Quantitative Estimates of Bio-Remodeling on Coastal Rock Surfaces

Testing A Methodology to Assess Fluctuations of Coastal Rocks Surface Temperature

The aim of this work is testing a cheap and user-friendly methodology suitable for studying temperature fluctuations of coastal rocks’ surfaces. An infrared thermometer was used, that permits a contactless measurement of the average surface temperature of a patch around a measuring point. Temperature was measured in an array of selected plots every 45 min from dawn to sunset in a 20 m2 study area along the rocky coast of Calafuria (NW Italy). During the experiment daily temperature in all plots was minimum at dawn and quickly reached its peak value shortly after sun culmination; subsequently, it underwent a small-gradient decrease until sunset. In connection with temporary sun-shading and wind gusts relevant short-term rock surface temperature fluctuations were recorded. Considering mean daily temperature in each plot, it proved to be positively correlated with distance from the shoreline. As regards daily temperature range, its amplitude progressively increased moving farther from the shoreline. The measuring points located where the rock is extensively covered by barnacles experience a temperature magnification effect, possibly due to a micro-greenhouse effect triggered by the production of carbon dioxide by this biota. The entity of measured daily temperature fluctuations is ca. one order of magnitude greater than air temperature fluctuations measured at the same elevation in the closest meteorological station. The results of this work highlight that the infrared thermometer is an effective tool to measure rock surface temperature along rocky coasts, capable of detecting temperature fluctuations more effectively than traditionally employed data loggers. Moreover, this work emphasizes the relevance of temporary sun-shading and wind gusts in triggering short-term rock surface temperature fluctuations, potentially capable of enhancing thermal fatigue and foster surface rock breakdown.

Influence Mechanism of Different Flow Patterns on the Softening of Red-Bed Soft Rock

As a typical representative of red beds, the softening and disintegration of red sandstone when it encounters water is an important cause of initiated engineering disasters. However, research on the softening of this kind of rock has mainly focused on the still water–rock interaction. There is still a lack of quantitative analysis and a mechanistic explanation for the basic experimental study of dynamic water–rock interactions. Therefore, based on the independently developed multifunctional open channel hydraulic test equipment, the still water was used as the reference by designing the saturation test of red sandstone under two typical flow patterns—laminar flow and turbulent flow—and combined with a three-dimensional numerical simulation; specifically, the chemical, physical and mechanical effects of different flow patterns on the softening of red sandstone are discussed, and the mechanism of the influence of different flow patterns on the softening of red sandstone was further revealed. The results show that under different flow patterns, as the flow of water increased, the alkalinity of the circulating solution became stronger, the speed of stabilization of the ion concentration became faster, the development of the microscopic structure of the corresponding rock became higher and the decrease in mechanical strength became greater. The flow state affects the processes of rock softening and breaking by acting on the rock from the three aspects of chemistry, physics and mechanics. The study makes up for the deficiency of the quantitative analysis index of rock softening under dynamic water conditions and further improves the influence mechanism of different flow patterns on soft rock softening in red beds under dynamic water conditions. This research also provides a specific method for the protection of estuarine and coastal bank slopes with rich red-bed soft rock dissection under different flow patterns.

Bioerosive and bioprotective role of barnacles on rocky shores

Bioerosion and bioprotection (bio-remodeling) is the action exerted by biota colonizing rocky shores. It represents an important component among processes responsible for shaping coastal landforms, and a clear evidence of interaction between the biosphere and the solid earth. Barnacles extensively colonize the midlittoral belt of rocky shores in the Mediterranean Basin. Previous research, mostly based on laboratory evidence, suggests that barnacles are bioprotectors, in that they protect the rock surface from different types of physical and chemical weathering. In this paper, we present the results of a field experiment carried out at different spatial scales at two study areas along the moderately energetic and microtidal coast of NW Italy. Barnacles were removed from the sandstone bedrock in replicated plots (manipulated plots) arranged according to a hierarchical spatial design. After four months rock hardness was tested on each plot with both Schmidt hammer and Equotip Piccolo devices, as well as on a corresponding number of control plots. Data were processed by means of a multifactorial analysis of variance (ANOVA). In control plots, rock hardness tested with Schmidt hammer exceeded that measured in previously manipulated plots. Testing with Equotip yielded the opposite results. This experimental evidence confirmed that barnacles play a bio-protective role in the midlittoral at sub-surficial level, while adding the key aspect that this effect is generalizable to spatial scales ranging from a few centimeters up to tens of kilometers. In addition, our results showed, for the first time, that at surface level they can simultaneously act as bioeroders, likely causing corrosion of the rock surface by fostering dissolution of the sandstone carbonate matrix.

Cool barnacles: Do common biogenic structures enhance or retard rates of deterioration of intertidal rocks and concrete?

Sedentary and mobile organisms grow profusely on hard substrates within the coastal zone and contribute to the deterioration of coastal engineering structures and the geomorphic evolution of rocky shores by both enhancing and retarding weathering and erosion. There is a lack of quantitative evidence for the direction and magnitude of these effects. This study assesses the influence of globally-abundant intertidal organisms, barnacles, by measuring the response of limestone, granite and marine-grade concrete colonised with varying percentage covers of Chthamalus spp. under simulated, temperate intertidal conditions. Temperature regimes at 5 and 10mm below the surface of each material demonstrated a consistent and statistically significant negative relationship between barnacle abundance and indicators of thermal breakdown. With a 95% cover of barnacles, subsurface peak temperatures were reduced by 1.59°C for limestone, 5.54°C for concrete and 5.97°C for granite in comparison to no barnacle cover. The amplitudes of short-term (15-30min) thermal fluctuations conducive to breakdown via 'fatigue' effects were also buffered by 0.70°C in limestone, 1.50°C in concrete and 1.63°C in granite. Furthermore, concentrations of potentially damaging salt ions were consistently lower under barnacles in limestone and concrete. These results indicate that barnacles do not enhance, but likely reduce rates of mechanical breakdown on rock and concrete by buffering near-surface thermal cycling and reducing salt ion ingress. In these ways, we highlight the potential role of barnacles as agents of bioprotection. These findings support growing international efforts to enhance the ecological value of hard coastal structures by facilitating their colonisation (where appropriate) through design interventions.