Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

The Spanish Coastal Systems pp 209–236Cite as

Beaches in Valencian Coast

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Abstract

The main factors that determined the Valencian beaches characteristics are the configuration of relief structures; fluvial sediment supply; low tidal range; the predominance of low energy waves; scarcity of big storms; longshore littoral drift; and human action. There is a significant prevalence of sandy beaches. Nevertheless, both at the northern part of the Gulf of Valencia and in the structural segment, between the Cape Sant Antoni and Alicante city, pebble and gravel beaches are predominant. Most of the Valencian beaches have experienced significant morphological changes during the last decades due to the human interventions -voluntary or involuntary- in the coastal system. The implementation of artificial barriers to longitudinal transport (ports, jetties, groins, etc.) has caused updrift sedimentary accumulations and downdrift accelerated beach erosion, as usual. The urban occupation (especially by the construction of promenades, usually on top of the dunes) destroyed the precarious transversal beach equilibrium. On the other hand, artificial sand nourishments have altered the original texture of many beach segments and punctually modified the previous landscape morphology. In addition, the substantial decrease in new fluvial sediment supply to the coastal system, also by human action, has led to a paradigm shift in the Valencian coasts towards a deficient sedimentary economy that threatens its future sustainability.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    In this link you can find the eco-cartographic ordered by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment from Alicante and Valencia (made in 2006 and 2007) and Castellón (made in 2009 and 2010). These studies include a bathymetrical survey (with isobaths every meter) from the shore until a depth of 40 m. In addition, a wide textural analysis campaign was made on the materials both emerged and submerged beach. All this information has been used as a basic source for the multiple maps that appear in this work.

References

  • Aragonés, L., García-Barba, J., García-Bleda, E., López, I., & Serra, J. C. (2015). Beach noudrishment impacto on Posidonia oceánica: Case study of Poniente beach (Benidorm, Spain). Ocean Engieneering, 107, 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aragonés, L., Serra, J. C., Villacampa, Y., Saval, J. M., & Tinoco, H. (2016). New methodology for describing the equilibrium beach profile applied to the Valencia’s beaches. Geomorphology, 259, 1–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brocal, R., López García, M. J., & Pardo-Pascual, J. E. (2005). Análisis de la evolución de la línea de costa en el litoral valenciano mediante SIG e imágenes de satélite. El sector Tavernes-Cullera (1956–1999). Geomorfologia litoral i quaternari (pp. 307–324). Universitat de València.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cobo, R. (2008). Los sedimentos de los embalses españoles. Ingeniería del agua, 15(4), 231–241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Esteban, V. (1987). Procesos litorales en las costas valencianas al sur del cabo de San Antonio. Unpublished Doctoral Thesis ETS Ingenieros Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Universitat Politècnica de València, 4 vol.

    Google Scholar 

  • González-Correa, J. M., Fernández Torquemada, Y., & Sánchez Lizaso, J. L. (2008). Long-term effect of beach replenishment on natural recovery of shallow Posidonia oceanica meadows. Estuarine Coastal Shelf Science, 76, 834–844.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haerens, P., Bolle, A., Trouw, K., & Houthuys, R. (2011). Definition of storm thresholds for significant morphological change of the sandy beaches along the Belgian coastline. Geomorphology, 143–144, 104–117.

    Google Scholar 

  • HIDRA. (1992). Puerto de escala en Canet de Berenguer (Puerto Siles) y playa de Sagunt. Levantamiento topográfico y batimétrico (estado inicial). COPUT, Generalitat Valenciana.

    Google Scholar 

  • HIDTMA. (2002): Proyecto de rehabilitación del frente litoral de Almazora. Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, Dirección General de Costas.

    Google Scholar 

  • IMPACTUR. (2015): Comunitat Valenciana, Impactur 2015. Estudio sobre el impacto económico del turismo sobre la economía y el empleo. Exceltur y Generalitat Valenciana, 44 pp. Available in http://www.exceltur.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/IMPACTUR-Comunitat-Valenciana-2015.pdf.

  • Kondolf, G. M. (1997). Hungry water: Effects of dams and gravel mining on river channels. Environmental Management, 21(4), 533–551.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • La Roca, N., Sanjaume, E., & Gil, M. V. (2005). Principales características de los acantilados de la Nau, In Sanjaume E & Mateu JF (Eds.), Geomorfología litoral i Quaternari. Homenatge al profesor V. M. Rosselló i Verger, Universitat de València, València: 223–244.

    Google Scholar 

  • López-García, M. J., & Pardo-Pascual, J. E. (1995). Avaluació dels canvis dels usos del sòl en un sector de litoral de Sagunt i Canet d’En Berenguer. Braçal, 1995, 465–477.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mateu, J. (1982). El norte del País Valenciano. Geomorfología litoral y prelitoral (p. 286). València: Universitat de València.

    Google Scholar 

  • Medina, J. R., Tintoré, J., & Duarte, C. M. (2001). Las praderas de Posidonia oceánica y la regeneración de playas. Revista de Obras Públicas, 3(409), 31–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Obiol, E. (2003). La regeneración de playas como factor clave del turismo valenciano. Cuadernos de Geografía, 73/74, 121–146.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pagán, J. I., López, I., Aragonés, L., & Garcia-Barba, J. (2017). The effects of the anthropic actions on the Sandy beaches of Guardamar del Segura, Spain. Science of Total Environment, 601–602, 1364–1377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pardo-Pascual, J. E., Almonacid Caballer, J., & Palomar-Vázquez, J. M. (2013). Utilización de líneas de costa obtenidas de imágenes Landsat para caracterizar la evolución de amplios segmentos costeros. Aplicación al sur del golfo de Valencia, Resúmenes de XII Jornadas Españolas de Puertos y Costas (pp. 58–59). Autoridad Portuaria de Cartagena.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pardo-Pascual, J. E. (1991a). La erosión antrópica en el litoral valenciano, Conselleria d’Obres Públiques, Urbanisme i Transport, Generalitat Valenciana, 240 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pardo-Pascual, J. E. (1991b). Acción antrópica y evolución costera del sector Sagunt-Valencia, XII Congreso Nacional de Geografía (pp. 55–62). Valencia: AGE-Universitat de València.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pardo-Pascual, J. E. (1997). El medi físic, El port de València i el seu entorn urbà. El Grau i el Cabanyal-Canyamelar en la Història, Ayuntamiento de Valencia (pp. 103–120).

    Google Scholar 

  • Pardo-Pascual, J. E., Almonacid-Caballer, J., Mislata Cabo, R., & Roselló, R. (2012b). Caracterización de la evolución reciente de las playas de Sagunt y Canet d’En Berenguer. Anales del Instituto de Estudios Saguntinos, 55–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pardo-Pascual, J. E., Almonacid-Caballer, J., Ruiz, L. A., & Palomar-Vázquez, J. (2012a). Automatic extraction of shorelines from Landsat TM and ETM multi-temporal images with subpixel precision. Remote Sensing of Environment, 123, 1–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pardo-Pascual, J. E., Almonacid-Caballer, J., Ruiz, L. A., Palomar-Vázquez, J., & Rodrigo-Alemany, R. (2014). Evaluation of storm impact on sandy beaches of the Gulf of Valencia using Landsat imagery. Geomorphology, 214, 334–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pardo-Pascual, J. E., Sánchez-García, E., Almonacid-Caballer, J., Palomar-Vázquez, J. M., Priego de los Santos, E., Fernández-Sarría, A., et al. (2018). Assessing the accuracy of automatically extracted shorelines on microtidal beaches from landsat 7, landsat 8 and sentinel-2 imagery. Remote Sensing, 10(2), 326.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pardo-Pascual, J. E., & Sanjaume, E. (1995). Caracterización de las playas valencianas a partir del parámetro escalar de surf. In Actas de las III Jornadas Españolas de Ingeniería de Costas y Puertos (pp. 614–628). Universitat Politècnica de València.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pardo-Pascual, J. E., & Sanjaume, E. (2001). Análisis multiescalar de la evolución costera. Cuadernos de Geografía, 69(70), 95–126.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petts, G. E. (1984). Impounded rivers: Perspectives for ecological management (p. 326). Chichester: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petts, G. E., & Gurnell, A. M. (2005). Dams and geomorphology: Research progress and future directions. Geomorphology, 71(1), 27–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pye, K., & Blott, S. J. (2008). Decadal-scale variation in dune erosion and accretion rates: An investigation of the significance of changing storm tide frequency and magnitude on the Sefton coast UK. Geomorphology, 102, 652–666.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • REDMAR, Red de Mareógrafos de Puertos del Estado. (2014). Resumen de parámetros relacionados con el nivel del mar y la marea que afectan a las condiciones de diseño y explotación portuaria. Puerto de Valencia. Dirección Técnica Puertos del Estado, 33 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosselló, V. M. (1986). L’artificialització del litoral valencià. Cuadernos de Geografía, 38, 1–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sánchez-García, E., Pardo-Pascual, J. E., Balaguer-Beser, A., & Almonacid-Caballer, J. (2015). Analysis of the shoreline position extracted from Landsat TM and ETM + imagery. In ISPRS Archives: 36th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment (Volume XL-7/W3), May 11–15, 2015, Berlin (pp. 991–998).

    Google Scholar 

  • Sanchis-Ibor, C., Segura-Beltran, F., & Almonacid-Caballer, J. (2017). Channel forms recovery in an ephemeral river after gravel mining (Palancia River, Eastern Spain). CATENA, 158, 357–370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sanjaume, E. (1979). El karst marino en el litoral del norte de Alacant, VI Coloquio de Geografía, Palma de Mallorca (pp. 123–130).

    Google Scholar 

  • Sanjaume, E., & Pardo-Pascual, J. E. (2005). Erosion by human impact on the Valencian coastline (E of Spain). Journal of Coastal Research, SI 49, 76–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sanjaume, E., & Pardo-Pascual, J. E. (2008). Cambios de tendencias recientes en la evolución costera del golfo de Valencia: análisis espaciales y sedimentológicos In Actas de las Jornadas Técnicas: Las Nuevas Técnicas de Información Geográfica al servicio de la gestión de zonas costeras: análisis de la evolución de playas y dunas (pp. 1–9). Universitat Politècnica de València.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sanjaume, E., & Pardo-Pascual, J. E. (2011). Degradación de sistemas dunaes. In E. Sanjaume & F. J. Gracia (Eds.), Las dunas de España (pp. 609–640). Cádiz: Sociedad Española de Geomorfología.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sanjaume, E., Rosselló, V. M., Pardo-Pascual, J. E., Carmona, P., Segura, F., & López-García, M. J. (1996). Recent coastal changes in the Gulf of Valencia (Spain). Zeistchrift für Geomorphologie, 102, 95–118.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sanjaume, E. (1985). Las costas valencianas: sedimentología y morfología (p. 505). Valencia: Universidad de Valencia, Sección de Geografía.

    Google Scholar 

  • Segura-Beltrán, F., & Sanchis-Ibor, C. (2013). Assessment of channel changes in a Mediterranean ephemeral stream since the early twentieth century. The Rambla de Cervera, eastern Spain. Geomorphology, 201, 199–214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Serra, J. C. (1986). Procesos litorales en la costa de Castellón. Unpublished doctoral thesis, ETS Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Unviersitat Politècnica de València, 891 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Short, A. D., & Hesp, P. (1982). Wave, beach and dune interactions in Southeastern Australia. Marine Geology, 48, 259–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vilar, J. (1931). Proyecto de defense de la playa frente a la caseta de amarre del cable de Baleares. Unpublished document, Archive of Port of Valencia, March 1931.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vilar, J. (1934). Proyecto de defensa de la playa desde la desembocadura del río Turia al Perellonet. Unpublished document, Archive of Port of Valencia, January 1934.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, L. D., & Short, A. D. (1983). Morphodynamic of beaches and surf zones in Australia. In P. D. Komar (Ed.), Handbook of coastal processes and erosion (pp. 55–64).CRC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, L. D., & Short, A. D. (1984). Morphodynamic variability of surf zones and beaches: A synthesis. Marine Geology, 56, 93–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors appreciate the financial support provided by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness in the framework of project CGL2015-69906-R. We are grateful to Dr. Francesca Segura by her help in section on human impact on fluvial systems and to Dr. Jaime Almonacid by his help during translation process.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geo-Environmental Cartography and Remote Sensing Group, Department of Cartographic Engineering, Geodesy and Photogrammetry, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camí de Vera s/n, Valencia, 46022, Spain

    Josep E. Pardo-Pascual

  2. Department of Geography, Universitat de València, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez, 28, Valencia, 46010, Spain

    Eulàlia Sanjaume

Authors
  1. Josep E. Pardo-Pascual
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Eulàlia Sanjaume
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Josep E. Pardo-Pascual .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Huelva, Huelva, Spain

    Juan A. Morales

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Pardo-Pascual, J.E., Sanjaume, E. (2019). Beaches in Valencian Coast. In: Morales, J. (eds) The Spanish Coastal Systems. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93169-2_10

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation