MORPHODYNAMIC RESPONSE TO HUMAN ACTIVITIES IN THE BAY OF CA´DIZ (2012-2015)

Abstract

The morphology of the Bay of C\'adiz in the southwestern Spain has been changing for the past 25 years in response to the human interventions. Since 2012, new interventions, for example the new terminal and the new navigation channel, have been planned to carry out inside the Bay. As a result of these interventions, there has been a decrease in tidal amplitudes, tidal volumes, and average flow velocities, and there is hardly any sediment transport along the bay. Recent human activities are addressed in the Bay of Cádiz, an estuary located in the south--west of Spain. The Bay of Cádiz is a highly altered embayment in which socio-economical developments and ecological interests conflict. This work studies both through observations and numerical simulations the impact of some of these modifications on the morpho--hydrodynamics of the Bay of Cádiz. The capability of the bay to transport sediment between the inner and outer bay deteriorates after the deepening of the navigation channel and the construction of the new port terminal and the new bridge. This may have an impact on the ecological status of the bay. The influence of the dredging and the new terminal are concentrated at the entrance to the central sector of the bay and close to the channel. The dredging would increase siltation in the shallower areas close to the new channel, which subsequently reduce the amount of sediment input into the basins. The bridge mostly affect the Puntales Channel and the inner bay. The most changes in the erosion/deposition patterns are found in the area with strong bottom frictions and tidal asymmetries.