Mediterranean river systems of Andalusia, southern Spain, and associated deltas: A source to sink approach

Liquete, Camino; Arnau, Pedro; Canals, Miquel; Colás, Salvador Navarro

doi:10.1016/j.margeo.2005.06.033

Cited by 76 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 33 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The poor relationship could suggest that: (1) the negative effect of dams on sediment supply decrease to deltas in the Mediterranean is presently overestimated, (2) the relative shoreline stability reflects a lag in the downstream propagation of the effect of dams on the reduction of bedload transfer from river channels to delta shorelines. Liquete et al (2005) noted that sediment load reduction effects have, to date, had, little effect on many of the deltas of the small, steep rivers and torrents of the coast of Andalusia. Elsewhere, deltas have actually accreted as a result of land-use changes, a fine example being the Meric in Turkey (Ekercin, 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

River delta shoreline reworking and erosion in the Mediterranean and Black Seas: the potential roles of fluvial sediment starvation and other factors

Besset

Anthony

Sabatier

2017

Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Mediterranean basin (including the Black Sea) is characterized by a plethora of deltas that have developed in a wave-influenced setting. Many of these deltas are sourced in sediments by river catchments that have been variably dammed. The vulnerability status of a selection of ten deltas subject to different levels of reduction in fluvial sediment supply following damming was analysed by quantifying changes in delta protrusion area and protrusion angle over the last 30 years. The rationale for choosing these two metrics, which do not require tricky calculations of longshore bedload transport volumes and river ‘influence’, is that as sediment supply wanes, increasing relative efficiency of waves leads to longshore redistribution of reworked sediments and progressive ‘flattening’ of the delta protrusion. The results show that eight of the ten deltas (Nile, Rhône, Ebro, Ceyhan, Arno, Ombrone, Moulouya, Medjerda) are in erosion, whereas two (Danube, Po) show stability, but the statistical relationship between change in delta protrusion area and sediment flux reduction is poor, thus suggesting that the role of dams in causing delta shoreline erosion may have been over-estimated. But this poor relationship could also be due to a long temporal lag between dam construction and bedload removal and transport to the coast downstream of dams, and, where the delta protrusion is being eroded, to bedload trapping by shoreline engineering structures and by elongating delta-flank spits. Other potential influential factors in shoreline change include subsidence, sea-level rise, storminess, exceptional river floods, and managed sediment releases downstream of dams. A longer observation period and high-resolution sediment-budget studies will be necessary to determine more definitively to which extent continued trapping of sediment behind dams will impact overall delta stability in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Mitigation of delta erosion is likely to become costlier under continued sediment starvation and sea-level rise.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

River delta shoreline reworking and erosion in the Mediterranean and Black Seas: the potential roles of fluvial sediment starvation and other factors

Besset

Anthony

Sabatier

2017

Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The streamflow drought characteristics of the PC6 hydrological region may be related to the small area involved and the low altitude of the catchments. These factors result in frequent but short drought episodes because of the ephemeral regime of the streams, which usually have moderate or high streamflows during the wet season but are dry during the remainder of the year (Liquete et al, 2005). The reduction in drought episodes in the hydrological region represented by PC7 reflects the dependence of this area on water transferred from the headwaters of the Tagus River.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Streamflow droughts in the Iberian Peninsula between 1945 and 2005: spatial and temporal patterns

Lorenzo‐Lacruz¹,

Morán-Tejéda²,

Vicente‐Serrano³

et al. 2013

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. In this study we analyzed the spatiotemporal variability of streamflow droughts in the Iberian Peninsula from 1945 to 2005. Streamflow series belonging to 187 homogeneously distributed gauging stations across the study area were used to develop a standardized streamflow index (SSI), which facilitated comparison among regimes and basins, regardless of streamflow magnitudes. A principal component analysis was performed to identify homogeneous hydrological regions having common features based on the temporal evolution of streamflows. Identification of drought events was carried out using a threshold level approach. We assessed the duration and magnitude of drought episodes and the changes that occurred between two contrasting periods for each hydrological region. The results showed a trend toward increased drought severity in the majority of regions. Drought duration, magnitude and spatial coverage were found to depend mainly on climatic conditions and the water storage strategies in each basin. In some basins these strategies have altered river regimes, and in others created a high level of dependence on storage and water transfer rates.

show abstract

“…us, some episodes of atmospheric dust deposition, mostly of Saharan origin, have been recorded [31]. e �uvial input of particles has been extensively investigated by Liquete et al [32]. ese authors have found that supply from the north coast is at least one order of magnitude larger than from the southern one.…”

Section: Alboran Sea E Water Circulation In the Strait Ofmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Circulation, Sediment Transport, and Pollutant Dynamics in Southern Iberia Waters: A Review on Numerical Modelling Studies

Periáñez

2013

ISRN Oceanography

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Southern Iberian Peninsula coastal waters have a high ecologic and economic value. e objective of this work has consisted of describing numerical models which simulate the dispersion of particle-reactive tracers in these waters and reproducing measured concentration levels in water and bed sediment samples. Additionally, information on suspended matter concentration distributions and sedimentation rates is obtained. In the Alboran Sea, the model has been applied to simulate the transport of radionuclides introduced from atmospheric fallout. Transport pathways of heavy metals discharged from three rivers draining a large mining area have been obtained for the Gulf of Cadiz. It has been found that these rivers constitute a source of trace elements to the Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar. Some characteristic times have been calculated, as well as �uxes of isotopes through the Strait of Gibraltar, as additional results of environmental interest.

show abstract

Mediterranean river systems of Andalusia, southern Spain, and associated deltas: A source to sink approach

Cited by 76 publications

References 33 publications

River delta shoreline reworking and erosion in the Mediterranean and Black Seas: the potential roles of fluvial sediment starvation and other factors

River delta shoreline reworking and erosion in the Mediterranean and Black Seas: the potential roles of fluvial sediment starvation and other factors

Streamflow droughts in the Iberian Peninsula between 1945 and 2005: spatial and temporal patterns

Water Circulation, Sediment Transport, and Pollutant Dynamics in Southern Iberia Waters: A Review on Numerical Modelling Studies

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About