK inter-urban road, to explore the impact of
extending the system boundary of road pavement life cycle assessment (LCA)to include
increased traffic emissions due to delays during maintenance. Some previous studies
have attempted this but have been limited to hypothetical scenarios or simplified traffic
modelling, with no validation or sensitivity analysis. In this study, micro-simulation
modelling of traffic was used to estimate emissions caused by delays at road works, for
several traffic management options. The emissions were compared to those created by
the maintenance operation, estimated using an LCA model. In this article, the extra
traffic emissions caused by delays at road works are relatively small, compared to those
from the maintenance process, except for hydrocarbon emissions. However, they are
generally close to, or above, the materiality threshold recommended in PAS2050 for
estimating carbon footprints, and reach 5–10% when traffic flow levels are increased
(hypothetically) or when traffic management is imposed outside times of lowest traffic
flow. It is recommended, therefore, that emissions due to traffic disruption at road works
should be included within the system boundary of road pavement LCA and carbon
footprint studies and should be considered in developing guidelines for environmental
product declarations of road pavement maintenance products and services.
This article has also explored the implication of extending the system boundary
of road pavement LCA, to also include the impacts of traffic disruption at road works.
The modelling used confirmed that the type, duration and timing of road works can
significantly affect the traffic disruption and associated emissions. This suggests that
LCA modelling of alternative TM arrangements might be used to reduce impacts during
road works. For this case study, increases in traffic levels result in an exponential
increase in emissions during roadworks due to the oversaturation and delay caused by
reduced capacity after the lane closure. This highlights the importance of considering
current traffic levels, and predictions of future traffic levels, in LCA of road pavements
which include traffic disruption during maintenance. Comparing emissions from traffic
disruption and those due to rehabilitation, for this case study, shows that those from
traffic disruption are relatively small, except for hydrocarbons (HC). While this case
study was chosen partly because its traffic levels are thought to be similar to many other
inter-urban roads in England, the exponential relationship found between traffic levels
and emissions during road works, means that even for less detailed LCA and carbon
footprint assessments at early design stages, traffic emissions during road works should
be included within the system boundary.
REFERENCE:
1.Galatioto F., et al. (2015), Traffic modelling in system boundary expansion of road
pavement life cycle assessment. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access
article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
ARTICLE 9: Diversion Potential at Road-Stream Crossings

We all know that roads are rarely designed and built that have no negative impacts on
streams. Roads modify natural drainage patterns and can increase hillslope erosion and
downstream sedimentation. Sediments from road failures at stream crossings are
deposited directly into stream habitats and can have both on-site and off-site effects.
These include alterations of the channel pattern or morphology, increased bank erosion
and changes in channel width, substrate composition, and stability of slopes adjacent to
the channels. All of these changes result in important biological consequences that can
affect the entire stream ecosystem. Road-stream crossing failures have direct impacts.
The physical consequences of exceeding the capacity of stream crossings in wildland
environments usually depends on the degree of exceedance, crossing fill volume, fill
characteristics, soil characteristics, and the flow path of overflowing stream discharge.
This paper examines the last determinant, the flow path of overflowing water and
associated load. Stream crossings frequently have the potential to divert streams from
their channel if the capacity of the crossing structure is exceeded. Road-stream
crossings with diversion potential typically pose much greater overall risks than those
without diversion potential. Designing roads to avoid diversion potential is
straightforward, and remediating existing crossings to correct diversion potential is
usually inexpensive. This paper discusses the physical effects of diversion potential,
and provides design considerations for remediation of existing crossings that have
diversion potential
Road-stream crossings present risks to water quality and to aquatic and riparian
habitats. Therefore, crossing design must consider not only capacity but the potential
erosional consequences of failure as well. Stream diversion at road-stream crossings,
when overtopping flows leave their natural channel, represents an unnecessarily large
potential erosional consequence. Eliminating diversion potential at road-stream
crossings is typically inexpensive and straightforward. By keeping overtopping flows in
their natural channel, large erosional and depositional consequences can be minimized,
reducing adverse impacts to water quality and to aquatic and riparian habitats.

References
1. Alpert et al. 1995. “Role of fluvial hillslope erosion and road construction in the
sediment budget of Garret Creek, Humboldt County, California.” In: Geomorphic
Processes and Aquatic Habitat in the Redwood Creek Basin, Northwestern California.
K. M. Nolan, H. M. Kelsey, and D. C. Marron, eds. U.S. Geological Survey Professional
Paper #1454. pp. M1-M9.
2. Furniss, M. J., T. D. Roelofs, and C. S. Yee. 1991. “Road construction and
maintenance.” In: Influences of Forest and Rangeland Management. Meehan, W. R. ed.
Bethesda, Maryland: American Fisheries Society Special Publication 19. pp. 297-324.
ARTICLE 10: Review of road traffic control strategies

Transportation has always been a crucial aspect of human civilization, but it is only in
the second half of the last century that the phenomenon of traffic congestion has
become predominant due to the rapid increase in the number of vehicles and in the
transportation demand in virtually all transportation modes.

Traffic congestion in urban road and freeway networks leads to a strong degradation of
the network infrastructure and accordingly reduced throughput, which can be countered
via suitable control measures and strategies. After illustrating the main reasons for
infrastructure deterioration due to traffic congestion, a comprehensive overview of
proposed and implemented control strategies is provided for three areas: urban road
networks, freeway networks, and route guidance. Selected application results, obtained
from either simulation studies or field implementations, are briefly outlined to illustrate
the impact of various control actions and strategies. The paper concludes with a brief
discussion of future needs in this important technical area.

REFERENCES:
1.  "Automatic control methods in traffic and transportation" in Operations Research and
Decision Aid Methodologies in Traffic and Transportation Management, New
York:Springer-Verlag, pp. 46-83, 1998.
 
2. G. Abu-Lebdeh and R. F. Benekohal, Development of traffic control and queue
management procedures for oversaturated arterials, pp. 119-127, 1997.

3. R. B. Allsop, "SIGSET: A computer program for calculating traffic capacity of signal-
controlled road junctions", Traffic Eng. Control, vol. 12, pp. 58-60, 1971.
Topic 3: Vulnerability of baranggay Opol's water table to salt water intrusion.

ARTICLE 1: Impact of Sea-Level Rise on Sea Water Intrusion in Coastal Aquifers

Despite its purported importance, previous studies of the influence of sea-level rise on
coastal aquifers have focused on specific sites, and a generalized systematic analysis
of the general case of the sea water intrusion response to sea-level rise has not been
reported. In this study, a simple conceptual framework is used to provide a first-order
assessment of sea water intrusion changes in coastal unconfined aquifers in response
to sea-level rise. Two conceptual models are tested: flux-controlled systems, in which
ground water discharge to the sea is persistent despite changes in sea level, and head-
controlled systems, whereby ground water abstractions or sur-face features maintain
the head condition in the aquifer despite sea-level changes. The conceptualization
assumes steady-state conditions, a sharp interface sea water-fresh water transition
zone, homogeneous and isotropic aquifer properties, and constant recharge. In the
case of constant flux conditions, the upper limit for sea water intrusion due to sea-level
rise (up to 1.5 m is tested) is no greater than 50 m for typical values of recharge,
hydraulic con-ductivity, and aquifer depth. This is in striking contrast to the constant
head cases, in which the magnitude of saltwater toe migration is on the order of
hundreds of meters to several kilometers for the same sea-level rise. This study has
highlighted the importance of inland boundary conditions on the sea-level rise impact. It
identifies combinations of hydrogeologic parameters that control whether large or small
salt water toe migration will occur for any given change in a hydrogeologic variable.
The physical controls and quantitative bounds on expected sea water intrusion
behavior under sea-level rise have not been explicitly articulated in previous studies but
are implied by the physics and mathematical representation of the sharp interface sea
water intrusion problem. Itis readily apparent from the results presented here that the
conceptual approach employed (constant head or constant flux) has a major impact on
the results. Indeed, our analysis highlights that flux-controlled systems are associated
with minimum sea water intrusion as a result of sea-level rise and that head-controlled
systems are associated with maximum sea water intrusion as a result of sea-level rise.
In the case of constant flux conditions, the upper limit for sea water intrusion due to sea-
level rise (up to1500 mm) is no greater than 50 m for typical values of recharge,
hydraulic conductivity, and aquifer depth. This is in striking contrast to the constant head
cases, in which the magnitude of salt water toe migration is on the order of hundreds of
meters to in excess of a kilometer for the same sea-level rise. Our sensitivity analysis
work identifies conditions under which major changes in the saltwater toe are incurred
for very small changes in key hydrogeologic variables. In physical terms, these
conditions are invoked as the steady-state toe position approaches the location of the
ground water table mound. Thus, the quantification of the position of the toe relative to
any recharge-dependent water table mounding should be considered in sea water
intrusion assessments that consider the effect of sea-level rise.
REFERENCE:
1. Werner AD., Simmons CT.,- Groundwater, 2009 - Impact of Sea-Level Rise on Sea
Water Intrusion in Coastal Aquifers. Wiley Online Library
ARTICLE 2: GIS-based water quality index of marine water along residential,
commercial and recreational areas in Opol, Misamis oriental, Philippines

This study dealt with the application of Geographic Information System (GIS) vis a vis
water quality index of marine water ecosystem in Opol, Misamis Oriental. Specifically,
this study aimed on establishing GIS maps on wide range distribution of
physicochemical parameters of water, determining the physicochemical parameters of
water along residential, commercial and recreational areas and comparing the values of
physicochemical to the standards set by Department of Environment and Natural
Resources Philippines. There were three sampling stations categorized as residential,
commercial and recreational areas and sampling was conducted within three months
during Amihan in the Philippines.
Opol, Misamis Oriental is a coastal area which is considered as one of the fastest
growing municipalities as identified by LGU 2015. It is being surrounded by a public
market, business establishments and residential areas. Human activity is considered
one of many things that may cause destruction in most aquatic ecosystems. Apart from
this, the growing population considers a big part in increasing humans’ needs, which
may in turn, cause a great impact to the changes in aquatic ecosystem.
Furthermore, the application of Geographic Information System (GIS) on water quality
of the marine water requires not only on the investigation of water pollution but also to
This are the objectives of the article; (i) establish GIS maps on wide range distribution of
physicochemical parameters of water, (ii) determine the physicochemical parameters of
water along residential, commercial and recreational areas, (iii) compare the values of
physicochemical to the standards set by DENR Administrative Order no. 34 (DAO 34) in
the Philippines and (iv) draw-out intervention for a sustainable and environment friendly
marine water ecosystem.
Geographic Information System is an effective tool to asses an area for possible marine
ecosystem studies and baseline tool for generating maps on the distribution of species,
that will be used for future conservation and protection of area. Although, residential
area was commonly known to have contributed primarily on the increased values of the
result due to human activities, ordinances and penalties of the municipality gave the
locals a mindful implementation on the improper and segregation of waste disposal
along the coastal area.

REFERENCE:
1. Ahuja S. (Ed.). 2014. Water Reclamation and Sustainability Elsevier.

2. Barange M, Perry RI. 2009. Physical and ecological impacts of climate change
relevant to marine and inland capture fisheries and aquaculture. Climate change
implications for fisheries and aquaculture,
3. Bodungen BV, Turner K. 2001. Sciene and integrated coastal management. Dahlem
Workshop Report. Dahlem University Press, Berlin
ARTICLE 3: Vulnerability Assessment of Coastal Community Stakeholders in the
Municipality of Bacnotan, La Union, Philippines

This article assessed the vulnerability of coastal community stakeholders of Bacnotan,

La Union, Philippines from natural hazards caused by climate change. It utilized
descriptive survey method with the use of structured questionnaire. Seven coastal
barangays of the municipality were taken as study sites with a total of 105 respondents
serving as purveyor of the study. Purposive sampling was used in the determination of
the respondents. The results of the study determined that the coastal communities in
the municipality of Bacnotan are vulnerable to flooding and storm surges during
typhoons and heavy rains. However, mitigating measures such as structural measures,
establishment of community response team and planting of vegetation are implemented
to reduce the risks brought by the natural disasters. The effects of natural disasters are
felt by the community stakeholders and regarded these as events that brought much
serious effects. There are problems encountered during and after a disaster which are
considered moderately serious by the community stakeholders.

The coastal community stakeholders particularly fishermen in the Municipality of

Bacnotan, La Union, Philippines were found vulnerable to natural disasters such as
floods and storm surges during typhoons and heavy rains. Mitigating measures such as
structural measures, establishment of community response team and planting of
vegetation are implemented to reduce the risks brought by natural disasters. There is a
moderately serious effect of these natural disasters to them.
REFERENCES:

1. Bates B.C., Kundzewicz Z.W., Wu S. and Palutikof J.P., 2008, Climate Change and
Water: Technical Paper of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC
Secretariat, Geneva.

2. Bathi J.R., Das H.S., 2016, Vulnerability of coastal communities from storm surge
and flood disasters, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health,
13(2), 239.

3. Capili E.B., Ibay A.C.S., Villarin J.R.T., 2005, Climate change impacts and adaptation
on Philippine coasts, Proceedings of the International Oceans Conference, September
19-23, Washington D.C, USA.
ARTICLE 4: Assesment Of Coasta Vulnerability To Sea Level Rise Of Bolinao,
Pangasinan Using Remote Sensing And Geographic Information Systems

In this article a number of studies assessing the vulnerability of Southeast Asia to

climate change have classified the Philippines as one of the vulnerable countries in the
region. Bolinao, Pangasinan is a municipality located in northwestern Luzon, situated in
the west ern part of the Lingayen Gulf and is bounded on the north and west by the
South China Sea (West Philippine Sea). Recent studies have verified the varying trends
in sea level across the South China Sea, which is considered as one of the largest,
semi-enclosed marginal seas in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Three barangays were
included in the study: Luciente , Concordia and Germinal. The Socioeconomic
Vulnerability Index (SVI) was computed based on population, age, gender, employment,
source of income and household size, which were gathered through a qualitative survey
in the selected barangays. The Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI) described the physical
vulnerability of these coastal communities based on recorded sea level anomalies and
significant wave heights of multiple satellite altimetry missions, coastal topography
derived from the 25-m SRTM digital elevation model (DEM), bathymetry from
WorldView-2 and additional elevation data from terrestrial laser scanning surveys. The
research utilized merged satellite altimetry data downloaded from the Radar Altimetry
Database System (RADS), which covered the period from 1991-2010. The SVI and CVI
were calculated and evaluated in ArcGIS. The SVI and CVI were integrated to
determine the Total Vulnerability Index (TVI), which characterized the vulnerability of the
three barangays in five classes, from very low to very high vulnerability.
The surveys carried out in the study area have verified the potential risks to future sea
level rise of the coastal communities located in the three barangays. The susceptibility
of these communities to the possible effects of sea level rise extends to their properties
and livelihood. The experience-based data can provide researchers with additional
information that are not available. The merged data obtained from several altimetry
missions provide an effective scheme of analyzing sea level variations over a long
period of time. Comparison of the altimetry data with the tide gauge records can provide
further information on sea level variability.

REFERENCES:

1. Capili, E. B., Ibay, A. S., & Villarin, J. R. T. (2005). Climate Change Impacts and
Adaptation on Philippine Coasts. Oceans, 3, 2299-2306.

2. Church et Al. (2008). Understanding global sea levels: past, present and future.
Sustainability Science, 3, 9-22.
ARTICLE 5: Evaluating the effects of land-use change and future climate change
on vulnerability of coastal landscapes to saltwater intrusion
The exposure of freshwater-dependent coastal ecosystems to saltwater is a present-
day impact of climate and land-use changes in many coastal regions, with the potential
to harm freshwater and terrestrial biota, alter biogeochemical cycles and reduce
agricultural yields. Land-use activities associated with artificial drainage infrastructure
(canals, ditches, and drains) could exacerbate saltwater exposure. However, studies
assessing the effects of artificial drainage on the vulnerability of coastal landscapes to
saltwater exposure are lacking. We examined the extent to which artificial drainage
infrastructure has altered the potential for saltwater intrusion in the coastal plain of
eastern North Carolina. Regional spatial analyses demonstrate that artificial drainages
not only lower the overall elevation in coastal landscapes, but they also alter the routing
and concentration of hydrological flows. Together, these factors have the potential to
increase the total proportion of the landscape vulnerable to saltwater intrusion, not only
in areas adjacent to drainage infrastructure but also in places where no artificial
drainages exist due to large scale effects of flow rerouting. Among all land cover types
in eastern North Carolina, wetlands are most vulnerable to saltwater exposure.
Droughts and coastal storms associated with climate change potentially exacerbate
vulnerability to saltwater facilitated by artificial drainage.
In this study, we showed that artificial drainages not only increased the drainage density
of the landscape but also altered flowpaths in ways that reduce the ability of freshwater
flows to counter the effects of saltwater intrusion. Even in areas that lacked local
artificial drainages, hydrologic flows were affected due to the large-scale nature and
connectivity of flow networks. Together, these alterations to the landscape increased
the overall vulnerability of our study region to saltwater intrusion, which we quantified
using the spatially explicit saltwater intrusion vulnerability index. Vulnerability to
saltwater intrusion following artificial drainage increased more for palustrine and
estuarine wetlands than for agriculture, forest and shrub land cover types. We show
how sea level rise, continued infrastructure development and drought all have the ability
to stress the coastal landscape by increasing the vulnerability of the region to saltwater
intrusion.

REFERENCE:

1. A Bhattachan, et al, (2018). Evaluating the effects of land-use change and future
climate change on vulnerability of coastal landscapes to saltwater intrusion -
elementascience.org
ARTICLE 6: Landscape-Level Consequences of Rising Sea-Level on Coastal
Wetlands: Saltwater Intrusion Drives Displacement and Mortality in the Twenty-
First Century

Coastal wetlands are shrinking rapidly due to land-use activities. Accelerated

sea-level rise (SLR) associated to the warming climate is also affecting coastal
wetlands, particularly in islands with limited coastal plains. We analyzed coastal wetland
changes in Puerto Rico by applying the Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model under two
scenarios by 2100. We also analyzed mortality and recruitment in a freshwater swamp
dominated by the tree Pterocarpus officinalis Jacq. in the context of landscape
saltwater-intrusion and drought. Our results indicate mangroves and estuarine water
would replace the areas currently covered by other saltwater and freshwater wetlands,
and saltmarsh would encounter the most relative loss among wetland types. A moderate
SLR of 1 m by 2100 allows expansion of mangroves but would decrease saltmarsh and
freshwater wetlands. A 2-m SLR would decrease the distributions of all vegetated
wetlands, mostly replaced by estuarine water. In the P. officinalis forest, saltwater-
intrusion and drought increased tree mortality during 2003–2015 compared to 1994–
2003. Saltwater intrusion had a more significant negative effect on tree recruitment than
on mortality in this Pterocarpus forest. Coastal wetlands are facing challenges to their
persistence at current locations due to accelerated SLR, limited coastal lands, and a
modified hydrological regime.

REFERENCES:

1. Acevedo M, Aide TM (2008) Bird community dynamics and habitat associations in

karst, mangrove and Pterocarpus forest fragments in an urban zone in Puerto Rico.
Caribbean Journal of Science 44:402–416 Google Scholar

2. Álvarez-López M (1990) Ecology of Pterocarpus officinalis forested wetlands in

Puerto Rico. In: Lugo AE, Brinson MM, Brown S (eds) Ecosystems of the world 15:
forested wetlands. Elsevier Science Publishers B. V, Amsterdam, pp 251–265

3. Bâ AM, Rivera-Ocasio E (2015) Genetic diversity and functional traits of Pterocarpus

officinalis Jacq. Associated with symbiotic microbial communities in Caribbean swamp
forests in relation to insular distribution, salinity and flooding. Wetlands 35:433–442
ARTICLE 7: Applications of network analysis for adaptive management of
artificial drainage systems in landscapes vulnerable to sea level rise

The vulnerability of coastal landscapes to sea level rise is compounded by the existence
of extensive artificial drainage networks initially built to lower water tables for agriculture,
forestry, and human settlements. These drainage networks are found in landscapes with
little topographic relief where channel flow is characterized by bi-directional movement
across multiple time-scales and related to precipitation, wind, and tidal patterns. The
current configuration of many artificial drainage networks exacerbates impacts
associated with sea level rise such as salt-intrusion and increased flooding. This
suggests that in the short-term, drainage networks might be managed to mitigate sea
level rise related impacts. The challenge, however, is that hydrologic processes in
regions where channel flow direction is weakly related to slope and topography require
extensive parameterization for numerical models which is limited where network size is
on the order of a hundred or more kilometers in total length. Here we present an
application of graph theoretic algorithms to efficiently investigate network properties
relevant to the management of a large artificial drainage system in coastal North
Carolina, USA. We created a digital network model representing the observation
network topology and four types of drainage features (canal, collector and field ditches,
and streams). We applied betweenness-centrality concepts (using Dijkstra’s shortest
path algorithm) to determine major hydrologic flow paths based off of hydraulic
resistance. Following this, we identified sub-networks that could be managed
independently using a community structure and modularity approach. Lastly, a
betweenness-centrality algorithm was applied to identify major shoreline entry points to
the network that disproportionately control water movement in and out of the network.
We demonstrate that graph theory can be applied to solving management and
monitoring problems associated with sea level rise for poorly understood drainage
networks in advance of numerical methods.
The aim of this paper is to examine the benefits of updating soil moisture of a distributed
rainfall runoff model in forecasting large floods. The updating method uses
Ensemble Kalman Filter concepts and involves an iterative similarity approach that
avoids calculation of the Jacobian that relates the states and the observations. The soil
moisture is updated based on observed runoff in a real-time mode, and is then used as
an initial condition for the flood forecasts.
REFERENCES:

1. Giuseppe, Mendicino, Alfonso (2008) Senatore Pasqual Versace Dipartimento di

Difesa del Suolo, Università della Calabria, Ponte Pietro Bucci, Cubo 41b, 87036
Arcavacata di Rende (CS), Italy.
ARTICLE 8: How to Define Priorities in Coastal Vulnerability Assessment

Awareness of coastal landscapes vulnerability to both natural and man-made hazards

induce to monitor their evolution, adaptation, resilience and to develop appropriate
defence strategies. The necessity to transform the monitoring results into useful
information is the motivation of the present paper. Usually, to this scope, a coastal
vulnerability index is deduced, by assigning ranking values to the different parameters
governing the coastal processes. The principal limitation of this procedure is the
individual discretion used in ranking. Moreover, physical parameters are generally
considered, omitting socio-economic factors. The aim of the present study is to
complement a geographical information system (GIS) with an analytical hierarchical
process (AHP), thus allowing an objective prioritization of the key parameters.
Furthermore, in the present case, socio-economic parameters have been added to
physical ones. Employing them jointly, an integrated coastal vulnerability index (ICVI)
has been estimated and its effectiveness has been investigated. To show how it works,
the proposed method has been applied to a portion of the Adriatic coastline, along the
Apulian region in southern Italy. It has permitted to identify and prioritize the most
vulnerable areas, revealing its efficacy as a potential tool to support coastal planning
and management.
The present study conducted has proposed an objective methodology to evaluate
coastal vulnerability based on some key parameters, both physical and socio-economic.
The procedure is based on the implementation of this data in a GIS and on the following
application of the analytical hierarchical process to derive the ranked weights for these
parameters. In the present application, the obtained weights have been used to
compute a physical index and a socio-economic index, successively joined into an
integrated coastal vulnerability index. A formulation different from the classical one has
been used to this scope and it has revealed even more satisfactorily. In fact, the study
has shown that the classical formulation underestimates the coastal vulnerability. The
new proposal has illustrated that the examined Adriatic Apulian coast is more vulnerable
to physical parameters than to human induced hazards. Particularly, a coastline length
of 6.0 km is very highly vulnerable (i.e., the 15% of the total coastline) especially in the
southern area, while a coastline length of 5.0 km (i.e., the 12.5% of the total length) has
a very low vulnerability especially in the northern area. The proposed procedure is quite
simple to implement, repeatable and general and allows to rapidly obtain vulnerability
maps for a ‘first look’ assessment. If compared with other more complete but also more
complex methodologies and models, it is much more feasible in providing tools to
prepare and respond to different impacts on people and settlements.

REFERENCES:
1. Pramanik, M.K.; Biswas, S.S.; Mondal, B.; Pal, R. Coastal vulnerability assessment of
the predicted sea level rise in the coastal zone of Krishna–Godavari delta region,
Andhra Pradesh, east coast of India. Environ. Dev. Sustain. 2016, 18, 1635–1655.
2. Feola, A.; Lisi, I.; Salmeri, A.; Venti, F.; Pedroncini, A.; Gabellini, M.; Romano, E.
Platform of integrated tools to support environmental studies and management of
dredging activities. J. Environ. Manag. 2016, 166, 357–373.

ARTICLE 9: Vulnerability to the effects of climate change and adaptation: The

case of the Spanish Ebro Delta

Climate change is widely recognized as serious threat along the coastal areas of the
Mediterranean Basin, where increased erosion patterns, decreased sediment
discharge, intensification of floods, saltwater intrusion and loss of biodiversity increase
vulnerability. These issues are of particular concern for the Ebro Delta. This article
examines the vulnerability of the Spanish Ebro Delta to climate change effects using
existing studies, projections, and interviews. The aim is to identify possible options for
climate change adaptation in order to moderate the vulnerability to problematic
conditions. The results show that to date human management has had a higher impact
on this area than climate change. It was also shown that the majority of interviewees
recommend the softest option for adaptation, the one that is most in harmony with the
nature.
Some of the highlights of this article is that it the majority of deltas are subjected to a
considerable amount of human impacts, Sea level rise is one of the most important
climate change effects, Human management has affected much more the delta area
than hydro-climatic factors, Most of the interviewees are in favour of preserving and
creating dunes.

REFERENCE:

1. Sandra et Al. (2012) ,a Autonomous University of Barcelona, Institute of

Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Building C, Campus UAB, 08193
Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Spain

ARTICLE 10: Assessing coastal wetland vulnerability to sea-level rise along the
northern Gulf of Mexico coast: Gaps and opportunities for developing a
coordinated regional sampling network.
Coastal wetland responses to sea-level rise are greatly influenced by biogeomorphic
processes that affect wetland surface elevation. Small changes in elevation relative to
sea level can lead to comparatively large changes in ecosystem structure, function, and
stability. The surface elevation table-marker horizon (SET-MH) approach is being used
globally to quantify the relative contributions of processes affecting wetland elevation
change. Historically, SET-MH measurements have been obtained at local scales to
address site-specific research questions. However, in the face of accelerated sea-level
rise, there is an increasing need for elevation change network data that can be
incorporated into regional ecological models and vulnerability assessments. In
particular, there is a need for long-term, high-temporal resolution data that are
strategically distributed across ecologically-relevant abiotic gradients. Here, we quantify
the distribution of SET-MH stations along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast (USA)
across political boundaries (states), wetland habitats, and ecologically-relevant abiotic
gradients. Our analyses identify areas with high SET-MH station densities as well as
areas with notable gaps. Due to rapid rates of wetland loss and relative sea-level rise,
the state of Louisiana has the most extensive SET-MH station network in the region,
and we provide several recent examples where data from Louisiana’s network have
been used to assess and compare wetland vulnerability to sea-level rise. Our findings
represent the first attempt to examine spatial gaps in SET-MH coverage across abiotic
gradients. Our analyses can be used to transform a broadly disseminated and
unplanned collection of SET-MH stations into a coordinated and strategic regional
network. This regional network would provide data for predicting and preparing for the
responses of coastal wetlands to accelerated sea-level rise and other aspects of global
change.
In the face of accelerated sea-level rise, there is an increasing need for elevation
change networks that can contribute data required for regional ecological models and
vulnerability assessments. For modeling and monitoring purposes, there is a need for
long-term data from SET-MH stations that are strategically distributed across
ecologically-relevant abiotic gradients at both local and regional scales. Collectively, our
analyses provide the basis for the development of a coordinated and strategic regional
elevation change network from the current unplanned collection of SET-MH stations.
The regional network would provide data for predicting and preparing for the responses
of coastal wetlands in the Gulf of Mexico region to accelerated sea-level rise and other
aspects of global change.

REFERENCES:
1. McKee K, Rogers K, Saintilan N. Response of salt marsh and mangrove wetlands to
changes in atmospheric CO2, climate, and sea level. In: Middleton BA, editor. Global
Change and the Function and Distribution of Wetlands: Global Change Ecology and
Wetlands. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer; 2012. p. 63–96.