Vulnerability of Coastal Areas Due to Infrastructure: The Case of Valencia Port (Spain)

The vulnerability of coastal areas is related to the existence and functionality of infrastructure. Ports have had increased activity in the last few decades due to growing needs of the market. At the same time, there have been huge changes in maritime traffic, and some ports are specialized in container traffic. The port in Valencia developed notably in the last expansions, in the 1980s and in the recent northern expansion. Valencia’s port specializes in container traffic, and has become a Mediterranean leader and the metropolitan area is an important logistics center. Ports can create coastal erosion by altering wave patterns. The environmental effects of the port of Valencia were analyzed. The Spanish Mediterranean coastline as well as morpho-dynamic units were monitored. The solid transport capacity to the north and south of the Valencia port was estimated, and the effects of other infrastructure on sedimentary sources of beaches were also studied. The port of Valencia’s barrier effect is responsible for the situation at the beaches to the north and south. This effect is total and impedes net sediment transport, predominantly to the south along the stretch of coastline. However, the port is not the only factor responsible for this situation, and the lack of continental sediments must also be considered. In addition, climate change has an influence on the behavior of the coastline. The vulnerability of the coast has increased due to changes in coastal morphology, variations in littoral transport rates, and coastal erosion. To promote sustainable port management, some correction measures, such as sand bypassing, dune rehabilitation, and dune vegetation, are proposed.

The Response of Vegetated Dunes to Wave Attack

Vegetation is believed to increase the stability of dunes during wave attack, but limited data is available. A physical model study was performed to evaluate changes in the dune stability with and without biomass, both above and belowground. The above and belowground biomass was modeled using wooden dowels and coir fibers, respectively. For both the collision and overwash storm impact regimes, the results of this study clearly demonstrate that the inclusion of biomass in the model dune reduces the erosion and overwash. The combination of both above and belowground biomass was the most effective at reducing erosion followed by belowground biomass, with aboveground biomass providing the smallest benefit regardless of the wave condition and water level. Additionally, the overwash of sediment and water was decreased with the inclusion of biomass, following the same trends as the erosion. As the dune eroded, the storm impact regime transitioned from collision to overwash. The inclusion of biomass delays this transition in storm impact regime, providing greater protection to coastal communities. This study highlights the need to consider dune vegetation for dune construction and coastal planning.

Assessment of the Restoration of the Remolar Dune System (Viladecans, Barcelona): The Resilience of a Coastal Dune System

The Remolar beach-dune system (700 m long and more than 100 m wide, 070N direction) borders a campground that was closed (2003), due to the Barcelona airport expansion. In order to recover and restore the dune ecosystem, a series of soft measures were performed. After 10 years, a study of the morphology, sedimentology, and vegetation of the ecosystem was carried out to evaluate the results of these measures. For this purpose, a series of topographic and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) profiles, grain-size analysis, and an analysis of plant communities found along the profiles were carried out. The data obtained were compared with data from a former 2004 study. The results show that the morphology of the dunes recovered, and a new primary dune has arisen. The system now has a greater process of aggradation than of progradation. The vegetation has recovered the global composition of dune systems, with a typical community of embryo dunes and others of primary dunes that are set in strips parallel to the coast. Despite this improvement, the opportunistic and ruderal component in the primary dune vegetation evidences a strong anthropic inheritance in the system.

First Report of the European Vegetation Classification Committee (EVCC)

The European Vegetation Classification Committee (EVCC) was established in 2017 by the European Vegetation Survey to maintain and update a standard phytosociological classification of European vegetation. Vegetation scientists can send proposals for modification of specific parts of the EuroVegChecklist, which is used as a baseline. The proposals are accepted or rejected based on recommendations issued by a specialist group and after voting by EVCC members. Here we report the results of the first voting, which took place from 4 June to 4 July 2020. EVCC members voted on the recommendations issued for three proposals of change concerning spring and dune vegetation, and mediterranean grasslands. As a result, EVCC accepted to modify the classes Ammophiletea and Helichryso-Crucianelletea, but rejected to include the alliance Philonotidion seriatae and the class Charybdido pancratii-Asphodeletea ramosi. These rejections are not final, and similar proposals can be submitted again with new data supporting the proposed changes. Abbreviations: EVCC = European Vegetation Classification Committee; SG = Specialist Group.