New long-duration clear-water scour data were collected at single cylindrical piers with the objective of investigating the effect of sediment coarseness, D p =D 50 (D p = pier diameter; D 50 = median grain size) on the equilibrium scour depth and improving the scour depth time evolution modeling by making use of the exponential function suggested in the literature. Experiments were carried out for the flow intensity close to the threshold condition of initiation of sediment motion, imposing wide changes of sediment coarseness and flow shallowness, d=D p (d = approach flow depth). The effect of sediment coarseness on the equilibrium scour depth was identified; existing predictors were modified to incorporate this effect for U=U c ≈ 1.0; D p =D 50 > ≈60 and d=D p ≥ 0.5; the complete characterization of a known scour depth time evolution model was achieved for U=U c ≈ 1.0, 60 < D p =D 50 < 500 and 0.5 ≤ d=D p ≤ 5.0.

Groups of piles are frequently used as bridge foundations. Different group configurations, characterized by different pile spacing, skew-angle, number, and arrangement of pile group columns interact differently with the flow field and lead to different scour patterns and equilibrium scour depth. There have been a number of past studies on the characterization of scouring at pile groups, but most of them report short duration scour experiments. A priori, such short durations may be postulated to inherently carry important uncertainties into existing scour predictors. In this study, 75 long-duration laboratory tests were run under steady, clear-water flow close to the threshold for initiation of sediment motion, to address the effect of time, pile spacing, skew-angle and number of pile group columns on the equilibrium scour depth. Pile groups consisted of matrical arrangements of one, two, or three columns of four rows, with spacings of 1, 2, 3, 4.5, and 6 pile diameters; the tested skew-angles were 0, 15, 30, 45, and 90°. Important contributions were achieved on (1) the impact of the duration of tests on the shape of the scour hole as well as on the precision of coefficients involved in current predictors, (2) the most unfavorable skew angle, (3) the behavior of collapsed pile groups, (4) the maximum scour depth at pile groups composed of a single alignment, and (5) the performance of two current predictors of scour depth at pile groups. Two formulations of a predictor for the calculation of an aggregated pile group factor are suggested.

The selection of indicators for the Observatory of Sustainability of the Algarve Region for Tourism (OBSERVE), poses challenges, namely which indicators are relevant to stakeholders and how to assure that information is available. To support the selection of the environmental, sociocultural, economic and institutional indicators, an engagement process was designed and applied, which included meetings with stakeholders, a workshop and an online survey. The results showed that both workshop and online surveys reflected, in general, similar opinions, thus allowing the selecting of the sustainable development indicators for the Algarve region. Additionally, the results showed that nearly 75% of the indicators can be obtained from national statistics and, therefore, can be used on the OBSERVE project, assuring a quick flow of information. As limitations, it is important to mention that the other 25% will need further development, in order to provide data for indicators, like carbon management and client satisfaction. With this approach, the observatory will survey and evaluate the sustainable development of the region (status and trends), based on indicators that answer to the strategic needs of system's main users, with social and economic implications, i.e., public institutions, economic agents, tourists, local communities and residents.Sustainability 2019, 11, 444 2 of 24 of the overnights of 34%, corresponding to the most important touristic region in Portugal. In a 10-year strategy [4], sustainability is one of the 10 challenges proposed by the Portuguese tourism policy (2017).Monitoring is essential for considering and identifying the trends, dynamics that support policies, strategies and stakeholders decisions using different type of information, from adequate statistics [5] to other database sources, such as TripAdvisor [6].Observatories have an important role in monitoring and supporting decisions at public and private level, showing the status and trends of the sustainability development reality. The OBSERVE project-Observatory of Sustainability of the Algarve Region for Tourism [7], under development by the University of Algarve, intends to be an instrument for monitoring and evaluating the sustainability levels of the region. Its main goal is to provide environmental, economic, sociocultural and institutional indicators to support the decision-making process, for a sustainable growth of the Algarve region. This two-year project seeks the widest possible participation from central and local administration, universities and research centres, as well as, enterprises, associations, tourists and citizens, aiming to be an added value for the stakeholders.The Observatory should reflect the region's performance, responding to the strategic needs and expectations of the different stakeholders, as well as assuring that information is uploaded automatically from reliable and updated sources, in order to ensure the continuity of the OBSERVE platform in the future [8].The selection of the indicators is considered a fun...

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