Abstract
This study explores the spatiotemporal variability of extreme wave storms around the Canary archipelago, with special focus on the southern coastal flank of Tenerife island, a strategic beach tourism destination of large socioeconomic importance. To this end, experimental and simulated data of winds and waves are used to study the severity, seasonality, and directionality of wave storms with considerable potential to cause significant impact on beaches. Furthermore, tidal experimental records are employed to test the joint occurrence of wave storms and significantly high sea levels. Long-term statistical analysis of extreme wave storms at different locations reveals a complex spatial pattern of wave storminess around the islands and in the southern flank of Tenerife, due to the intricacy of the coastline geometry, the presence of deep channels between islands, the high altitude and complex topography of the islands, and the sheltering effects exerted by each island over the others, depending on the directionality of the incident wave fields. In particular, south of Tenerife, the energy content and directionality of wave storms show substantial spatial variability, while the timing of extreme wave storms throughout the year exhibits a marked seasonal character. A specific extreme storm is examined in detail, as an illustrative case study of severe beach erosion and infrastructure damage.
Highlights
The coast in general, and beaches in particular, constitute systems with highly nonlinear, complex dynamics and are strongly vulnerable to the individual or joint action of different types of natural hazards, which can lead to erosion or flooding processes with significant negative socioeconomic repercussions (e.g., [1]). This is especially true in the case of areas heavily dependent on beach tourism, such as the Canary Islands and, in particular, the southern flank of the Tenerife island [2]
The archipelago received more than 15 million tourists in 2019 and, according to the Canary Islands Institute of Statistics [3], tourism visiting the islands generates 32% of the Canary Islands’ GDP and
Daby using the digital information database JABLE [14], created by the University of Las tasets including oceanographic and meteorological information have been provided by Palmas de Gran Canaria, which includes an enormous volume of historical and current the Spanish Port authority and include wind and wave data obtained from the coupling press produced in the Canary Islands from 1808 to the present
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The coast in general, and beaches in particular, constitute systems with highly nonlinear, complex dynamics and are strongly vulnerable to the individual or joint action of different types of natural hazards, which can lead to erosion or flooding processes with significant negative socioeconomic repercussions (e.g., [1]) This is especially true in the case of areas heavily dependent on beach tourism, such as the Canary Islands and, in particular, the southern flank of the Tenerife island [2]. Extreme wave storms represent risky events for the natural environment and human activities on the coast (e.g., [5]) They have the potential to produce significant beach erosion episodes in relatively short periods, resulting in loss of sand, beach retreat, and the consequent undesirable reduction in beach dimensions.
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