Erosion consequences on beach functions along the Maresme coast (NW Mediterranean, Spain)

Abstract

A methodology to analyse the influence of erosion on beach functions at a regional scale is presented. The method considers erosion hazards at different timescales and assesses consequences by evaluating impacts on recreation and protection functions. To provide useful information to decision makers for managing these functions, hazard and consequences are integrated at the municipal level within a risk matrix. This methodology is applied at the Maresme, a 45-km sandy coast situated northward of Barcelona, which supports a strong urban and infrastructure development as well as an intensive beach recreational use. Obtained results indicate differentiated erosion implications along the region, depending on the management target considered. Thus, southern municipalities are more prone to erosion affecting the protection function of the beach and leisure use by the local population, whereas erosion will have a greater effect on foreign tourism in the northern municipalities. These results highlight the necessity to employ an articulated erosion risk assessment focusing on specific targets depending on the site in question. This methodology can help coastal managers to adopt tailored measures to manage erosion impacts towards specific goals, in a more efficient and sustainable manner.

Causes of the different behaviour of the shoreline on beaches with similar characteristics. Study case of the San Juan and Guardamar del Segura beaches, Spain

“…However, they are threatened by erosion, anthropogenic activities, etc. (EEA_EropeanEnvironmentalAgency, 2006), since there are areas in which the population tends to concentrate, as they are favourable for the development for human activities, which increases the potential for anthropogenic and natural damage (Ballesteros et al, 2018). A consequence of this human activity is the increasing construction of channels, or the rivers regulation, which have altered the natural dynamics of the coasts as a result of sediment retention or the lack of erosion of river basins, which have generated erosion problems around the world (Anthony et al, 2014;De Leo et al, 2017;Syvitski et al, 2009;Syvitski and Saito, 2007).…”

Global distribution of nearshore slopes with implications for coastal retreat

“…At data-poor locations, when bathymetric data are not available, an equilibrium bathymetric profile (Dean, 1991) is often assumed and the local d c is needed to define the offshore profile limit (Udo and Takeda, 2017). Various assessments of future coastal recession due to sea level rise (SLR) have used the Bruun rule (Bruun, 1962) to quantify coastal retreat (Zhang et al, 2004;Hinkel et al, 2013;Baron et al, 2014;Monioudi et al, 2017;Udo and Takeda, 2017;Ballesteros et al, 2018;, an approach which is very sensitive to the nearshore slope. The most common approach to estimate d c is using empirical formulae (Hallermeier, 1978;Birkemeier, 1985;Nicholls et al, 1998) that relate d c to wave parameters.…”

The Expected Shoreline Effect of a Marine Energy Farm Operating Close to Sardinia Island

“…Even in these conditions, it was estimated that on the Elmas airport (Sardinia) almost five tons of sand were seized in just three summer months in 2015 [23]. In general, there are little options to tackle the beach erosion, most of the existing literature being related to observations of these events as in the case of Sardinia [24], Maresme coast [25], or Menorca Island [26], respectively. More than this, it is expected that as a consequence of global warming, the erosion risk will increase by 13% across this region by 2100.…”