Abstract
Sand colour can give important information about mineral composition and, consequently, sediment source areas and input systems. Beach appearance, which is mostly linked to sand colour, has a relevant economic function in tourist areas. In this paper, the colour of 66 sand samples, collected along both natural and nourished beaches in the western Mediterranean coast of Spain, were assessed in CIEL*a*b* 1976 colour space. The obtained results showed relevant differences between natural and artificially nourished beaches. The colour of many nourished beaches generally differs from the native one because the origin of the injected sand is different. The native sand colour coordinates’ range is: L* (40.16–63.71); a* (−1.47–6.40); b* (7.48–18.06). On the contrary, for nourished beaches’ the colour range is: L* (47.66–70.75); a*(0.72‒5.16); b* (5.82–18.82). Impacts of beach nourishment on the native sand colour were studied at San Juan beach, the most popular one along the study area. Nourishment works were performed after severe erosion, usually linked to anthropic activities/structures and storm events, but also to increase beach width and hence benefit tourism.
Highlights
Coastal sedimentological studies allow the understanding of both natural processes and anthropogenic interventions, e.g., coastal dynamics and required management actions
Sand colour of natural beaches is influenced by the geological context in which they are Iberian Peninsula
Sand colour of natural beaches is influenced by the geological context in which located: External and Internal zones of the Betic Cordillera, and the Bajo Segura basin
Summary
Coastal sedimentological studies allow the understanding of both natural processes and anthropogenic interventions, e.g., coastal dynamics and required management actions. Sediment colour and texture directly influence the perception of beach users [2] and coastal scenery characteristics [3]: beach sediment colour is one out of the 18 natural parameters considered in the probably most commonly used landscape assessment method, i.e., the Coastal Scenic Evaluation [4]. This methodology, applied in >1000 coastal sites around the world [5], including the study area of this paper [6], is based on enquires that revealed that golden or white sand is better valued than dark
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