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#coastlines — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #coastlines, aggregated by home.social.

  1. 15-Jan-2026
    #Fossils reveal ‘latitudinal traps’ that increased #extinction risk for marine species

    Animals living on convoluted or east-west orientated #coastlines (such as those found in the Mediterranean and Gulf of Mexico today) were more likely to go extinct than those living on north-south orientated coastlines.

    eurekalert.org/news-releases/1

    #science #ecology #paleontology #climateChange

  2. Planning for cities with linear skylines

    Shown below are some of the cities around the globe that have linear skylines. While these can be visually impressive, especially when set as a backdrop against the coastline or mountains, they also can be challenging from a planning and infrastructure perspective, unless they are adapted properly to address this unique urban landform.

    World’s narrowest city of Yanjing, China – Source: amapnerd.com

    Bear in mind, that linear skylines are not just a coastal or narrow valley phenomenon. Las Vegas is perfect example of an inland city with a very linear skyline that resulted in part due to how the city developed as a desert oasis along a single major corridor. Other examples may result from topographic settings like narrow mountain valleys, river valleys, peninsulas, or islands.

    The length of linear skylines can tend to dissuade walking, as the distances between sites can be intimidating. Furthermore, if the focus is too concentrated, primary streets that run the length of the skyline, such as the Las Vegas Strip, can become overwhelmed by traffic and people.

    Traffic and people along the Las Vegas Strip – Source: nevadaappeal.com

    That is why it is important to have viable and efficient alternatives — light rail, buses, bicycling routes, trollies, or as Las Vegas has developed, a monorail line. Safe crossings of busy thoroughfares is also needed. As the image are shows, overpasses or tunnels for pedestrians may be necessary. Otherwise, crosswalks must be set up to allow time for safe movement across the avenues.

    In some ways, a linear design can be efficient when it comes to utilities, because they can be focused in a narrower area. However, they must constructed of sufficient size and scale to handle the concentrated needs for water, sewer, electricity, gas, etc. Otherwise, the streets and roads may be constantly torn up to increase capacity. Utility managers will also need to address verticality of the service area, to assure water pressure and other services are maintained at their highest levels.

    Another important factor to consider is public safety, particularly from fire-fighting and emergency response standpoints. By their very nature, linear skylines tend to be more dense and as a result taller. This is very evident from the photos provided below. How public safety services address the inherently denser and taller structures is critically important for assuring public safety is always a top priority for avoiding potential tragedies.

    Another factor to consider for tourist-oriented linear skyline is the variations between on and off-season. Any and all planning efforts will need to take this into account as the extent of impacts can fluctuate greatly over a calendar year.

    Neom – Source: dezeen.com

    What is likely to be the most linear (and perhaps vertical) skyline of them all is the controversial 106 mile long, new city of Neom being constructed in Saudi Arabia (see images above and below. How this project will eventually turn out and whether it will achieve the stated goals of livability and sustainability remains to be seen. If it is successful, it may be a defining development for the future. Otherwise, it could be a precautionary tale to avoid excepting very specialized circumstances.

    Inside Neom – Source: dezeen.com

    As has been noted throughout this post, linear skylines can have their challenges. How effectively these are addressed will help determine whether or not the infrastructure and services can meet the concentrated demand. At the same time, the opportunities are not quite as apparent. To this retired planner, ambitious individual developments that are overly lengthy or excessively vertical may not achieve their “lofty” goals. Similarly, it remains to be seen how efficient and effective such a narrow, dense and lengthy urban form can be.

    Peace!

    ——-

    Las Vegas, Nevada – centered along the Strip (Las Vegas Boulevard)

    Las Vegas – Source: paraisoisland.com

    Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia and other beachfront cities – centered along the beachfront

    Surfers Paradise – Source: kayak.com

    Balneário Camboriú, Brazil

    Balneário Camboriú – Source: en.wikipedia.org

    Miami Beach, Florida

    Miami Beach – Source: nationalgeographic.com

    Daytona Beach

    Daytona Beach – Source: touristauthority.com

    Virginia Beach, Virginia

    Virginia Beach – Source: southsidedaily.com

    Ocean City, Maryland

    Ocean City – Source: century21newhorizon.com

    Cancun, Mexico

    Cancun – Source: flipboard.com

    Grand Rapids, Michigan – the tallest buildings are centered along the Grand River

    Grand Rapids – Source: hopskipdrive.com

    Pikeville, Kentucky – a very unique linear “semi-circle” in the Appalachian Mountains.

    Pikeville – Source: reddit.com

    Danang, Vietnam – concentrated along both the river and along the coastline at My Khe Beach

    Danang – Source: danangprivatecar.com My Khe Beach in Danang – Source: baodanang.com

    #BalneárioCamboriú #Cancun #cities #coastlines #Danang #DaytonaBeach #downtown #geography #GrandRapids #history #landUse #LasVegas #linearSkylines #MiamiBeach #Neom #OceanCity #Pikeville #planning #skylines #SurfersParadise #topography #transit #transportation #travel #valleys #VirginiaBeach #walking #Yanjing

  3. Ocean spray emits more PFAS than industrial polluters, study finds

    Ocean waves crashing on the world’s shores emit more PFAS into the air than the world’s industrial polluters, new research has found, raising concerns about environmental contamination and human exposure along coastlines.

    The study measured levels of PFAS released from the bubbles that burst when waves crash, spraying aerosols into the air.

    It found sea spray levels were hundreds of thousands times higher than levels in the water.

    The contaminated spray likely affects groundwater, surface water, vegetation, and agricultural products near coastlines that are far from industrial sources of PFAS, said Ian Cousins, a Stockholm University researcher and the study’s lead author.

    “There is evidence that the ocean can be an important source [of PFAS air emissions],” Cousins said.
    “It is definitely impacting the coastline.”

    PFAS are a class of 15,000 chemicals used across dozens of industries to make products resistant to water, stains and heat.

    Though the compounds are highly effective, they are also linked to cancer, kidney disease, birth defects, decreased immunity, liver problems and a range of other serious diseases.

    They are dubbed “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down and are highly mobile once in the environment, so they continuously move through the ground, water and air.

    PFAS have been detected in all corners of the globe, from penguin eggs in Antarctica to polar bears in the Arctic.

    EPA has limited six ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water – but there are 15,000

    theguardian.com/environment/20

    #OceanSpray #PFAS #IndustrialPolluters #EnvironmentalContamination #HumanExposure #Coastlines #SeaSpray #Groundwater #SurfaceWater #Vegetation #AgriculturalProducts #ForeverChemicals #Cancer #KidneyDisease #BirthDefects #Immunity #LiverProblems #Antarctica #Arctic #TheGuardian