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\"[T]his Atlas endeavours to present the various components of present maritime geopolitics. This publication deals with the major issues relating to maritime spaces and their delimitations, navigation and security, international straits and seabed resources. As such, it should represent an essential tool for the understanding of States' ocean policies and governmental stances\"--Page 4 of cover.

The large diversity of ecosystem services provided by natural wetlands has been underestimated by decision-making authorities in Brazil, posing a threat to sustainable development. The intensive land use practices and increased water usage in the country are the main forces driving the degradation and depletion of small wetlands. The aim of this study was to assess the spatiotemporal changes in geographically isolated wetlands (GIWs) in the Paulista Peripheral Depression in São Paulo State, considering the intensification of land use and land cover (LULC) and the role of local governance in protecting water resources in these environments. Remote sensing imagery and climate data were utilized to analyze the spatial‒temporal changes in GIWs. The effectiveness of local governance policies in addressing wetland protection concerns was also evaluated. The findings indicate that the intensification of LULC has negative impacts on GIWs, leading to their depletion or degradation. Additionally, GIWs are outside the scope of regulatory protection at the federal, state, and local levels. This lack of protection contributes to the vulnerability of wetland resources, poses risks to local ecological benefits, and exacerbates social-environmental issues such as water scarcity.

Theorists within and beyond the discipline of geography increasingly realize that boundaries are not simply lines that enclose and define territories. Boundaries also regulate and are reproduced by acts of movement. Movement, beyond and across, as well as within a bounded territory, serves to reproduce the territory that is being bounded. It follows that to understand the history of a territorial entity one must go beyond tracing the spatially fixed activities that occur within that territory or the discursive strategies through which the territory is made to appear natural. One must also trace the acts of movement that occur within, across, and outside the territory's boundaries and the designation of specific spaces of movement as beyond territorial control. In short, one cannot understand the construction of \"inside\" space as a series of territories of fixity, society, modernization, and development without simultaneously understanding the construction of \"outside\" space as an arena of mobility that is deemed unsuitable for territorial control. In this article, this perspective is applied to the preeminent normative territory of modernity-the sovereign state-and attention is directed specifically to the designation of the world-ocean as a space of mobility outside the boundaries of the state-society units that purportedly constitute the modern world. Through an analysis of representations of marine space on 591 world maps printed in Europe and the Americas between 1501 and 1800, this article traces the construction of the ocean as an external space of mobility, antithetical to the norm of the territorial state that also was emerging during this era.

The monitoring of the sea surface, whether it is the state of the sea or the position of targets (ships), is an up-to-date research topic. In order to determine localization parameters of ships, we propose a high-resolution algorithm for primary signal processing in high-frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) which operates at two frequencies. The proposed algorithm is based on a high-resolution estimate of the range–Doppler (RD-HR) map formed at every antenna in the receive antenna array, which is an essential task, because the performance of the entire radar system depends on its estimation. We also propose a new focusing method allowing us to have only one RD-HR map in the detection process, which collects the information from both these carrier frequencies. The goal of the bi-frequency mode of operation is to improve the detectability of targets, because their signals are affected by different Bragg-line interference patterns at different frequencies, as seen on the RD-HR maps during the primary signal processing. Also, the effect of the sea (sea clutter) manifests itself in different ways at different frequencies. Some targets are masked (undetectable) at one frequency, but they become visible at another frequency. By exploiting this, we increase the probability of detection. The bi-frequency architecture (system model) for the localization of sea targets and the novel signal model are presented in this paper. The advantage of bi-frequency mode served as a motivation for testing the detectability of small boats, which is otherwise a very challenging task, primarily because such targets have a small radar reflective surface, they move quickly, and often change their direction. Based on experimentally obtained results, it can be observed that the probability of detection of small boats can also be significantly improved by using a bi-frequency architecture.

The marine areas management authority for provinces in Indonesia has so far been 12 miles from the coastline. The Draft Law of Republic of Indonesia concerning the Development Acceleration of Archipelagic Regions, which has been proposed since 2017 and is currently waiting for its ratification. It gives wider authority to provinces with archipelagic characteristics. The basis for determining the territorial sea boundaries of a province with archipelagic characteristics uses the principle of an archipelagic state, which is to draw the outermost line from the islands in the province. The method used to determine the boundaries of the area is cartometric method. Cartometric method is tracing/drawing boundary lines on work maps and measuring/calculation of points positions, distance, and area coverage using base maps other map as complementary. If this Draft Law is successfully ratified, then the area of marine management for the province with archipelagic characteristics will increase and there will be hope for increased welfare. The results of the study in 3 (provinces) with archipelagic characteristics, namely North Maluku Province, Maluku Province, and Riau Islands Province showed an increase in marine management area between 72.36% - 158.46%.

We present a Geographic Information System (GIS) tool, SeaMaST (Seabird Mapping and Sensitivity Tool), to provide evidence on the use of sea areas by seabirds and inshore waterbirds in English territorial waters, mapping their relative sensitivity to offshore wind farms. SeaMaST is a freely available evidence source for use by all connected to the offshore wind industry and will assist statutory agencies in assessing potential risks to seabird populations from planned developments. Data were compiled from offshore boat and aerial observer surveys spanning the period 1979-2012. The data were analysed using distance analysis and Density Surface Modelling to produce predicted bird densities across a grid covering English territorial waters at a resolution of 3 km×3 km. Coefficients of Variation were estimated for each grid cell density, as an indication of confidence in predictions. Offshore wind farm sensitivity scores were compiled for seabird species using English territorial waters. The comparative risks to each species of collision with turbines and displacement from operational turbines were reviewed and scored separately, and the scores were multiplied by the bird density estimates to produce relative sensitivity maps. The sensitivity maps reflected well the amassed distributions of the most sensitive species. SeaMaST is an important new tool for assessing potential impacts on seabird populations from offshore development at a time when multiple large areas of development are proposed which overlap with many seabird species' ranges. It will inform marine spatial planning as well as identifying priority areas of sea usage by marine birds. Example SeaMaST outputs are presented.

In Navigational Restrictions within the New LOS Context, J. Ashley Roach faithfully edits and presents the like-titled report prepared by Dr. Lewis M. Alexander for the U.S. Department of Defense in 1986.

The quality of groundwater is essential to sustain human and environmental activities now and in the future. However, the current intensification of anthropogenic activities has increased the magnitude of contaminant sources. When those contaminants reach a saturated zone (groundwater), their levels of presence may make their use for various purposes unfeasible. Therefore, research into the vulnerability degree is essential for estimations of potential for contamination and possible risks. This manuscript presents the results obtained by applying a parametric procedure for mapping groundwater vulnerability based on a set of attributes related to contaminant sources, transport, and natural attenuation of contaminants. In addition to vulnerability zoning, the set of attributes supports the adoption of measures and recommendations related to territorial and environmental planning guidelines and orientations about land uses. The open source Geographical Information System—QGIS open source version 3.22.4 was used for spatially integrating different attribute maps and obtaining partial indices for contaminant introduction, transport, and attenuation; hence, the specific vulnerability index. The results promoted the division of the region into six classes of specific vulnerability, namely, extremely high, accounting for around 23% vulnerability, very high (20%), moderate (24%), very low (23%), and high and low together accounting for 10%. Such categories were associated with measures and recommendations aimed at territorial and environmental planning and protection and control of environmental functions. Approximately 50% of the study area requires restrictive measures regarding buildings, sustainable drainage systems, waste disposal, chemical storage, and petrol stations, and other measures are necessary for the protection of wells and natural springs. The method employed can produce results that enable areas to be categorized and ranked in terms of specific vulnerability; however, it requires a large quantity of data and spatial details according to the scale adopted. The specific vulnerability map produced will help planners make more appropriate territorial and environmental planning decisions and risk management, avoiding groundwater contamination.

Coastal wetlands are vulnerable to accelerated sea-level rise, yet knowledge about their extent and distribution is often limited. We developed a land cover classification of wetlands in the coastal plains of the southern United States along the Gulf of Mexico (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida) using 6161 very-high (2 m per pixel) resolution WorldView-2 and WorldView-3 satellite images from 2012 to 2015. Area extent estimations were obtained for the following vegetated classes: marsh, scrub, grass, forested upland, and forested wetland, located in elevation brackets between 0 and 10 m above sea level at 0.1 m intervals. Sea-level trends were estimated for each coastal state using tide gauge data collected over the period 1983–2021 and projected for 2100 using the trend estimated over that period. These trends were considered conservative, as sea level rise in the region accelerated between 2010 and 2021. Estimated losses in vegetation area due to sea level rise by 2100 are projected to be at least 12,587 km2, of which 3224 km2 would be coastal wetlands. Louisiana is expected to suffer the largest losses in vegetation (80%) and coastal wetlands (75%) by 2100. Such high-resolution coastal mapping products help to guide adaptation plans in the region, including planning for wetland conservation and coastal development.