The accurate extraction of a coastline is necessary for various studies of coastal processes, as well as for the management and protection of coastal areas. Very high-resolution satellite imagery has great potential for coastline extraction; however, noises in spectral data can cause significant errors. Here, we present a newly developed Coastal Extraction Tool (CET) that overcomes such errors and allows accurate and time-efficient automated coastline extraction based on a combination of WorldView-2 (WV-2) multispectral imagery and stereo-pair-derived digital surface model (DSM). Coastline extraction is performed and tested on the Iž-Rava island group, situated within the Northern Dalmatian archipelago (Croatia). Extracted coastlines were compared to (a) coastlines extracted from state topographic map (1:25,000), and (b) coastline extracted by another available tool. The accuracy of the extracted coastline was validated with centimeter accuracy reference data acquired using a UAV system (Matrice 600 Pro + MicaSense RedEdge-MX). Within the study area, two small islets were detected that have not been mapped during the earlier coastline mapping efforts. CET proved to be a highly accurate coastline mapping technique that successfully overcomes spectral-induced errors. In future research, we are planning to integrate data obtained by UAVs infrared thermography (IRT) and in situ sensors, measuring sea and land surface temperatures (SST and LST), into the CET, given that this has shown promising results. Considering its accuracy and ease of use, we suggest that CET can be applied for automated coastline extraction in other large and indented coastal areas. Additionally, we suggest that CET could be applied in longitudinal geomorphological coastal erosion studies for the automated detection of spatio-temporal coastline displacement.

This qualitative analysis of symbolic elements in nautical cartography aims to provide an interdisciplinary insight into some aspects of early modern cartographic representations of the Adriatic Sea. The nautical charts were supplemented with compass roses, a graphic structure that facilitates orientation and correlates with rhumb lines. The research objective focusses primarily on the variety of signs for the cardinal directions north and east, additionally considering some rare but innovative and avant-garde pragmatic uses of compass roses to indicate magnetic declination. On the majority of the selected nautical charts, most of which were created in Mediterranean and Western European cultural centres, decorative elements such as the fleur-de-lis and the cross were used in compass roses to determine the cardinal points. The compass roses of these nautical charts often served as symbolic evidence of the social and economic belonging of the Adriatic to the European part of the Mediterranean geographical system, as well as to the Christian sphere of tradition and influence. The study has thus proved the existence of significant symbolic communication capacity of a compass rose, which was not only a utilitarian but also an artistic element.

After almost five centuries of development in nautical charts depicting the Adriatic Sea, a systematic, complete hydrographic survey was carried out that resulted in the first modern nautical chart of the area. The survey, a coordinated operation undertaken jointly by Austrian, Neapolitan and British experts in 1818–1819, was the first scientific activity in the Adriatic region to be based on international cooperation. Until then, the gathering, processing and presentation of geographical data on Adriatic nautical charts were neither systematic nor institutionalized activities, so those charts could not serve as reliable, safe sources of different types of information for seafarers and others for whom spatial relations in coastal, island and sea regions were of primary importance. Given the quality and quantity of hydrographical and geographical content presented in the Carta di cabotaggio del Mare Adriatico (Coasting Chart of the Adriatic Sea), it immediately became an essential source of spatial information.

The karst landscapes of the Mediterranean are regarded as some of the most vulnerable, fragile, and complex systems in the world. They hold a particularly interesting group of small islands with a distinctive, recognizable landscape. The Republic of Croatia (HR), which has one of the most indented coasts in the world, is particularly known for them. In this paper, we analyzed the spatio-temporal changes (STCs) in the landscape of Ošljak Island, the smallest inhabited island in HR. Landuse/landcover change (LUCC) analysis has been conducted from 1944 to 2021. The methodology included the acquisition of multi-temporal data, data harmonization, production of landuse/landcover (LU/LC) maps, selection of optimal environmental indicators (EIs), and simulation modeling. In total, eleven comparable LU/LC models have been produced, with moderate accuracy. STCs have been quantified using the nine EIs. The dominant processes that influenced the changes in the Ošljak landscape have been identified. The results have shown that, in recent decades, Ošljak has undergone a landscape transformation which was manifested through (a) pronounced expansion of Aleppo pine; (b) deagrarianization, which led to secondary succession; and (c) urban sprawl, which led to the transformation of the functional landscape. The most significant of the detected changes is the afforestation of the Aleppo pine. Namely, in a 77-year span, the Aleppo pine has expanded intensively to an area of 11.736 ha, created a simulation model for 2025, and pointed to the possibility of the continued expansion of Aleppo pine. Specific guidelines for the management of this new transformed landscape have been proposed. This research provides a user-friendly methodological framework that can efficiently monitor LUCCs of a smaller area in the case when geospatial data are scarce and satellite imagery of coarser resolution cannot be used. Moreover, it gives an insight into the availability and quality of multi-temporal data for the HR.