Camacho inlet southern Brazil – Instability causes and user conflicts
Abstract Inlet stabilization is a common practice in Brazil, as it is worldwide. In this paper we present results of the analysis of the stabilization practices of the Camacho Inlet, located in Santa Catarina State, southern Brazil. This inlet is maintained intermittently, in accordance with a regime designed to benefit both local fishermen and rice farmers. Fishermen require this inlet to be open as a navigation channel during the fishing season; rice farmers needs it closed during the irrigation period to allow the pumping of fresh water from the Congonhas River which drains into the Camacho’s backbarrier lagoon. An additional complication arises from the tendency of this inlet to close naturally due to infilling by dune migration. Aerial images spanning a 65 year time period (1938–2003) were analyzed, demonstrating the variability in the inlet’s width between 0 (closed) and 360 m. The analysis of inlet stability and user needs indicate that an appropriate solution is the implementation of an annual inlet dredging program in the austral autumn. This would allow for the inlet to remain open from May to September and then close naturally for the rest of the year, providing for a backbarrier fresh water reservoir during the irrigation period.
Geomorphological and stratigraphic analysis applied to coastal management
Abstract Many of the current conflicts related to inadequate planning of coastal land use are due to the lack of public knowledge about coastal dynamics. With the objective of supporting Integrated Coastal Management actions and increasing public knowledge, this study presents results obtained from the application of Remote Sensing and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) to demonstrate the medium and long term behavior of the Cigana Beach barrier evolution in southern Brazil. The stratigraphic record enables definition of the Holocene retrogradational stacking pattern of the coastal barrier at the study area. On a more recent scale, the average of shoreline changes obtained from the aerial photos of 1938 and 1978 shows a historical erosion trend. The proposed use of the mean high tide line in 1831 to legally designate Federal Lands in coastal areas does not consider coastal dynamics and generates an overlap of public jurisdictions. Due to lack of information on a local scale, and the consequent missing application of coastal management tools for decision-making to resolve land use conflicts, incorporation of the knowledge generated in this work into municipal management instruments is suggested.
The Impact of EU Unfair Contract Terms Law on U.S. Business-to-Consumer Internet Merchants
When the Court of Appeals for Versailles issued its decision in AOL France v. UFC Que Choisir2 in September 2005, it sent the message to U.S. Internet businesses that even contractual boilerplate localized for European markets may be invalid in European consumer transactions. In that case, a French consumer advocacy group challenged the terms AOL offered its French customers after AOL had made extensive revisions to its standard form contracts to respond to the concerns regarding those terms expressed in an advisory opinion by a French consumer protection agency. In 2004, a trial court invalidated nearly every term in the revised agreement; the appeals court affirmed on all counts. Subsequently, in July 2006 following concerns raised by the Office of Fair Trading (“OFT”), a United Kingdom government agency charged with “making sure markets work well for consumers,”3 Dell Corporation Limited changed its online terms and conditions to make them fairer to consumers.4 European consumer contract law had an impact in both cases. At issue for AOL France and Dell Corporation Limited was the application of France’s and the UK’s consumer contract law which is based on the Unfair Contract Terms Directive of 19945 and calls into question the validity of many of the terms that U.S. courts routinely enforce in transactions involving American consumers and merchants.