Combined beach - inner shelf erosion in short and medium term (Maspalomas, Canary Islands)

Authors

  • A. FONTÁN Instituto de Medio Ambiente y Ciencia Marina, Universidad Católica de Valencia. C/ Guillem de Castro 94, 46003 Valencia, Spain. Fax: (+34) 963153655
  • J. ALCÁNTARA-CARRIÓ Instituto de Medio Ambiente y Ciencia Marina, Universidad Católica de Valencia. C/ Guillem de Castro 94, 46003 Valencia, Spain. Fax: (+34) 963153655
  • I.D. CORREA Área de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad EAFITCra. 49 Nº. 7 Sur 50, Medellín, Colombia. Email: 1correa@eafit.edu.co. Fax: (+57) 42664284

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1344/105.000001756

Keywords:

Coastal geomorphology, Sediments, Budget, Storms, Climatic change

Abstract

The analysis of the accurate topo-bathymetric digital elevation model (DEM), the cartography of the submarine sedimentary cover and the monitoring of short (seasonal) and medium-term (2000-2009) morphological changes have permitted depicting the erosional trend in the short and medium-term of the Maspalomas sedimentary system. Short-term analysis showed intense sedimentary fluxes between the beaches and the inner shelf, and sedimentary exchanges with other sectors of the inner shelf, while the steep slope inner shelf fronting La Bajeta cape was identified as a sink area. In the medium-term the sediment budget showed high erosion of the supratidal and intertidal sectors of the beaches due to storm waves in the 2005-2006 winter, followed by accretion over the next four years, but which did not reach the initial sedimentary state. The inner shelf and subtidal sector of the beaches showed negative budgets in the short and medium-term. Interannual variability of the wave and wind regimes determines decadal beach erosion-accretion cycles, while long-term climatic change, evidenced at the study area by a decrease of trade winds and NE wave intensity in 2005, is expected to produce a possible increase of erosion at the El Inglés inner shelf and consequently a decrease in sediment inputs to the El Inglés beach and Maspalomas dune field. Finally, the influence of the geological heritage is depicted by the Fataga gully’s control of the present coastal morphology, and by the island relief control of the wind, waves and current directions in the study area.

References

Alcántara-Carrió, J., Alonso, I., 2002. Measurement and prediction of aeolian sediment transport at Jandia Isthmus (Fuerteventura, Canary Islands). Journal of Coastal Research, 18(2), 300-315.

Alcántara-Carrió, J., Fontán, A., 2009. Factors controlling the morphodynamics and geomorphologic evolution of a cuspate foreland in a volcanic intraplate island (Maspalomas, Canary Islands). Journal of Coastal Research, 56 (Special Issue), 683-687.

Alonso, I., Alcántara-Carrió, J., Cabrera, L., 2002. Tourist resort and their impact on beach erosion at Sotavento Beaches, Fuerteventura. Journal of Coastal Research, 36 (Special Issue), 1-7.

Alonso, I., Montesdeoca, I., Vivares, A., Alcántara-Carrió, J., 2001. Variabilidad granulométrica y de la línea de costa en las playas de El Inglés y Maspalomas (Gran Canaria). Geotemas, 3(1), 39-42.

Alonso, I., Sánchez, I., Mangas, J., Rodríguez, S., Medina, R., Hernández, L., 2008. Caracterización textural y composicional de las playas del sector meridional de Gran Canaria. Consideraciones sobre el transporte de sedimentos. Geotemas, 10, 495-498.

Amos, C.L., Li, M.Z., Chiocci, F.L., La Monica, G.B., Cappucci, S., King, E.H., Corbani, F., 2003. Origin of shore-normal channels from the shoreface of Sable Island, Canada. Journal of Geophysical Research, 108(C3), 39.1-39.16.

Andreasen, C., Pryor, D.E., 1988. Hydrographic and bathymetric systems for NOAA programs. Marine Geodesy, 12(1), 21-39.

Anzidei, M., 2000. Rapid bathymetric surveys in marine volcanic areas: A case study in Panarea area. Physics and Chemistry

of the Earth, Part A: Solid Earth and Geodesy, 25(1), 77-80.

Balcells, R., Barrera, J.L., Gómez, J.A., 1990. Mapa Geológico de España. Escala 1:25,000. Maps 1100-1-11 to 1114-IV. Gran Canaria, Instituto Tecnológico Geominero de España (ITGE), Madrid.

Baptista, P., Bastos, L., Bernardes, C., Cunha, T., Dias, J., 2008. Monitoring sandy shores morphologies by DGPS. A practical tool to generate digital elevation models. Journal of Coastal Research, 24(6), 1516-1528.

Bird, E.C.F., 1996. Beach Management. Chichester, John Wiley & Sons, 281pp.

Bryan, K.R., Tay, H.W., Pilditch, C.A., Lundquist, C.J., Hunt, H.L., 2007. The effects of seagrass (Zostera muelleri) on boundary-layer hydrodynamics in Whangapoua Estuary, New Zealand. Journal of Coastal Research, 50 (Special Issue), 668-672.

Bryant, E., 2005. Natural hazards. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press 312pp. Carracedo, J.C., Pérez-Torrado, F.J., Ancochea, E., Meco, J., Hernán, F., Cubas, C.R., Casillas, R., Rodríguez-Badiola, E., 2002. Cenozoic Volcanism. II: The Canary Islands, Geology of Spain. London, Geological Society of London, 438-472.

Correa, I.D., Alcántara-Carrió, J., González, R., 2005. Historical and recent shore erosion along the Colombian Caribbean Coast. Journal of Coastal Research, 49 (Special Issue), 52-57.

Cressie, N.A.C., 1990. The origins of kriging. Mathematical Geology, 22, 239-252.

Criado, C., González, R., Yanes, A., 2001. Rasgos sedimentológicos de los fondos marinos de Maspalomas (Gran Canaria). Vegueta, 6, 191-200.

de Castro, M., Martín-Vide, J., Alonso, S., 2005. The climate of Spain: past, present and scenarios for the 21st century. In: Moreno, J.M. (ed.). A Preliminary General Assessment of the Impacts in Spain due to the effects of climate change. Madrid (Spain), Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, 1-62.

Fontán, A., 2007. Estudio geodinámico de las playas y dunas de Maspalomas (Gran Canaria). M.Sc. Thesis. Valencia, Universidad Católica de Valencia, 110pp.

Fontán, A., Alcántara-Carrió, J., Poveda, J.M., Peña, M.A., 2007. Aplicación de técnicas de GPS diferencial, fotogrametría y geofísica a la cuantificación de procesos erosivos y balances sedimentarios en playas y dunas costeras. In: Rivas, R., Grisotto, A., Sacido, M. (eds.). Teledetección–Herramienta para la gestión sostenible. Mar del Plata (Argentina), Asociación Española de Teledetección, 635-638.

García, C., Servera, J. 2003. Impacts of tourism development on water demand and beach degradation on the Island of Mallorca (Spain). Geografiska Annaler, Series A, Physical Geography, 85(3-4), 287-300.

Gesch, D., Wilson, R., 2001. Development of a seamless multisource topographic/bathymetric elevation model for Tampa Bay. Marine Technology Society Journal, 35(4), 58-64.

Hallermaier, R.J., 1981. A profile zonation for seasonal sand beaches from wave climate. Coastal Engineering, 4, 253-277.

Hasselman, S., Hasselman, K., Janssen, P.A.E.M., Komen, G.J., Bertotti, L., Lionello, P., Guillaume, A., Cardone, V.C., Greenwood, J.A., Reistad, M., Zambresky, L., Ewing, J.A. (WAMDI Group), 1988. The WAM model - A third generation ocean wave prediction model. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 18, 1775-1810.

Hernández, A., Hernández, L., Pérez-Chacón, E., Máyer, P., Romero, L., Alonso, I., Sánchez, I., Martín, M., Medina, S., Miranda, Y. 2006. Seguimiento de la dinámica de las dunas litorales en la playa de Maspalomas (Gran Canaria, Islas Canarias, España). In: Pérez-Alberti, A., López, J. (eds.). Universidad de Santiago de Compostela. Geomorfología y Territorio, 389-400.

Hernández, L., 2006. Diagnóstico sobre la evolución del sistema de dunas de Maspalomas (1960-2000). Doctoral Thesis. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Servicio de Publicaciones del Cabildo Insular de Gran Canaria, 356pp.

Hernández, L., Alonso, I., Sánchez-Pérez, I., Alcántara-Carrió, J., Montesdeoca, I., 2007. Shortage of sediments in the Maspalomas Dune Field (Gran Canaria, Canary Islands) deduced from analysis of aerial photographs, foraminiferal content, and sediment transport trends. Journal of Coastal Research, 23(4), 993-999.

Houser, C., Hapke, C., Hamilton, S., 2008. Controls on coastal dune morphology, shoreline erosion and barrier island response to extreme storms. Geomorphology, 100, 223-240.

Jiménez, B., Sangrà, P., Mason, E., 2008. A numerical study of the relative importance of wind and topographic forcing on oceanic eddies shedding by deep water islands. Ocean Modelling, 22, 146-157.

Jones, P.D., Parker, D.E., Osborn, T.J., Briffa, K.R., 2009. Global and hemispheric temperature anomalies-land and marine instrumental records. In trends: a compendium of data on global change. Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Oak Ridge (United States of America), Department of Energy, doi: 10.3334/CDIAC/cli.002

Martínez, J., Carpio, P., Gómez, M., Hernández, T., Mena, A., 1986. Las dunas de Maspalomas: geología e impacto del entorno. Excmo. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Cabildo Insular de Gran Canaria y Universidad Politécnica de Canarias, 151pp.

Masselink, G., Kroon, A., Davidson-Arnott, R.G.D., 2006. Morphodynamics of intertidal bars in wave-dominated coastal settings-a review. Geomorphology, 73, 33-49.

Masselink, G., Short, A.D. 1993. The effect of tide range on beach morphodynamics, a conceptual beach model. Journal of Coastal Research, 9, 785-800.

Mason, E. 2009. High-resolution modelling of the Canary Basin oceanic circulation. Doctoral Thesis. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 235pp.

Menéndez, I., Silva, P.G., Martín-Betancor, M., Pérez-Torrado, J., Guillou, H., Scaillet, S., 2008. Fluvial dissection, isostatic uplift, and geomorphological evolution of volcanic islands (Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain). Geomorphology, 102(1), 189-203.

Miller, L., Douglas, B.C. 2004. Mass and volume contributions to twentieth-century global sea level rise. Nature, 428, 406-409.

Mitasova, H., 2004. Quantifying rapid changes in coastal topography using modern mapping techniques and Geographic Information System. Environmental & Engineering Geoscience, 10(1), 1-11.

Myers, D.E. 1994. Spatial interpolation–an overview. Geoderma, 62, 17-28.

Nordstrom, K.F., 2000. Beaches and Dunes of Developed Coasts. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 338pp.

Poate, T., Kingston, K., Masselink, G., Russel, P., 2009. Response of high-energy, macrotidal beaches to seasonal changes in wave conditions: examples from North Cornwall, UK. Journal of Coastal Research, 56 (Special Issue), 747-751.

Reichmüth, B., Anthony, E.J., 2007. Tidal influence on the intertidal bar morphology of two contrasting macrotidal beaches. Geomorphology, 90, 101-114.

Sánchez-Pérez, I., Alonso, I., Usera, J., 2005. Determination of the sediment inputs from the upper shelf towards the beaches and dunes of Maspalomas (Gran Canaria) by foraminifera analysis. Journal of Coastal Research, 49 (Special Issue), 46-51.

Sánchez-Pérez, I., 2010. Los foraminíferos de los distintos ambientes sedimentaros de Maspalomas: plataforma, playas, dunas, lagoon costero y materiales subyacentes. Aportaciones al origen y evolución de este sistema. Doctoral Thesis. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 240pp.

Sangrà, P., Auladell, M., Marrero-Díaz, A., Pelegrí, J.L., FraileNuez, E., Rodríguez-Santana, A., Martín, J.M., Mason, E., Hernández-Guerra, A., 2007. On the nature of oceanic eddies shed by the Island of Gran Canaria. Deep Sea Research I, Oceanographic Research Papers, 54(5), 687-709.

Sangrà, P., Pascual, A., Rodríguez-Santana, A., Machín, F., Mason, E., McWilliams, J.M., Pelegrí, J.L., Dong, C., Rubio, A., Arístegui, J., Marrero-Díaz, A., Hernández-Guerra, A., Martínez-Marrero, A., Auladell, M., 2009. The Canary Eddy Corridor: A major pathway for long-lived eddies in the subtropical North Atlantic. Deep-Sea Research I, 56, 2100-2114.

Saye, S.E., Van der Wal, D., Pye, K., Blott, S.J., 2005. Beach–dune morphological relationships and erosion/accretion: An investigation at five sites in England and Wales using LIDAR data. Geomorphology, 72, 128-155.

Semedo, A.A.M., 2005. The North Atlantic Oscillation influence on the wave regime in Portugal: an extreme wave event analysis. M.Sc. Thesis. California, Naval Postgraduate School Monterey, 106pp.

Short, A.D., 2010. Role of geological inheritance in Australian beach morphodynamics. Coastal Engineering, 57(2), 92-97.

Shrestha, R.L, Carter, W.E., Sartori, M., Luzum, B.J., Slatton, K.C., 2005. Airborne Laser Swath Mapping: quantifying changes in sandy beaches over time scales of weeks to years. Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS), 59(4), 222-232.

Syvitski, J.P.M., Vorosmarty, C.J., Kettner, A.J., Green, P, 2005. Impact of humans on the flux of terrestrial sediment to the global coastal ocean. Science, 308(5720), 376-380.

Thieler, E.R., Pilkey, O.H., Cleary, W.J., Schwab, W.C., 2001. Modern sedimentation on the shoreface and inner continental shelf at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, USA. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 71(6), 958-970.

Trenhaile, A., Pérez Alberti, A., Martínez Cortizas, A., Costa Casais, M., Blanco Chao, R., 1999. Rock coast inheritance: an example from Galicia, Northwestern Spain. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 24, 605-621.

Undén, P., Rontu, L., Järvinen, H., Lynch, P., Calvo, J., 2002. The HIRLAM model (version 5.2). Norrköping (Sweden), High Resolution Limited Area Model Scientific Report, 144pp.

Weibull, W., 1951. A statistical distribution function of wide applicability. Journal of Applied Mechanics, 18, 293-297.

Wright, L.D., Short, A.D., 1984. Morphodynamic variability of surf zones and beaches: A synthesis. Marine Geology, 56, 93-118.

Downloads

Published

2023-10-26

Issue

Section

Articles

Most read articles by the same author(s)