Hasil untuk "Harbors and coast protective works. Coastal engineering. Lighthouses"

Lei Zhu, Liang Gao, Tao Jiang et al.

Understanding the evolution of density stratification in estuaries is essential due to its significant impact on hydrodynamics and material transport processes. In this study, the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC) is employed to investigate the influence of suspended sediment on density stratification, as well as the resulting feedback effects on sediment dynamics and bed changes. To quantitatively assess the role of sediment-induced stratification, two model scenarios are conducted—one accounting for sediment's contribution to water density and the other excluding it. The Sanmen Bay in Zhejiang Province, China, where stratification is strongly influenced by the vertical distribution of sediment, is selected as the study area. During the neap tide, density stratification is governed by vertical salinity gradient, and the influence of sediment is negligible, as the vertical suspended sediment concentration (SSC) gradient is less than 0.01 kg/m4. While during the spring tide, the vertical SSC gradient increases significantly (approximately 0.1–0.2 kg/m4), leading to pronounced sediment-induced stratification, particularly in the bottom layer. When sediment-induced stratification is taken into account, both the magnitude and spatial extent of net sediment deposition increase, primarily due to a reduction in bottom shear stress. The decrease in bottom friction further leads to diminished turbulent mixing, which suppresses the upward diffusion of sediment. Consequently, reductions in both shear stress and turbulent diffusion contribute to a decrease in SSC due to sediment-induced stratification. The results demonstrate the importance of sediment-induced stratification in regulating sediment dynamics in high-turbidity circumstance.

Bhaswatee Baishya, Arup Kumar Sarma

Francesco Scarton, Roberto G. Valle

The Sacred Ibis <i>Threskiornis aethiopicus</i> is an invasive alien species (IAS) that has become established in many European countries. Because of its invasive status and its frequent interactions with native species, understanding the behavioural tolerance of this species to human disturbance is relevant for both conservation and management. Here, we analysed Flight Initiation Distances (FID) of <i>T. aethiopicus</i> recorded between 2012 and 2025 across the northern Adriatic coast. The dataset (<i>n</i> = 72) included approaches on foot and by boat in six habitat types (artificial saltmarshes, farmlands, brackish ponds, freshwater wetlands, saltmarshes, tidal flats). Mean FID was 41 m (SD = ± 24); it was affected mainly by group size, whereas habitat, season and approach mode had no clear effect. A cross-species analysis of mean FID versus body mass indicated that, for its size, <i>T. aethiopicus</i> has a much shorter FID than expected from the allometric relationship observed in 20 other waterbirds species for which FID was also collected (<i>n</i> = 1505) at the same sites. The results suggest partial habituation to anthropized environments and a limited flight response compared to native species. These findings may support management actions aimed at monitoring and controlling the expansion of the species while mitigating disturbance to native assemblages.

Richard K.F. Unsworth, Leanne C. Cullen-Unsworth, Emma Fox et al.

Near-shore marine habitats are well-documented as diverse and productive social-ecological systems; their degradation and loss have led to growing interest in marine restoration. However, the literature offers limited consideration of the interactions between these projects and stakeholders and local communities. We present a case study showing how a stakeholder engagement strategy ultimately led to the co-production of a marine restoration project among scientists, stakeholders and local communities. Alongside biological recovery, we present the complex social, logistical and ecological lessons learned through this stakeholder engagement strategy. Principally, these relate to how the success of the project hinged on the point at which the project was co-developed with the input of local communities and strategic stakeholders, rather than in a disconnected, independent manner. This project demonstrates that for marine restoration to truly be successful, projects need to engage and work with local people from the outset, through open and early stakeholder engagement and particularly with the people possibly impacted by its presence. Projects need to be created not just for ecological design but also to be relevant and beneficial to a wide range of people. What we show here is that co-producing a project with communities and stakeholders can be complex but lead to long-term sustainability and support for the project, with strong ecological outcomes. To achieve this requires an open and flexible approach. Finally, this work showcases how the restoration of marine habitats can be achieved within a social-ecological system and lead to benefits for people and the planet.

Huilan Zhang, Fangzheng Gu, Shaoqin Xia et al.

Understanding how bed roughness modulates hydrodynamic processes around vegetation is critical for predicting soil erosion patterns in sloped landscapes. Through flume experiments with high-frequency particle image velocimetry (PIV), this study quantifies the interactions between bed roughness (ks = 0.009, 0.25, 0.75, 1.55) and horseshoe vortex (HV) dynamics under overland flow conditions (ReD = 2627–3815). Time-averaged flow field analysis, based on vorticity and swirl strength methods, revealed that increasing surface roughness disrupted the HV system by reducing the number of vortices, decreasing the vorticity and swirl strength of the primary HV, and shifting its position closer to the bed. Statistical analysis of the instantaneous velocity components showed the emergence of bimodal probability density functions (PDFs) and joint probability density functions (JPDFs) in the near-wall region upstream of the cylinder, representing the backflow and downflow events. As roughness increased, the bimodal region decreased in size and shifted further from the cylinder. Linear stochastic estimation (LSE) was used to characterize the underlying flow modes, indicating that the backflow event was associated with the backflow mode, while the downflow event was linked to the zero-flow mode. Notably, roughness elements enhanced flow stagnation (zero-flow mode dominance > 60 %), suggesting a potential mechanism for erosion mitigation. These findings provide quantitative linkages between micro-scale hydrodynamics and landscape-scale erosion processes, informing the design of vegetation-based erosion control strategies through targeted roughness manipulation.

Ana B. M. Bett, Thais S. Nepomuceno, Edson OliveiraJr et al.

Context: The empirical software engineering (ESE) community has contributed to improving experimentation over the years. However, there is still a lack of rigor in describing controlled experiments, hindering reproducibility and transparency. Registered Reports (RR) have been discussed in the ESE community to address these issues. A RR registers a study's hypotheses, methods, and/or analyses before execution, involving peer review and potential acceptance before data collection. This helps mitigate problematic practices such as p-hacking, publication bias, and inappropriate post hoc analysis. Objective: This paper presents initial results toward establishing an RR template for Software Engineering controlled experiments using the Open Science Framework (OSF). Method: We analyzed templates of selected OSF RR types in light of documentation guidelines for controlled experiments. Results: The observed lack of rigor motivated our investigation of OSF-based RR types. Our analysis showed that, although one of the RR types aligned with many of the documentation suggestions contained in the guidelines, none of them covered the guidelines comprehensively. The study also highlights limitations in OSF RR template customization. Conclusion: Despite progress in ESE, planning and documenting experiments still lack rigor, compromising reproducibility. Adopting OSF-based RRs is proposed. However, no currently available RR type fully satisfies the guidelines. Establishing RR-specific guidelines for SE is deemed essential.

Paul Arthur Berkman

The 5th International Polar Year (IPY-5) in 2032–2033 represents an important next step in the legacy of the oldest continuous climate research program created by humanity, which intentionally began during a Solar Maximum with IPY-1 in 1882–1883, following the Little Ice Age. Current IPY-5 planning by the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) is “From IPY-4 to IPY-5” with scope since 2007–2008, considering relevant large-scale polar process, international activities and UN decades. Additionally, there are essential features to incorporate into IPY-5 planning with Indigenous knowledge as well as next-generation leadership along with international science connections across the United Nations, involving core integration of data system and Earth–Sun system research, which accelerated with the International Geophysical Year (IGY) in 1957–1958 that was renamed from IPY-3. As memorialized in the 1959 Antarctic Treaty: “the International Geophysical Year accords with the interests of science and the progress of all mankind.” Importantly, at the height of the Cold War with “forever” legacy, the 1959 Antarctic Treaty became the first nuclear arms agreement, applying science diplomacy among allies and adversaries alike based on “matters of common interest.” Recognizing current challenges to enable inclusive dialogues – especially in the Arctic – planning for IPY-5 is far enough into the future to be imaginative and hopeful but close enough to be practical, especially to produce synergistic outcomes that inspire and empower next-generation leaders across the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development from 2024 to 2033. Planning “From IPY-3 to IPY-5” – this invited Cambridge Prisms Perspective extends and amplifies the IASC-SCAR concept with its visionary principles – “striving for holistic, systemic, transdisciplinary research approaches” – for the benefit of all on Earth across generations.

Yanlu Qiao, Shuo Wang, Lingzhe Wang et al.

The symbiotic microbiome constitutes a consortium that has been persistently domesticated by a specific algal species, fostering a close and enduring association with the host. The majority of microbial taxa remain uncharacterized. These unknown microbes, often referred to as “microbial dark matter (MDM)”, have important ecological contributions. Given the challenges in discerning symbiotic microbes in natural environments, herein, ecological characteristics of MDM and known taxa within symbiotic communities were investigated in a simulated bloom process using <i>Alexandrium pacificum</i> without antibiotic treatment. Specifically, increased diversification was observed in MDM along the bloom process. Higher trophic interaction and less vulnerability of the molecular network were found in MDM taxa. The “bridge” role of MDM species was better than that of known taxa, as shown by higher betweenness centralization. Deterministic processes dominated in MDM taxa, which promote phylogenic diversity of such groups to some extent. The findings highlight that MDM taxa play an important role in sustaining community stability and functioning. This study broadens our understanding of the ecological contribution of MDM under disturbances from dinoflagellate blooms, providing essential theoretical insights and empirical data to inform the management of coastal toxic blooms.

Aoife Igoe, Iris Möller, Biswajit Basu

Coastal environments are highly dynamic, making monitoring of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) both challenging and essential. SSC serves as an indicator of coastal processes, storm impact, water quality and ecosystem service delivery. However, direct measurement of SSC is costly, logistically difficult and spatially limited. Although remote sensing offers a promising alternative by estimating SSC from surface reflectance, it requires calibration and is often constrained by site-specific applicability. This study presents a machine learning framework for national-scale SSC estimation using Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 imagery, calibrated with 147 in situ SSC samples. Several models were evaluated, with XGBoost yielding the best performance (R2 = 0.72, RMSE = 17 mg/L). SHapley Additive exPlanations values were used for model interpretability. Visible and infrared bands, along with geographic features, were identified as key predictors, reflecting the importance of coastal typology in shaping the SSC-reflectance relationship. The model’s value was demonstrated through a 10-year spatio-temporal analysis of SSC in Wexford Harbour. Seasonal patterns showed higher estuarine mixing in winter, while high SSC events coincided with rainfall and strong winds, indicating responsiveness to meteorological drivers. These findings highlight the potential of integrating remote sensing and machine learning for scalable, interpretable and cost-effective SSC monitoring.

Misagh Parhizkar, Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja, Pasquale Fabio Giuseppe Filianoti et al.

This study analyzed the effects of very intense rainfall (98 mm/h for 30 min) on soil left bare or treated with polyacrylamide, rice husk biochar and hydromulching. Rill morphometry, surface runoff and soil loss were measured in plots (100 cm × 50 cm) with three longitudinal slopes (10%, 17% and 28%). On the basis of these measurements, runoff and erosion were predicted via multiple linear equations for the experimental conditions. The effects of polyacrylamide application on surface runoff, soil loss and rill formation were not significant. In contrast, decreases in runoff generation and soil loss ((−40%)–55%) as well as rill widening and elongation ((−45%)–75%) were observed after the application of rice husk biochar and hydromulching. A multivariate statistical analysis revealed significant relationships among the soil hydrological, erosive and morphometric variables, as shown by coefficients of correlation greater than 0.78. Bare soils and plots treated with polyacrylamide on one side and those treated with rice husk biochar and hydromulching noticeably differ in their hydrological and morphological responses to intense rainfall. The multiple linear equations were accurate (R2 > 0.90) in predicting surface runoff and soil loss under all soil conditions. This study has several limitations (e.g., plot scale, simulated rainfall, and specific soil conditions). However, the results indicate the most suitable soil conservation techniques for specific rainfall intensities and conditions (excluding ecosystems subjected to deforestation). Moreover, this study provides multiple linear equations as hydrological tools to predict flood and erosion hazards in these areas.

Yan Wang, Kexin Miao, Jie Wang et al.

River and lake sediment is a crucial and sensitive area for the interaction between nature and human activities in the Earth's spheres. CiteSpace was applied to analyze the status quo of global river and lake sediment pollution management from 1983 to 2023. New ideas and application technologies for river and lake sediment pollution control were provided by tracking research hotspots and trends. The results indicated that the number of research papers increased rapidly approximately 2,000. Four productive teams were selected whose research focused on (1) the solidification and stabilization of contaminated sediment (team of Tsang, D.C.W., 2017–2020), (2) the adsorption and interception of persistent organic pollution (team of Cornelissen, G., 2008–2017), (3) the remediation of heavy metal pollution by novel nanomaterials (team of Zeng, G., 2016–2019), and (4) the remediation of heavy metal fields by plants (team of Tack, F.M.G., 2000–2005). In addition, interdisciplinary studies in this field are rare. Polychlorinated biphenyls, cadmium, copper, and other pollutants appeared successively, and the foregoing research tracks of pollutants reflect the development of industrial technology and changes in human lifestyles. Research on plant adsorption, microbial community degradation, and chemical fixation has exceeded the description of the physical and chemical properties of sediment pollutants. Since 2015, activated carbon, ecological risk, environmental change, and management have emerged. The current research highlights two new trends, namely, green environmental protection and environmental change, in terms of management risks in the fields of river and lake sediment pollution. This study contributes to an uplink sensing scheme for lake sediment pollution management in the future.

Phil J. Watson

This paper investigates the influence of back-to-back major hurricanes “Helene” and “Milton” which devastated south-eastern regions of the USA in 2024, and the extent to which associated storm surges influenced Extreme Value Analysis (EVA) of the long ocean water level record at Key West, Florida dating back to 1913. The highest recorded storm surge of 890 mm was recorded during a major hurricane event in October 1944, approximately 56 mm higher than the peak of the surge recorded at Key West during hurricane “Wilma” in 2005. Reanalysis of 2023 published EVA results for Key West indicate that despite the devastation of “Helene” and “Milton”, the super-elevation of the ocean water surface above Mean Sea Level (MSL) recorded at the Key West tidal facility during these hurricanes were at or below that which would be expected around once per annum. The timing and location of the peak of the storm surge with high predicted tides is no more than coincidental but remain the governing factors behind realizing record-breaking water levels over the historical record.

Lukas Herrmann, Ángel F. García-Fernández, Edmund F. Brekke et al.

Despite their theoretical advantages, track-before-detect (TBD) methods remain largely absent from real-world multi-target tracking applications due to their computational complexity and limited scalability. This paper presents a scalable hybrid tracking framework that combines a TBD multi-target tracking algorithm with a detection-based multi-target tracking algorithm for coastal radar surveillance. In particular, the approach uses an integrated existence Poisson histogram-probabilistic multi-hypothesis tracking (IE-PHPMHT)-based TBD module with a conventional Poisson multi-Bernoulli Mixture (PMBM) point tracker. The system processes raw radar data through land clutter suppression, cell-wise detection, and clustering-based feature extraction. High-threshold detections are used to track strong targets via the point tracker, while low-threshold detections are employed for adaptive birth in the TBD module, enabling early initiation and sustained tracking of weak or ambiguous targets. Validated using real X-band radar data from the Trondheim Fjord, Norway, the approach demonstrates robust multi-target tracking performance in a full-scale application with a large observation area under resource constraints, highlighting its suitability for operational deployment in complex maritime environments needed for coastal surveillance and to support autonomy.

Roham Koohestani, Philippe de Bekker, Begüm Koç et al.

Benchmarks are essential for unified evaluation and reproducibility. The rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence for Software Engineering (AI4SE) has produced numerous benchmarks for tasks such as code generation and bug repair. However, this proliferation has led to major challenges: (1) fragmented knowledge across tasks, (2) difficulty in selecting contextually relevant benchmarks, (3) lack of standardization in benchmark creation, and (4) flaws that limit utility. Addressing these requires a dual approach: systematically mapping existing benchmarks for informed selection and defining unified guidelines for robust, adaptable benchmark development. We conduct a review of 247 studies, identifying 273 AI4SE benchmarks since 2014. We categorize them, analyze limitations, and expose gaps in current practices. Building on these insights, we introduce BenchScout, an extensible semantic search tool for locating suitable benchmarks. BenchScout employs automated clustering with contextual embeddings of benchmark-related studies, followed by dimensionality reduction. In a user study with 22 participants, BenchScout achieved usability, effectiveness, and intuitiveness scores of 4.5, 4.0, and 4.1 out of 5. To improve benchmarking standards, we propose BenchFrame, a unified framework for enhancing benchmark quality. Applying BenchFrame to HumanEval yielded HumanEvalNext, featuring corrected errors, improved language conversion, higher test coverage, and greater difficulty. Evaluating 10 state-of-the-art code models on HumanEval, HumanEvalPlus, and HumanEvalNext revealed average pass-at-1 drops of 31.22% and 19.94%, respectively, underscoring the need for continuous benchmark refinement. We further examine BenchFrame's scalability through an agentic pipeline and confirm its generalizability on the MBPP dataset. All review data, user study materials, and enhanced benchmarks are publicly released.

Paloma Guenes, Rafael Tomaz, Bianca Trinkenreich et al.

Research shows that more than half of software professionals experience the Impostor Phenomenon (IP), with a notably higher prevalence among women compared to men. IP can lead to mental health consequences, such as depression and burnout, which can significantly impact personal well-being and software professionals' productivity. This study investigates how IP manifests among software professionals across intersections of gender with race/ethnicity, marital status, number of children, age, and professional experience. Additionally, it examines the well-being of software professionals experiencing IP, providing insights into the interplay between these factors. We analyzed data collected through a theory-driven survey (n = 624) that used validated psychometric instruments to measure IP and well-being in software engineering professionals. We explored the prevalence of IP in the intersections of interest. Additionally, we applied bootstrapping to characterize well-being within our field and statistically tested whether professionals of different genders suffering from IP have lower well-being. The results show that IP occurs more frequently in women and that the prevalence is particularly high among black women as well as among single and childless women. Furthermore, regardless of gender, software engineering professionals suffering from IP have significantly lower well-being. Our findings indicate that effective IP mitigation strategies are needed to improve the well-being of software professionals. Mitigating IP would have particularly positive effects on the well-being of women, who are more frequently affected by IP.

Georgi Markov, Jon G. Hall, Lucia Rapanotti

Many organisational problems are addressed through systemic change and re-engineering of existing Information Systems rather than radical new design. In the face of widespread IT project failure, devising effective ways to tackle this type of change remains an open challenge. This work discusses the motivation, theoretical foundation, characteristics and evaluation of a novel framework - referred to as POE-$Δ$, which is rooted in design and engineering and is aimed at providing systematic support for representing, structuring and exploring change problems of a socio-technical nature, including implementing their solutions when they exist. We generalise an existing framework of greenfield design as problem solving for application to change problems. From a theoretical perspective,POE-$Δ$ is a strict extension to its parent framework, allowing the seamless integration of greenfield and brownfield design to tackle change problems. A Design Science Research methodology was applied over a decade to define and evaluate POE-$Δ$, with significant case study research conducted to evaluate the framework in its application to real-world change problems of varying criticality and complexity. The results show that POE-$Δ$ exhibits desirable characteristics of a design approach to organisational change and can bring tangible benefits when applied in practice as a holistic and systematic approach to change in socio-technical contexts.

Luciana Lopes Guimarães, Bárbara Faria Lourenço, Fabio Hermes Pusceddu et al.

Emerging pollutants, like phytoestrogens, are gaining attention in the scientific community for their impact on aquatic organisms. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of studies examining their effects on tropical aquatic species. In this context, the objective of this study was to (i) conduct chronic ecotoxicological assays with the sea urchin <i>Echinometra lucunter</i> with two phytoestrogens, namely genistein and daidzein (both derived from soy plant), and compare the results to the synthetic estrogen ‘estradiol valerate’; (ii) predict the potential risks of these phytoestrogens through an ecological risk assessment; and (iii) create a prioritization list of the most hazardous phytoestrogens using environmental persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity (PBT criteria). The results of chronic exposure demonstrated the following order of toxicity: daidzein (IC₅₀ = 2.60 mg/L); genistein (IC₅₀ = 3.37 mg/L); and estradiol valerate (IC₅₀ = 28.40 mg/L). The results classify genistein and daidzein as “toxic” and estradiol valerate as “harmful” to the sea urchin. The final ranking of the PBT approach in coastal waters was as follows: biochanin A (the highest priority), followed by formononetin, genistein, enterolactone, daidzein, estradiol valerate, coumestrol, and 8-prenylnaringenin. The dataset highlights the importance of environmental monitoring to track phytoestrogens in Latin American coastal areas, particularly in developing countries.

Ben S. Hague, Mandi C. Thran, Doerte Jakob et al.

Tidal flooding occurs when coastal water levels exceed impact-based flood thresholds due to tides alone, under average weather conditions. Transitions to tidal flood regimes are already underway for nuisance flood severities in harbours and bays and expected for higher severities in coming decades. In the first such regional assessment, we show that the same transition to tidally forced floods can also be expected to occur in Australian estuaries with less than 0.1 m further sea-level rise. Flood thresholds that historically used to only be exceeded under the combined effects of riverine (freshwater) and coastal (salt water) influences will then occur due to high tides alone. Once this tidal flooding emerges, it is projected to become chronic within two decades. Locations most at-risk of the emergence of tidal flooding and subsequent establishment of chronic flood regimes are those just inside estuary entrances. These locations are exemplified by low freeboard, the vertical distance between a flood threshold and a typical high tide level. We use a freeboard-based analysis to estimate the sea-level rise required for impacts associated with official flood thresholds to occur due to tides alone. The resultant tide-only flood frequency estimates provide a lower bound for future flood rates.

Alice Stocco, Pietro Gorgosalice, Marco Anelli Monti et al.

Recreational fishing is practiced by thousands of people in European coastal waters and is steadily gaining popularity. Serving multiple purposes, recreational fishing provides fresh fish for meals, offers leisure, and contributes to traditional ecological knowledge, especially at the local level. Therefore, analyzing its dynamics and catch is a complex task, since they not only depend on the environmental features but also on the behavior of fishers. In coastal areas, however, most recreational fishers remain unmonitored, making it difficult to obtain data on their impact on fish stocks. This is particularly evident in the Venice lagoon, where we conducted a comprehensive study aiming to characterize recreational fishing dynamics. We collected data through interviews, online questionnaires, and remote sensing techniques, including satellite imagery photointerpretation and machine learning algorithms. Our findings reveal spatial and temporal variations in fishing activity, with certain areas and times experiencing higher fishing pressure. This highlights a seasonality in fishing activity and a pattern in fishers’ behaviors that are associated with fish migratory dynamics. Such an association demonstrates the local fishers’ understanding of the fish lifecycle phases and the environmental conditions of the lagoon. Regarding the catch, the most targeted species are seabream (<i>Sparus aurata</i>), seabass (<i>Dicentrarchus labrax</i>), and cuttlefish (<i>Sepia officinalis</i>), with estimated total catches of 18.65 t per year, 15.82 t per year, and 8.36 t per year, respectively. However, our results showed a significant disproportion between the biomass caught by two different groups of fishers that differ in terms of fishing trip frequency, success rate, and catch. While the average catch of the first group, representing most recreational fishers, might be considered of low impact, the catch of the second group, encompassing recreational fishers who fish with very high frequency and efficiency, is substantial in the context of the lagoon ecosystem. Indeed, even considering a conservative estimate, recreational fishing in the Venice lagoon accounted for approximately 2% of the catch of cuttlefish and 17% of the catch of seabream compared to commercial fishing catch, whereas the catch of seabass by recreational fishing approached that of commercial fishing. Therefore, the implementation of a periodic monitoring program utilizing methods such as machine learning algorithms and remote sensing technologies could support the management of recreational fishing dynamics. We also suggest that participatory processes involving both professional and recreational fishers may aid in defining shared approaches and bottom–up initiatives, ensuring enjoyment as well as sustainable uses of coastal areas.

Mark R. Jury

Coastal upwelling that cools sea temperatures and nutrifies the euphotic layer is the focus of this research, motivated by how these processes benefit the marine ecosystem. Here, atmosphere–ocean reanalysis fields and satellite radiance data are employed to link South African coastal upwelling with nearshore winds and currents in the 2000–2021 period. Temporal behavior is quantified in three regimes—Benguela, transition, and Agulhas—to distinguish the influence of offshore transport, vertical pumping, and dynamic uplift. These three mechanisms of coastal upwelling are compared to reveal a leading role for cyclonic wind vorticity. Daily time series at west, south, and east coast sites exhibit pulsing of upwelling-favorable winds during summer. Over the western shelf, horizontal transport and vertical motion are in phase. The south and east shelf experience greater cyclonic wind vorticity in late winter, due to land breezes under the Mascarene high. Ekman transport and pumping are out of phase there, but dynamic uplift is sustained by cyclonic shear from the shelf-edge Agulhas current. Temporal analysis of longshore wind stress and cyclonic vorticity determined that vertical motion of ~5 m/day is pulsed at 4- to 11-day intervals due to passing marine high/coastal low-pressure cells. Height sections reveal that 15 m/s low-level wind jets diminish rapidly inshore due to topographic shearing by South Africa’s convex mountainous coastline. Mean maps of potential wind vorticity show a concentration around capes and at nighttime, due to land breezes. Air–land–sea coupling and frequent coastal lows leave a cyclonic footprint on the coast of South Africa that benefits marine productivity, especially during dry spells with a strengthened subtropical atmospheric ridge. This work has, for the first time, revealed that South Africa is uniquely endowed with three overlapping mechanisms that sustain upwelling along the entire coastline. Amongst those, cyclonic potential vorticity prevails due to the frequent passage of coastal lows that initiate downslope airflows. No other coastal upwelling zone exhibits such a persistent feature.