North Coast Of Spain Research Articles

Comparison of energy potential of the eucalyptus globulus and the eucalyptus nitens.

In this work a power characterization of adult stages of the species Eucalyptus globulus and Eucalyptus nitens has been made. The study has been made in six different plantations in Cantabria (North coast of Spain), located at a latitude 43º28'N, and a longitude 3º48'W. The region has approximately 30,000 Ha dedicated to the growth of Eucalyptus. After the collection of samples they were weighed, analyzed and burned, resulting a mean net calorific value of 17,384 kJ/kg and 17,927 kJ/kg for the E. globulus and E. nitens, respectively. Finally, the economic and environmental consequences that the crop of these species would suppose for the region of Cantabria were analyzed.

Major lipophilic pigments in Atlantic seaweeds as valuable food ingredients: Analysis and assessment of quantification methods

Current trends towards the use of ingredients from natural origin in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry, place macroalgae as a good reservoir of novel compounds. Among them, lipophilic major pigments such as chlorophylls and fucoxanthin, are of great interest because of their multiple applications as bioactive compounds and dyes. In this work, a mid-polarity medium was used to extract pigments from twenty-four species from North coast of Spain, including brown (Phaeophyceae) and red macroalgae (Rhodophyta). The fucoxanthin and chlorophyll a content was assessed by means of two different methods, spectrophotometric and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). The effect of dried processing on the pigment content of selected species was also evaluated. A linear relationship between the extractability of fucoxanthin and chlorophyll a was observed, being the highest content recorded among members belonging to the order Fucales and Undaria pinnatifida. This work provides good insights about the content on pigments in Spanish North Atlantic macroalgae with future commercial value in different industrial fields, as well as a critical overview of the suitability of the quantification methods and challenges related to their effect in results evaluation.

Boom-bust of Sargassum muticum in northern Spain: 30 years of invasion

ABSTRACT The brown seaweed Sargassum muticum is one of the best-studied invasive marine species, although most studies are short-term and focus on the expansion phase of invasion. Here I report 30 years of observations of the invasion of the north coast of Spain by S. muticum at regional (400 km coastline) and local scales (at the site where the invasion was first detected). At the local scale, this long-term series reveals a ‘boom-bust’ process where the expansion (‘boom’) phase lasted 12 years and the decline (‘bust’) was completed in 8 years. This cycle is supported by evidence at the regional scale. The impact of S. muticum on the recipient assemblages was only moderate during the initial ‘boom’ phase of the invasion and negligible afterwards. In conclusion, 30 years after its first observation in the region, Sargassum muticum can be considered an addition to the algal flora rather than a threat to the native assemblages.

Changes in the distribution of intertidal macroalgae along a longitudinal gradient in the northern coast of Spain

The distribution of macroalgal species along the north and northwest coast of the Iberian Peninsula is in a period of change, during which mostly cold-temperate species have decreased in cover and others have disappeared. On the other hand, other species have increased in abundance. These shifts could be related with the modification of environmental factors that determine species distribution caused by climate change. A standardised sampling methodology was applied at 18 sites along the north coast of Spain in 2011 and 2017. The relationship between the coverage of intertidal macroalgal species and abiotic variables (sea surface temperature, air temperature and significant wave height) was analysed in order to detect possible changes in the historical data. Results suggest a modification in the communities in the inner part of the Bay of Biscay, mostly related to an increase in water and air temperature. Each seaweed group (warm-temperate, cold-temperate, opportunistic and exotic species) showed a different pattern of modification. Coralline algae, Bifurcaria bifurcata and Cystoseira baccata have increased, which may be related to the warming trend. The exotic species Asparagopsis armata has also increased, particularly in the Lower Rias. On the other hand, there was a drastic decrease of the cold-temperate species Himanthalia elongata. Data obtained support the relationship of macroalgae species communities and environment in the context of climate change in this particular area.

Santander Bay: Multiuse and multiuser socioecological space

The Bay of Santander, one of the most important and largest estuaries along the North coast of Spain (Gulf of Biscay), houses one of the most ancient ports in this coastal area, whose origin dates back to Roman times (Portus Victoriae). Since that time, the bay, the city and the port of Santander have evolved together over time, adapting the goods and services available to different uses and users. The bay has been traditionally used as a natural harbour that has integrated its fishing, commercial and recreational activities with important nature values of this estuarine area, including, among others, a European Special Area for Conservation (SAC) (EU Natura 2000 Network), traditional shellfish harvesting areas and a touristic hot spot in northern Spain (beaches, water sports, marinas, etc.). In this paper, a Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats analysis (SWOT) is carried out on the current and future perspectives of the socio-ecological space of the Bay of Santander, based on a review of current and past knowledge of its natural and socioeconomic systems.

Late Prehistoric Migrations from Pottery Composition Analysis in the North Coast of Spain

Late Prehistoric Migrations from Pottery Composition Analysis in the North Coast of Spain

Probabilistic assessment of port operation downtimes under climate change

Disruptions in harbor operations have significant implications for local, regional and global economies due to ports strategic role as part of the supply chain. A probabilistic evaluation of port operations considering the influence of climate change is required in order to secure optimal exploitation during their useful life. Here, we propose a hybrid statistic-dynamical framework combining a weather generator and a metamodel. The stochastic generator is based on weather types to project climate variability on hourly multivariate dependent climate drivers outside ports. The metamodel efficiently transforms hourly sea conditions from the entrance of the harbor towards the inside port adding the advantages of a physical process model. Thousands of hourly synthetic time series based on present climate conditions and future ones were transferred inside the port to perform a probabilistic analysis of port operations. Future forcing conditions were defined adding several sea level rise (SLR) scenarios, sampled from their probability distribution, to the synthetic sea level fluctuation time series. Wave amplification due to non-linear interactions between wave and sea level variations and changes in the reflection coefficients inside the port induced by SLR were modelled. Probabilistic future changes of operation downtimes were quantified considering the uncertainty associated with the historical forcing conditions outside the port and likely SLR scenarios. The methodology was applied to a specific case study on a regional port located in the north coast of Spain, were port operability due to wave agitation was assessed.

An extremely sensitive nested PCR-RFLP mitochondrial marker for detection and identification of salmonids in eDNA from water samples.

BackgroundSalmonids are native from the North Hemisphere but have been introduced for aquaculture and sport fishing in the South Hemisphere and inhabit most rivers and lakes in temperate and cold regions worldwide. Five species are included in the Global Invasive Species Database: rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, Atlantic salmon Salmo salar, brown trout Salmo trutta, brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis, and lake trout Salvelinus namaycush. In contrast, other salmonids are endangered in their native settings.MethodsHere we have developed a method to identify salmonid species directly from water samples, focusing on the Iberian Peninsula as a case study. We have designed nested Salmonidae-specific primers within the 16S rDNA region. From these primers and a PCR-RFLP procedure the target species can be unequivocally identified from DNA extracted from water samples.ResultsThe method was validated in aquarium experiments and in the field with water from watersheds with known salmonid populations. Finally, the method was applied to obtain a global view of the Salmonidae community in Nalón River (north coast of Spain).DiscussionThis new powerful, very sensitive (identifying the species down to 10 pg DNA/ml water) and economical tool can be applied for monitoring the presence of salmonids in a variety of situations, from checking upstream colonization after removal of river barriers to monitoring potential escapes from fish farms.

Lessons Derived from Two High-Frequency Sea Level Events in the Atlantic: Implications for Coastal Risk Analysis and Tsunami Detection

The upgrade and enhancement of sea level networks worldwide for integration in sea level hazard warning systems have significantly increased the possibilities for measuring and analyzing high frequency sea level oscillations, with typical periods ranging from a few minutes to a few hours. Many tide gauges now afford 1 min or more frequent sampling and have shown such events to be a common occurrence. Their origins and spatial distribution are diverse and must be well understood in order to correctly design and interpret, for example, the automatic detection algorithms used by tsunami warning centers. Two events recorded recently in European Atlantic waters are analyzed here: possible wave-induced “seiches” that occurred along the North coast of Spain during the storms of January and February of 2014, and oscillations detected after an earthquake in the mid-Atlantic the 13th of February of 2015. The former caused significant flooding in towns and villages and a huge increase in wave-induced coastal damage that was reported in the media for weeks. The second was a smaller signal present in several tide gauges along the Atlantic coast that, that coincided with the occurrence of this earthquake, leading to a debate on the potential detection of a very small tsunami and how it might yield significant information for tsunami wave modelers and for the development of tsunami detection software. These kinds of events inform us about the limitations of automatic algorithms for tsunami warning and help to improve the information provided to tsunami warning centers, whilst also emphasizing the importance of other forcings in generating extreme sea levels and their associated potential for causing damage to infrastructure.

Finite elements analysis of an underground collector installed by pipe-jacking method

Using the commercial software RS2, a 2D finite-element program for soil and rock application, the ground response to pipe jacking in pipeline installation in Avilés (north coast of Spain) was analysed. The geology of the location comprises Quaternary deposits on both flanks of the Avilés estuary and includes different highly variable geotechnical behaviour. Both axisymmetric and plane strain analyses were carried out in RS2 to simulate in 3D the ground response to pipe advancement. The results demonstrate that the vertical displacements at specific positions in the immediate vicinity of the pipeline were small. The maximum deformation at ground surface was shown to be less than 1.5 mm, which was still safe. However, the displacements were found to vary depending on the local properties of the materials drilled. Stress distributions were also computed.

Enrichment factors to assess the anthropogenic influence on PM10 in Gijón (Spain).

Thirty-two chemical species were determined in PM10 sampled at a suburban site on the north coast of Spain. Enrichment factors were applied to infer their soil/non-soil origin. The geochemical ratios were calculated using two databases: soil composition from locations in the surroundings of the sampling station and the Earth's average upper-crust composition. In the present study, dissimilarities were found between the enrichment factors obtained using these two databases. Al, Ti, La and Ce were taken as the reference elements to normalise the data, reaching analogous conclusions. Bi, Cd, Cu, Sb, Se, Sn and Zn were associated with predominantly non-soil apportionments. As the relevance of soil/non-soil sources for the other analysed elements was found to be variable, they were probably of mixed origin. Furthermore, pairs of elements showed strong relationships, thus pointing to a common origin. Na-Mg and Co-Ni, with Pearson correlation coefficients above 0.9, were respectively related to marine and industrial apportionments. Enrichment factors have proved to be a useful tool to distinguish the soil/non-soil origin of chemical species present in airborne particulate matter. However, the choice of the reference database for soil composition considerably determined the accuracy of the conclusions.

A characterisation of sea-breeze events in the eastern Cantabrian coast (Spain) from observational data and WRF simulations

The behaviour of the sea breeze along the north coast of Spain is investigated using observations of two topographically contrasting sites together with simulations from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. An objective and systematic selection method is used to detect sea-breeze days from a database of two summer months. The direction and intensity of the sea breeze are significantly affected by the topography of the area; indeed, the estimated sea-breeze intensity shows an opposite relationship with the cross-shore temperature gradient for both sites. WRF simulations reproduce the onset of the sea breeze, but some characteristics are not adequately simulated: they generally overestimate the wind speed, smooth the temperature evolution and they do not represent the correct interaction with the terrain-induced flows. Additionally, four sensitivity experiments are performed with the WRF model varying the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) scheme, as well as the grid analysis nudging for an anomalous case study which is incorrectly filtered. As the two simulations considering nudging reproduce an unreal (not observed) sea breeze, this day turns out to be of great interest: it allows to evaluate the influence of the passage of the sea-breeze front (SBF) in other variables mainly related to turbulence. Furthermore, the best model scores are obtained for the PBL scheme that does not use a TKE closure.

Morphodynamics, sedimentary and anthropogenic influences in the San Vicente de la Barquera estuary (North coast of Spain)

The estuary of San Vicente de la Barquera (Cantabria, Spain) occupies two fluvial valleys that have incised into soft sedimentary rocks (Lower Mesozoic) and are controlled by inactive faults. These two estuary subsystems, the Escudo (main valley) and Gandarilla, share outer estuarine zones, i.e. , a sandy bay and an estuary-mouth complex. The complexity of the system lies in the presence of a confining barrier formed by an aeolian dune/ beach system that is currently enclosed by a jetty, which has allowed the dune progradation over the past 50 years. Furthermore, connected to the inner inlet in the sand bay there is a flood-tidal delta, the most important morphosedimentary and dynamic unit. This unit exhibits a heart shape caused by the wide range of flows in this estuarine zone and channelizes the flows and sediments into the estuary, primarily during rising and high tides. In particular, the counter-clockwise surficial rotation due to the Coriolis effect is essential to the development of sand shoals, spill-over lobes, sand waves and megaripples. The presence of estuarine beaches into the bay is common in many Cantabrian estuaries, even culminating in small dune fields, in this case due to anthropogenic influences. This paper explains the impact on the estuary of human occupation and port management, focussing on the dynamic and sedimentary distribution of a bar-barrier estuary and the changes produced in its distal part by the construction of the two jetties in the mouth.

A methodology for deriving extreme nearshore sea conditions for structural design and flood risk analysis

Extreme sea conditions in the nearshore zone are required for coastal flood risk analysis and structural design. Many multivariate extreme value methods that have been applied in the past have been limited by assumptions relating to the dependence structure in the extremes. A conditional extremes statistical model overcomes a number of these previous limitations. To apply the method in practice, a Monte Carlo sampling procedure is required whereby large samples of synthetically generated events are simulated. The use of Monte Carlo approaches, in combination with computationally intensive physical process models, can raise significant practical challenges in terms of computation. To overcome these challenges there has been extensive research into the use of meta-models. Meta-models are approximations of computationally intensive physical process models (simulators). They are derived by fitting functions to the outputs from simulators. Due to their simplified representation they are computationally more efficient than the simulators they approximate.Here, a methodology for deriving a large Monte Carlo sample of extreme nearshore sea states is described. The methodology comprises the generation of a large sample of offshore sea conditions using the conditional extremes model. A meta-model of the wave transformation process is then constructed. A clustering algorithm is used to aid the development of the meta-model. The large sample of offshore data is then transformed through to the nearshore using the meta-model. The resulting nearshore sea states can be used for the probabilistic design of structures or flood risk analysis. The application of the methodology to a case study site on the North Coast of Spain is described.

Geographic variation in sandy beach macrofauna community and functional traits

Sandy beaches are a common ocean-dominated ecosystem along the north coast of Spain. We conducted field surveys at 39 beaches distributed between 1° and 9°W, ca. 2000 km along this geographic region to document broad patterns of macrobenthic communities, and to describe their association with variables characterising both the beach environment and the characteristics of the adjacent ocean waters. Macrofaunal functional traits are considered to be an informative measure that can be useful for many ecosystem-level questions, as they are based on what organisms do (i.e., their ecological function) rather than on their identification alone. Boosted regression-trees analysis showed that the occurrence of the main taxonomic groups and feeding guilds were differentially associated with the prevailing beach features along this coastline. The occurrence (presence/absence) of molluscs was best explained by the concentration of chlorophyll-a and wave exposure whereas those of crustaceans and polychaetes were best explained by an ensemble of variables including beach slope, sea surface temperature and grain size. A comparison of the feeding guilds demonstrated that the occurrence of suspension feeders was best explained by chlorophyll-a and wave exposure, whereas the occurrence of deposit feeders was best explained by beach slope, sea surface temperature and chlorophyll-a. The occurrence of predators and scavengers was best explained by sea surface temperature and beach slope. Based on the patterns presented here, we confirm that the upwelling events that occur regularly on this coastline are a structuring agent for beach communities. Future work needs to examine the role of the oceanographic conditions of the region for they might represent the driving forces behind large-scale shifts in macrofauna communities.

BEHAVIOR OF THE BEACHES ON THE NORTH OF SPAIN

This study is an analysis about morphological problems, due to anthropic or other causes. We carried out the behavior and evolution of ten beaches on the North Coast of Spain, in order to see if climate change was involved. To do this, it was necessary to consider data from Cantabrian sea buoys during fifteen years. Besides we made use of, maps, nautical charts and bathymetric records. We applied a kind of parameters to measure the energy including on each beach, so to be able to compare therm.

Exploring Macroinvertebrate Species Distributions at Regional and Local Scales across a Sandy Beach Geographic Continuum

Exposed sandy beaches are highly dynamic ecosystems where macroinvertebrate species cope with extremely variable environmental conditions. The majority of the beach ecology studies present exposed beaches as physically dominated ecosystems where abiotic factors largely determine the structure and distribution of macrobenthic communities. However, beach species patterns at different scales can be modified by the interaction between different environmental variables, including biotic interactions. In this study, we examined the role of different environmental variables for describing the regional and local scale distributions of common macrobenthic species across 39 beaches along the North coast of Spain. The analyses were carried out using boosted regression trees, a relatively new technique from the field of machine learning. Our study showed that the macroinvertebrate community on exposed beaches is not structured by a single physical factor, but instead by a complex set of drivers including the biotic compound. Thus, at a regional scale the macrobenthic community, in terms of number of species and abundance, was mainly explained by surrogates of food availability, such as chlorophyll a. The results also revealed that the local scale is a feasible way to construct general predictive species-environmental models, since relationships derived from different beaches showed similar responses for most of the species. However, additional information on aspects of beach species distribution can be obtained with large scale models. This study showed that species-environmental models should be validated against changes in spatial extent, and also illustrates the utility of BRTs as a powerful analysis tool for ecology data insight.

Fucoid assemblages on the north coast of Spain: past and present (1977–2007)

Abstract Fucoid assemblages dominated by Pelvetia canaliculata, Fucus spiralis, F. vesiculosus, and Ascophyllum nodosum located at two sites on the central coast of Asturias (northern Spain) were sampled monthly in 1977. Repeating the same sampling methodology, a resurvey was done in 2007 to detect changes in the abundances of the species using the previous data as a baseline. Annual net primary production was lower for all the species in 2007, and there were differences in the timing of maximum biomass for P. canaliculata and F. vesiculosus, as well as a shortening of the growth period in 2007. Associated fauna also differed between dates. Higher abundances of Gibbula spp. occurred in 2007, whereas littorinid species densities in the upper intertidal were reduced in that year. As a result, the fucoid-grazers balance changed, with P. canaliculata and particularly F. vesiculosus, being the assemblages most sensitive to change. Observed modifications were not merely fluctuations in the biomass patterns of these species, but also responses to increases in air temperature and sea surface temperature and to a shift in the frequency and seasonality of upwelling episodes. Other long-term abiotic fluctuations not directly related to global warming should also be considered as possible drivers for these changes.

Dependence of Cu, Pb and Zn remobilization on physicochemical properties of marine sediments

The resuspension of 65 marine sediments was simulated in the laboratory with elutriates from 30 different sites from the north coast of Spain. The partitioning of Cu, Pb and Zn between sediment and elutriate was studied as a function of different physicochemical characteristics of the sediment: organic matter (OM), fine fraction (FF), redox potential and acid volatile sulfides (AVS). Mean remobilization factors (RF) -calculated as metal concentration in the elutriate (μg/L) divided by metal concentration in the sediment (μg/g dry weight)- were 0.072 for Cu, 0.012 for Pb and 0.071 for Zn. Remobilization of Pb was significantly lower than that of Cu and Zn. Although AVS, OM and FF presented a strong intercorrelation, OM explained great part of the variability on Cu and Pb remobilization while AVS did it for Zn. A multiple regression model considering both OM and AVS explained slightly better the remobilization of Pb and Cu, but not that of Zn.

Water characterization in three industrialized harbours (Vigo, Bilbao and Pasajes) in North Coast of Spain

Total dissolved Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd concentrations, speciation, fluorescence of organic matter and toxicity for sea urchin development have been studied during three years in water samples of three of the most industrialized harbours in North Coast of Spain: Vigo, Bilbao and Pasajes. Total metal concentrations were below 0.4nM for Cd and generally below 2nM for Pb. Zn and Cu levels were higher (2.8–9nM Cu and 15–234nM Zn) and denoted an anthropogenic enrichment. Ligand concentrations were usually between 50 and 200nM for Cu and between 6 and 80 for Pb and Zn. Organic matter and speciation analysis yielded complementary information to characterize the samples, but no correlation was present between the parameters calculated by both methods. Samples were tested for toxicity with sea urchin embryo bioassay and three samples were toxic but the toxicity could not be explained with the metal levels here measured.