Coastal changes between the harbours of Castellón and Sagunto (Spain) from the mid-twentieth century to present

Abstract

This paper analyses the coastal changes between the harbours of Castellón and Sagunto from 1956 until the present day. Images of the coastline in different years have been obtained from various sources (aerial photographs, satellite images, orthophotos) in order to estimate and compare the rates of shoreline advance and retreat. The results indicate a widespread tendency towards erosion due to human activity, which has limited the supply of sediments from source areas to the beaches. High rates of accretion are only recorded at places located upstream of the harbour: an advance of 230 m was recorded north of Burriana harbour, and one of up to 180 m to the north of Sagunto harbour. In contrast, retreats of more than 175 m were estimated in some sites along the study area. Hard engineering structures (groin fields, breakwaters) and artificial nourishment of beaches had a strong influence on the coastline’s behaviour from 1998 to 2018. Short-term coastal trend is erosive which is associated with storm events from January 2015 to December 2018.