Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Anthropogenic Influence on Spit Dynamics at Various Timescales: Case Study in the Bay of Cadiz (Spain)

  • Chapter
Sand and Gravel Spits

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

Abstract

Human interventions are one of the main drivers of coastal change in many areas, often generating undesired impacts like shoreline retreat. Sandspits are especially sensitive to anthropogenically-induced changes, especially those related to sediment supply. This work presents a case study of Valdelagrana spit in SW Spain, a sandbody where anthropogenic influence has been evident since Roman times. A variety of methods were applied to assess geomorphological and morphodynamic changes in the area at various timescales. Historical interventions involve mainly river course diversion, which caused important changes in sediment supply. More recently, coastal engineering structures and land reclamation deeply modified wave and current patterns in the area, triggering massive coastal erosion. As a consequence of this, the system has evolved from a drift-aligned spit to a swash-aligned barrier. This study provides insights into the consequences of human interventions at similar coastal settings.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Alonso C, Gracia FJ, Rodríguez-Polo S (2014) Modelo de evolución histórica de la flecha-barrera de Valdelagrana (Bahía de Cádiz). In: Proceedings XIII Reunión de la Sociedad Española de Geomorfología. S.E.G., Cáceres (accepted)

    Google Scholar 

  • Anfuso G, Benavente J, Gracia FJ, Del Río L (2006) Morphodynamic characterization of Cadiz beaches (SW Spain). J Coast Res Spec Issue 48:8–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Baldera J, Falcon MA (1987) Descoordinación de las grandes actuaciones y sus efectos en la desorganización del territorio. In: Evolución de los paisajes y ordenación del territorio en Andalucía Occidental – Bahía de Cádiz. Diputación de Cádiz and Casa Velázquez, pp 49–86

    Google Scholar 

  • Benavente J (2000) Morfodinámica litoral de la Bahía externa de Cádiz. PhD thesis, University of Cádiz

    Google Scholar 

  • Benavente J, Del Río L, Gracia FJ, Martínez JA (2006) Coastal flooding hazard related to storms in Valdelagrana spit (Cadiz Bay Natural Park, SW Spain). Cont Shelf Res 26:1061–1076

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benavente J, Del Río L, Anfuso G, Gracia FJ, Nachite D, Rodríguez-Ramírez A, Cáceres L (2007) Efecto de la marea en la clasificación morfodinámica de playas. In: Gómez-Pujol L, Fornós JJ (eds) Investigaciones recientes (2005–2007) en geomorfología litoral. Palma de Mallorca, Spain, pp 17–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Campos ML (1992) El riesgo de tsunamis en España. Análisis y valoración geográfica. IGN, Monografías 9

    Google Scholar 

  • Crowell M, Douglas BC, Leatherman S (1997) On forecasting future US shoreline positions: a test of algorithms. J Coast Res 13(4):1245–1255

    Google Scholar 

  • Dabrio CJ, Zazo C, Goy JL, Sierro FJ, Borja F, Lario J, González JA, Flores JA (2000) Depositional history of estuarine infill during the last postglacial transgression (Gulf of Cadiz, Southern Spain). Mar Geol 162:381–404

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davies JL (1964) A morphogenic approach to world shorelines. Z Geomorphol 8:27–42

    Google Scholar 

  • Del Río L, Rodríguez-Polo S, Gracia FJ, Benavente J (2009) Spatial and temporal patterns of human-related coastal changes in the Bay of Cadiz (SW Spain). In: Abstracts of the 7th international conference on geomorphology, Melbourne, Australia, p 769

    Google Scholar 

  • Del Río L, Plomaritis TA, Benavente J, Valladares M, Ribera P (2012) Establishing storm thresholds for the Spanish Gulf of Cadiz coast. Geomorphology 143–144:13–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Del Río L, Gracia FJ, Benavente J (2013) Shoreline change patterns in sandy coasts. A case study in SW Spain. Geomorphology 196:252–266

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FitzGerald DM, Fenster MS, Argow BA, Buynevich IV (2008) Coastal impacts due to sea-level rise. Annu Rev Earth Planet Sci 36:601–647

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • González CJ, Álvarez O, Reyes J, Acevedo A (2010) Two-dimensional modeling of hydrodynamics and sediment transport in the San Pedro tidal creek (Cádiz Bay): morphodynamic implications. Cienc Mar 36(4):393–412

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goy JL, Zazo C, Dabrio CJ, Lario J, Borja F, Sierro FJ, Flores JA (1996) Global and regional factors controlling changes of coastlines in southern Iberia (Spain) during the Holocene. Quat Sci Rev 15:773–780

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gracia FJ, Alonso C (2009) El cambiante paisaje de la bahía gaditana. In: Fernández-Palacios JM (ed) Cádiz de la Constitución de 1812. Serie Agua, Territorio y Sociedad. Agencia Andaluza del Agua, Junta de Andalucía, pp 28–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Gracia FJ, Martín C (2009) Tasas de sedimentación en las marismas del Parque Natural de la Bahía de Cádiz a partir de sondeos geotécnicos: Una aplicación para la reconstrucción paleoambiental. Demarcación de Costas de Andalucía Atlántico, Spanish Ministry of Environment. Cádiz, 71 pp. (unpublished)

    Google Scholar 

  • Gracia FJ, Benavente J, Anfuso G, Reyes JL, Del Río L (2005) Velocidades y tendencias de cambio morfológico interanual en las playas del entorno de la Bahía de Cádiz. In: Sanjaume E, Mateu J (eds) Geomorfologia litoral i Quaternari. Universidad de Valencia, Spain, pp 181–193

    Google Scholar 

  • Gracia FJ, Del Río L, Alonso C, Benavente J, Anfuso G (2006) Historical evolution and present state of the coastal dune systems in the Atlantic coast of Cádiz (SW Spain): palaeoclimatic and environmental implications. J Coast Res SI48:55–63

    Google Scholar 

  • Gutiérrez-Mas JM, Juan C, Morales JA (2009) Evidence of high-energy events in shelly layers interbedded in coastal Holocene sands in Cadiz Bay (south-west Spain). Earth Surf Proc Land 34:810–823

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herrera A, Gómez-Pina G, Fages L, de la Casa A, Muñoz-Pérez JJ (2010) Environmental impact of beach nourishment: a case study of the Río San Pedro beach (SW Spain). Open Oceanogr J 4:32–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hsu JRC, Evans C (1989) Parabolic bay shapes and applications. Proc Inst Civ Eng 87(2):557–570

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hsu JRC, Silvester R, Xia YM (1989) Static equilibrium bays: new relationships. J Waterw Port C-ASCE 115(3):285–298

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Komar PD (1998) Beach processes and sedimentation, 2nd edn. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs

    Google Scholar 

  • Komar PD (2000) Coastal erosion – underlying factors and human impacts. Shore Beach 68(1):3–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Lario J, Luque L, Zazo C, Goy JL, Spencer C, Cabero A, Bardají T, Borja F, Dabrio CJ, Civis J, González-Delgado J, Borja C, Alonso-Azcárate J (2010) Tsunami vs. storm surge deposits: a review of the sedimentological and geomorphological records of extreme wave events (EWE) during the Holocene in the Gulf of Cadiz, Spain. Z Geomorph 54(Suppl 3):301–316

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • López Amador JJ, Pérez E (2013) El puerto gaditano de Balbo. Ed. El Boletín, Puerto de Santa María

    Google Scholar 

  • Luque L, Lario J, Civis J, Silva PG, Zazo C, Goy JL, Dabrio CJ (2002) Sedimentary record of a tsunami during Roman times, Bay of Cádiz, Spain. J Quat Sci 17:623–631

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martínez del Pozo JA, Anfuso G, Gracia FJ (2001) Recent evolution of a tidal delta in Cádiz Bay (SW Spain) due to human interventions. In: Özhan E (ed) Proceedings of MEDCOAST ’01. Hammamet, Tunisia, vol 3, pp 1425–1433

    Google Scholar 

  • Martínez del Pozo JA, Benavente J, Gracia FJ, Anfuso G (2002) Evolución reciente de la forma de equilibrio en planta de la playa de Valdelagrana (Bahía de Cádiz). In: Pérez-González A, Vegas J, Machado M (eds) Aportaciones a la geomorfología de España en el inicio del tercer milenio. IGME and Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnologia, Madrid, Spain, pp 355–361

    Google Scholar 

  • Masselink G, Short AD (1993) The effect of tide range on beach morphodynamics and morphology: a conceptual beach model. J Coast Res 9(3):785–800

    Google Scholar 

  • Moore LJ, Griggs GB (2002) Long-term cliff retreat and erosion hotspots along the central shores of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Mar Geol 181:265–283

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nordstrom KF, Jackson NL (1992) Two dimensional change on sandy beaches in estuaries. Z Geomorph 36(4):465–478

    Google Scholar 

  • Rangel-Buitrago N, Anfuso G (2011) Morphological changes at Levante Beach (Cadiz, SW Spain) associated with storm events during the 2009–2010 winter season. J Coast Res SI64:1886–1890

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodríguez-Polo S (2009) Estudio de geomorfología ambiental de la playa de Valdelagrana y Parque Metropolitano de Los Toruños. Implicaciones en la gestión. MSc Thesis, University of Cádiz

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodríguez-Polo S, Gracia FJ, Benavente J, Del Río L (2009) Geometry and recent evolution of the Holocene beach ridges of the Valdelagrana littoral spit (Cádiz Bay, SW Spain). J Coast Res SI56:20–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodríguez-Polo S, Gracia FJ, Del Río L (2010) Retroceso costero en la flecha de Valdelagrana, El Puerto de Santa María (Cádiz). In: Úbeda X, Vericat D, Batalla R (eds) Avances de la geomorfología en España 2008–2010. Solsona, Spain, pp 75–78

    Google Scholar 

  • Syvitski JPM, Vörösmarty CJ, Kettner AJ, Green P (2005) Impact of humans on the flux of terrestrial sediment to the global coastal ocean. Science 308:376–380

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Terpstra PD, Chrzastowski MJ (1992) Geometric trends in the evolution of a small log-spiral embayment on the Illinois shore of Lake Michigan. J Coast Res 8(3):603–617

    Google Scholar 

  • Thieler ER, Himmelstoss EA, Zichichi JL, Miller TL (2005) Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) version 3.0: an ArcGIS extension for calculating shoreline change. US Geological Survey Open-File Report 2005–1304

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright LD, Short AD (1984) Morphodynamic variability of surf zones and beaches: a synthesis. Mar Geol 56:93–118

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yasso W (1965) Plan geometry of headland-bay beaches. J Geol 73(5):702–714

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zazo C, Goy JL, Somoza L, Dabrio CJ, Belluomini G, Improta S, Lario J, Bardají T, Silva PG (1994) Holocene sequence of sea-level fluctuations in relation to climatic trends in the Atlantic-Mediterranean linkage coast. J Coast Res 10:933–945

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work is a contribution to the research group RNM-328 of the PAI and to the projects GERICO (CGL 2011-25438) and P10-RNM-6547.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Earth Sciences Department, University of Cádiz, Av. República Saharaui s/n, 11510, Cádiz, Puerto Real, Spain

    L. Del Río, J. Benavente, F. J. Gracia & S. Rodríguez-Polo

  2. Centre for Maritime Archaeology (CAS), IAPH, Consejería de Cultura, Junta de Andalucía, Av. Duque de Nájera 3, 11002, Cádiz, Spain

    C. Alonso

Authors
  1. L. Del Río
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. Benavente
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. F. J. Gracia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. C. Alonso
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. S. Rodríguez-Polo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to L. Del Río .

Editor information

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

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Del Río, L., Benavente, J., Gracia, F.J., Alonso, C., Rodríguez-Polo, S. (2015). Anthropogenic Influence on Spit Dynamics at Various Timescales: Case Study in the Bay of Cadiz (Spain). 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_8

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation