Coastal variables
The list of coastal variables below is the result of efforts by the Coastal GTOS
scientific panel, through the development of the C-GTOS Plan,
identifying variables that best describe monitoring activities taking place at TEMS
sites dealing with coastal issues. Variables are grouped according to the four
priority coastal issues addressed by C-GTOS:
Selecting a variable name from the one of the tables will display the related description
sheets from the TEMS database. To see which sites registered in TEMS monitor these variables,
select the "VARIABLES", "MAP" or "SEARCH" buttons in the navigation bar at the top of the TEMS website page.
These lists are by no means exhaustive and will evolve with the development of C-GTOS,
therefore your feedback is most welcome,
particularly on proposed variables.
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Sediment loss and delivery |
| Name |
Description |
| Accretion rates |
Under development. |
| Currents |
Under development. |
| Elevation changes |
Under development. |
| Number and size of dams |
Under development. |
| Particulate C and N |
Under development. |
| Sedimentation |
Under development. |
| Soil annual loss from erosion |
Annual loss of soil per defined area due to fluvial (water) and eolian (wind) erosion. |
| Soil erosion from gullying |
The erosion process whereby water accumulates in narrow channels and, over
short periods, removes the soil from this narrow area to various depths, from 30 cm (about 1 ft) to as much as 30 m (100 ft). |
| Solid wastes |
The percentage of population (rural or urban) living below the national (rural or urban) poverty line. |
| Surface waves |
Under development. |
| Suspended sediment (organic matter) |
Under development. |
| Suspended sediment size |
Under development. |
| Suspended sediments contaminants |
Under development. |
| Suspended solids |
Under development. |
| Topography |
The relief and contours of land surface. |
| Total suspended solids |
Under development. |
| Water discharge (Surface) |
Surface discharge is a measure of the volume of water flowing through
a river channel cross-section per unit of time. |
| Water runoff |
Under development. |
| Water sediment load |
Freshwater sediment load is the sum of the framework bedload, the matrix
bedload and the suspended solids of an aquatic system. |
| Water storage fluxes (Ground) |
Changes over time in the volume of groundwater that is held in a certain aquifer. |
| Water storage fluxes (Surface) |
Change in volume and extension of inland water bodies. |
| Water turbidity |
Light penetration is a measure of turbidity. It refers to the
amount of sunlight that can penetrate the water column to various depths. |
| Water yield |
Under development. |
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Water cycle/water quality |
| Name |
Description |
| Biogeochemical transport from land to ocean |
The amount of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), sulphur (s) and other elements that
are transported from land to ocean as dissolved or suspended particles in streams and rivers. |
| Evapotranspiration |
The loss of water from a given area during a specified time by evaporation
from the soil surface and by transpiration from plants. |
| Municipal waste |
Total amount of waste generated by the municipal sector (generation and disposal, kg per capita). |
| Precipitation |
All deposits on the earth of hail, mist, rain, sleet, snow, dew, fog, frost, and dust. |
| Rainfall chemistry |
Concentration of SO4 and NO3 in a defined rainfall water sample. |
| Size and distribution of dams |
Under development. |
| Soil infiltration rate |
The infiltration rate (also referred to as the intake rate) is a measure of
a soil's ability to adsorb and transmit water in a given time. |
| Soil structure |
The soil structure describes the form, shape and structure of a soil's individual aggregates. |
| Soil texture |
Soil texture reflects the relative proportions of clay (fraction less than 2mm), silt (2-50m) and sand (50-2000mm) in the soil. |
| Soil type |
Soil type is according to the classification of the Legend of the FAO Soil Map of the World. |
| Water balance |
Under development. |
| Water cation concentration |
Concentration of sodium, calcium, magnesium and potassium ions in water. |
| Water discharge (Surface) |
Surface discharge is a measure of the volume of water flowing through a river channel cross-section per unit of time. |
| Water heavy metals |
Under development. |
| Water inorganic nutrient content |
Inorganic nutrients are mineral-based compounds that lack the carbon element. |
| Water organic contaminants |
Organic contaminants can be defined as undesirable substances not normally present
in freshwater, or naturally-occurring substances at an usually high concentration, that are related to a substance that contains
carbon atoms linked together by carbon-carbon bonds. |
| Water organic nutrient content |
Under development. |
| Water potability |
Analysis for specific bacteria indicating faecal pollution of freshwater. |
| Water runoff |
Under development. |
| Water storage fluxes (Ground) |
Changes over time in the volume of groundwater that is held in a certain aquifer. |
| Water storage fluxes (Surface) |
Change in volume and extension of inland water bodies. |
| Water trace elements |
Trace elements are elements which naturally occur in small amounts (<1mg/l). |
| Water use intensity |
The percentage of total renewable water resources withdrawn from a country. |
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Effects of sea level change, storms and flooding |
| Name |
Description |
| Bathymetry |
Under development. |
| Glacier change in length |
Change in the length of a glacier measured from its starting point to the terminus where ablation exceeds ice advection by glacier flow. |
| Glacier mass balance |
Mass balance describes the net gain or loss of snow and ice through a given year. |
| Height of dykes |
Under development. |
| Length of dykes |
A bank usually of earth constructed to control or confine water. |
| Sea level height |
Under development. |
| Topography |
The relief and contours of land surface. |
| Upwelling |
Under development. |
| Water discharge (Surface) |
Surface discharge is a measure of the volume of water flowing through a river channel cross-section per unit of time. |
| Water surface temperature |
The temperature of the water at the surface. |
| Wind velocity |
Horizontal velocity of air movement at a defined vertical distance from ground. |
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Population dimensions, land cover/land use and critical habitat alteration |
| Name |
Description |
| Demographic / Human well being |
| Human development index |
Average of the life expectancy index, the educational attainment index and adjusted GDP per capita (PPP US$) index. |
| Population density |
Number of inhabitants per unit of total area (per square km). |
| Population living below the poverty line |
The percentage of population (rural or urban) living below the national (rural or urban) poverty line. |
| Urban population |
The ratio of the population of urban agglomerations to the total population. |
| Economics / Energy / Technology |
| Carbon dioxide emissions |
Emissions of carbon dioxide from solid fuels, liquid fuels, gasous fuels, gas flaring and cement manufacturing. |
| Energy use |
The commercial energy use (per capita commercial energy use). |
| Genuine domestic savings |
Equal to net domestic savings, plus education expenditure and minus energy depletion, mineral depletion, net fore........ |
| Gross domestic product |
The gross value added by all resident producers in the economy. plus any taxes and minus any subsides (value is per capita). |
| Primary energy production |
Primary energy refers to energy sources as found in their natural state. |
| Human health |
| Calories availability |
The food supply, per capita, available for human consumption during the reference period. |
| Government expenditure for health |
Consists of recurrent and capital spending from government budgets, external borrowings, grants, etc (value is % of GDP). |
| Health care |
The % of the population that can expect treatment for common diseases and injuries. |
| Malnutrition prevalence |
The percentage of children under the age of five who suffer from moderate and severe underweight, wasting and stunting. |
| Microbial water- and food-borne diseases |
Number of water-borne and food-borne diseases per 1000 inhabitants. |
| Safe water |
The % of the population with reasonable access to an adequate amount of safe drinking water |
| Sanitation |
The % of the population with access to sanitation. |
| Industrial / Urban |
| Hazardous waste |
The hazardous waste import/export country balance (net transfrontier movement). |
| Industry sector |
The percentage of GDP which the secondary sector produces. |
| Motor vehicle ownership |
The total number of motor vehicles divided by the total population (i.e. per capita). |
| Municipal waste |
Total amount of waste generated by the municipal sector (generation and disposal, kg per capita). |
| Pollution abatement and control expenditure |
Purposeful activities aimed directly at the prevention, reduction and elimination of pollution. |
| Natural resources / Rural |
| Agricultural production index |
The disposable output of a country's agriculture sector relative to a given base period average of three years. |
| Arable land |
Land under temporary crops, temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens (per capita). |
| Forest deforestation |
The conversion of forest to another land use or the long-term reduction of tree canopy cover below the minimum 10% threshold. |
| Fertilizers |
Production and consumption. |
| Habitat conversion |
Habitat conversion is the change of land quality, for example through land transformation or intensification of land use. |
| Habitat fragmentation |
Habitat fragmentation is the breaking up of a continuous habitat, ecosystem, or land-use type into smaller fragments, which is considered to be one of several spatial processes in land transformation. |
| Forest total area |
Land with tree crown cover ) of more than 10 percent and area of more 0.5 hectares (ha). |
| Irrigation potential |
Percentage of area of land suitable for irrigation development, including land already under irrigation, on the total cultivable area. |
| Labour force in agriculture |
The percentage of the economically active population engaged in or seeking work in agriculture. |
| Land area protected |
Totally or partially protected areas of at least 1,000 hectares that have limited public access. |
| Land cover |
Land cover is defined as the observed physical cover including the vegetation (natural or planted) and human constructions which cover the earth's surface. Water, ice, bare rock or sand surfaces count as land cover. |
| Land use |
Land use is based upon the function of the land, i.e. the purpose for which the land is being used. Thus, a land use can be defined as a series of activities undertaken to produce one or more goods or services. |
| Pesticide use |
National Consumption of any substance or mixture of substances that is used to prevent, destroy or control pests. |
| Vegetation cover and height class |
Vegetation cover is the proportion of a particular area of ground, substrate or surface water covered by a layer of plants considered at the greatest horizontal perimeter level of each plant in the layer. |
| Water withdrawal by sector |
The share of water withdrawal by three main sectors (Domestic, Industrial, Agricultural). |
| Wood for fuel and charcoal |
The roundwood used as fuel for purposes such as cooking, heating or power production, or as wood for charcoal production. |
