Alteraciones geomorfológicas recientes en los sistemas fluviales mediterráneos de la Península Ibérica: Síntomas y problemas de incisión en los cauces

Abstract

This work gives and overview of the recent morphological adjustments to Mediterranean fl uvial systems in Spain caused by human action. First, we discuss the main actions affecting the amount and rate of water and sediment discharge. After analyzing the current conditions of instability and natural imbalance in most of these systems, we studies the important changes observed in the morphodynamics of channels and alluvial plains. We then analyze, in detail, the marked increase in bed incision, particularly over the last decades, which has both environmental and socioeconomic impacts, in relation to the management of the hydrological resources and the different actions undertaken in watersheds and waterways.