Monitoring morphological changes along the coast of Huelva (SW Spain) using soft-copy photogrammetry and GIS

Abstract

This contribution deals with the use of different sources of data (field surveys with total station and GPS, air photographs and topographic maps) as well as their integrated digital treatment in a GIS context to quantify the morphologi- cal changes in a ridge of coastal dunes in the southwest of Spain. The results show very high and incrementing rates of foredune retreat, significant losses of foredune surface and a clear negative sedimentary balance (lowering and inland mi- gration) in its recent evolution (1979-1996). Two processes can explain this evolution: (1) marine erosion and (2) the re- activation of aeolian deflation. The combined use of GPS (code/phase) and soft-copy photogrammetry seem to provide the best for monitoring future changes.