This book describes recent advances in the morphodynamics of mixed sand and gravel Mediterranean coasts, and provides updates and new methods for their study and management. It assesses how the differences in the geomorphic setting, in comparison with traditional sandy beaches, result in distinctive physical processes governing the dynamics of these coasts. Further, on the basis of field measurements, theoretical analysis and numerical modeling carried out at two study sites in southern Spain over the last 15 years, the book studies, analyzes and compares these physical processes and mechanisms. It also shows that the narrow and complex bathymetries and inner shelves modify the wave propagation patterns and hence, the longshore sediment transport gradients along the coast. Given the correlation between the changes in these gradients and the shoreline evolution over time, it identifies the complexity of the inner shelf bathymetries as the main driver of coastal changes and describes these processes in detail using, in the plan view, the inter-annual evolution of unaltered and "altered by human" beaches. Lastly, the book details how the generation and subsequent overlapping of berms across the beach profile are responsible for the sediment variability at depth and cross-shore, and concludes that the total run-up (including the water-level) is a more influential variable than wave height in the erosional/depositional response of these beaches.
Miguel Ortega-Sánchez is an Associate Professor of Coastal Engineering at the University of Granada with more than 15 years' experience in the field of coastal morphodynamics, and over 30 papers published in peer-reviewed journals. He obtained his MsC in Civil Engineering and during his PhD he studies large-scale coastal features. He has published relevant works on coastal morphodynamics combining field data, theoretical analysis and numerical models. He is presently leading different R+D projects involving nearshore waves, sediment transport, shoreline dynamics and coastal management techniques. He is also the head of the Environmental Hydraulics Master Program at his University.
Rafael J. Bergillos is a PhD candidate at University of Granada. He has a BSc in Civil Engineering (2011), MSc in Coastal Dynamics (2012) and an MSc in Basin Dynamics (2013). His main research interest is the study of the hydro- and morphodynamics of mixed sand and gravel coasts combining field surveying and numerical modeling. He has extensive experience in the collection and analysis of morphological, sedimentary and hydrodynamic data. Over the past 3 years, he has worked on research projects focused on integrated coastal zone management, and has published several papers and conference papers on coastal processes in gravel environments. He also teaches coastal engineering and coastal management at the University of Granada.
Alejandro López-Ruiz is Assistant Professor in Hydraulic and Coastal Engineering at the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Fluid Mechanics of the University of Seville (Spain). He obtained his M.Sc. and Ph.D. at the University of Granada, being part of the Environmental Fluid Dynamics research group. His main fields of research are coastal and estuarine morphodynamics and nearshore hydrodynamics, with special interest in the relation between wave propagation processes and shoreline evolution on curvilinear and non-uniform coasts. He alsoworks on the assessment of nearshore wave energy resource for exploitation purposes. His expertise comprises not only conceptual and analytical studies, but also numerical applications.
Miguel A. Losada is Full Professor of Coastal Engineering at the University of Granada with more than 40 years' of experience in the field of maritime engineering, coastal structures and coastal morphodynamics. He founded the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Group of the University of Granada and has been the Head of the Andalusian Institute for Earth System Research for the last 7 years. He has published more than 150 peer-reviewed journal papers, led more than 40 research projects and supervised over 45 PhD students. He is a member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Engineering and received the prestigious International Coastal Engineering award in 2011 given by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
