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Evolution of Sandspits Along the Caribbean Coast of Colombia: Natural and Human Influences

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Sand and Gravel Spits

Part of the book series: Coastal Research Library ((COASTALRL,volume 12))

Abstract

This work deals with the evolution of Bocas de Ceniza-Puerto Caimán, Galerazamba, Isla Cascajo and Punta Canoas coastal sectors, located along the 120 km-long coastline between the Magdalena River mouth and Cartagena de Indias, on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Comparisons of coastline morphology from reliable ancient charts, modern bathymetric surveys and remote sensing data, show major changes (in some cases at kilometre-scale) related to the rapid erosion and formation of offshore sandy shoals, spits and beaches. These sediment bodies are linked to sediment supply from the Magdalena River. In 1935, after the emplacement of two jetties at the river mouth, sediment was channelled offshore and erosion ensued on the western part of the Magdalena delta. Spits and sandy shoals rapidly migrated down drift. As a result, a spit at Puerto Colombia – present on the 1935 and 1947 aerial photograms – progressively diminished and merged with the coastline between 1953 and 1959. South of this location, a new spit formed before 2000 and it presently shelters a marina at Puerto Velero.

At Galerazamba, a 5 km-long spit at a high angle to the coastline, was present until 1864. It was replaced by a new spit, broadly parallel to shoreline, at some point before 1947. This feature was much smaller than the one previously observed and it has migrated down drift until the present. High rates of accretion were also observed around Isla Cascajo, a rocky island that caused the development of a rapidly growing tombolo. At Punta Canoas, a spit formed between 1947 and 1961 and, then migrated southwards.

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Acknowledgments

This work is a contribution to the Andalusia Research PAI group n° 328 and was carried out under the framework of the convention between the University of Cadiz (Spain) and the Department of Ciencias de la Tierra, Faculty of Science, EAFIT University of Medellin (Colombia).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Ambientales, Universidad de Cádiz, Polígono Río San Pedro s/n, 11510, Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain

    G. Anfuso

  2. Área de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad EAFIT, Carrera 49 N° 7 Sur – 50, Medellin, Colombia

    G. Anfuso & Iván Darío Correa Arango

  3. Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Programa de Física, Universidad del Atlántico, Km 7 Antigua vía Puerto Colombia, Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia

    Nelson Rangel-Buitrago

Authors
  1. G. Anfuso
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  2. Nelson Rangel-Buitrago
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  3. Iván Darío Correa Arango
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to G. Anfuso .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Fisica e di Scienze della Terra, University of Messina, Messina, Italy

    Giovanni Randazzo

  2. Environmental Sciences Research Institute, University of Ulster, Coleraine, United Kingdom

    Derek W.T. Jackson

  3. Environmental Sciences Research Institute, University of Ulster, Coleraine, United Kingdom

    J. Andrew G. Cooper

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Anfuso, G., Rangel-Buitrago, N., Correa Arango, I.D. (2015). Evolution of Sandspits Along the Caribbean Coast of Colombia: Natural and Human Influences. In: Randazzo, G., Jackson, D., Cooper, J. (eds) Sand and Gravel Spits. Coastal Research Library, vol 12. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-13716-2_1

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