RT journal article
T1 Coastal storm characterization and morphological impacts on sandy coasts
A1 Rangel-Buitrago, N
A1 Anfuso Melfi, Giorgio
A2 Ciencias de la Tierra
K1 storm
K1 power index
K1 beach erosion
K1 Cadiz
K1 Spain
AB The present work deals with storm classification, using the Storm Power Index, and beach morphological response tostorm events in the Gulf of Cadiz (SW Spain). Over the 1958–2001 period, 377 events divided into five classes ranging from ‘weak’ to‘extreme’ were characterized. Classes I (weak) and II (moderate) accounted for 60% and 23% of events, respectively. Class III (significant),were 9% of the recorded events and Classes IV (severe) and V (extreme) accounted for 5% and 2%, respectively. The probabilityof storm occurrence per year ranged from 93% for Class I to 15% for Class V. In order to characterize beach response to stormevents, 214 beach profiles carried out with a monthly periodicity over the 1996–1998 period along the Chipiona-Rota littoral wereanalysed, as well as published data. Different beach types were observed: (i) ‘Intermediate’ beaches underwent important verticalrelief changes ranging from 0.3m to 1.33m associated with average slope changes from tan b = 0.06 to tan b = 0.03; (ii) the ‘dissipative’beaches were characterized by smaller and homogeneous foreshore vertical changes, from c. 0.36m to 0.65 m, according to theparallel retreat mechanism characterized by small slope variations (from tan b = 0.025 to tan b = 0.035); and (iii) ‘intermediate withrock shore platform’ experienced small morphological and foreshore slope variations, related to both beach pivoting and parallelretreat mechanisms. The most important morphological changes were due to the impact of usually ‘weak’ and ‘moderate’ eventsduring October and November that produced berm erosion and upper foreshore lowering, and the impact of ‘severe’, ‘significant’and ‘extreme’ events in December and January which produced dune escarpment, overwash and/or damage to coastal structures.
PB John Wiley & Sons
SN 0197-9337
YR 2011
FD 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/15902
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/15902
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 14-nov-2026