RT journal article
T1 The Making of a Gravel Beach (Cavo, Elba Island, Italy)
A1 Cinelli, Irene
A1 Anfuso Melfi, Giorgio
A1 Bartoletti, Enrico
A1 Rossi, Lorenzo
A1 Pranzini, Enzo
A2 Ciencias de la Tierra
K1 beach nourishment
K1 coastal erosion
K1 gravel beaches
K1 sediment budget
K1 shore protection structures
AB This paper presents the history and evolution of the different projects carried out from1999 to 2008 at Cavo beach in the Elba Island, Italy. The village of Cavo almost completely lost itsbeach in the 1970s due to the reduction of sedimentary input, and the backing coastal road wasdefended by a revetment and two detached breakwaters. Such severe erosion processes continued inthe following years and impeded any possibility of beach tourist development. In 1999, a projectbased on the removal of existing breakwaters and beach nourishment works based on the use ofgravel as borrow sediment and the construction of two short groins to maintain nourished sediment,raised environmental concern and did not find the approval of the stakeholders. They were worriedabout the characteristics of the sediments, i.e., waste materials from iron mining rich in red siltand clay. Such sediment fractions made the sea red during the nourishment and deposited on thePosidonia oceanica meadow in front of the beach, with a potential environmental impact. Furthermore,they cemented the gravel fraction forming a beach rock. Between 2006 and 2008, these materialswere covered with better quality gravel, extending and raising the beach profile, which requiredthe elevation and lengthening of the two existing groins. Beach evolution monitoring following thesecond project, based on morphological and sedimentological data acquired before, during and afterthe works, demonstrated the great stability of the newly created beach. The wider beach has allowedthe construction of a promenade and the positioning, in summer, of small structures useful for seasidetourism, increasing the appeal of this village. Data presented in this paper shows an interestingstudy case, since few examples exist in international literature regarding gravel nourishment projectsmonitoring and evolution.
PB MDPI
SN 2077-1312
YR 2021
FD 2021-10
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/25962
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/25962
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 14-nov-2026