RT journal article
T1 Influence of a Reef Flat on Beach Profiles Along the Atlantic Coast of Morocco
A1 Taaouati, Mohammed
A1 Parisi, Pietro
A1 Passoni, Giuseppe
A1 Lopez  Garcia, Patricia
A1 Romero Cózar, Jeanette
A1 Anfuso Melfi, Giorgio
A1 Vidal Pérez, Juan Manuel
A1 Muñoz Pérez, Juan José
A2 Ciencias de la Tierra
A2 Física Aplicada
K1 EOF
K1 beach profiles
K1 reef flat
K1 coastal dynamics
K1 sand rich
K1 accretion
K1 erosion rate
AB The North Atlantic coast of Morocco is characterised by a flat rocky outcrop in the south (Asilah Beach) and a sandy beach free of rocky outcrops in the north (Charf el-Akab). These natural beaches were monitored for a period of two years (April 2005-January 2007) and two different profiles (one for each beach) were analysed based on differences in the substrate. Topographic data were analysed using statistics and empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) to determine beach slope and volumetric changes over time. Several morphologic phenomena were identified (accretion/erosion and seasonal tilting of beach profiles around different hinge points), attesting to their importance in explaining variability in the data. Periods of accretion were similar in both profiles, but the volumetric rate of change was faster in the sand-rich (SR) profile than in the reef flat (RF) profile. Moreover, the erosion rate for the SR profile was greater than the RF profile (135.18 m(3)/year vs. 55.39 m(3)/year). Therefore, the RF acted as a geological control on the evolution of its profile because of wave energy attenuation. Thus, special attention should be given to the RF profile, which has larger slopes, less amounts of mobilised sand, and slower erosion/accretion rates than the SR profile.
PB MDPI
SN 2073-4441
YR 2020
FD 2020-03
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/23100
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/23100
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 13-nov-2026