Diversity of marine benthic algae from Cantabria (Eastern Cantabrian, Spain): a historical overview of research and publications

The macroalgal flora of Cantabria (north of Spain) has attracted the interest of many researchers on past occasions. Currently published information only reflects occasional collections from sporadic field visits to this region of the Spanish Atlantic coast. To overcome this, a historical overview of research and publications, encompassing collections and presence data recording, has been undertaken. This work lists the resultant taxonomic records and provides information about macroalgal flora of Cantabria. A total of 425 species (25 Cyanobacteria, 55 Chlorophyta, 81 Ochrophyta, and 264 Rhodophyta) were identified. The number of specific, infraspecific taxa, and stages is 437: 25 Cyanobacteria, 57 Chlorophyta, 89 Ochrophyta, and 266 Rhodophyta. The floristic character of flora from the Cantabrian coast is compared over time and with nearby regions applying Cheney’s ratio [(Rhodophyta+Chlorophyta)/ Ochrophyta, or (R+C)/O]. The present paper aims to provide an overview of the research that has been conducted in the Cantabrian coast, not only found in international publications but also in local publications as well as unpublished theses.

Study of the Variability in Fatty Acids and Carotenoid Profiles: Laying the Ground for Tank Milk Authentication

This study analyzes 174 tank milk samples taken from 89 commercial farms located all along the Cantabrian Coast (Green Spain). Sampling was performed in two periods: autumn 2016 and spring 2017. A survey was carried out for every day of sampling to record the average lactating dairy cow production and its diet composition. For each sample, the fatty acid (FA) profile (49 FA plus its main relationships) and nine fat-soluble antioxidant (FSA) profiles (retinol (vitamin A), α- and Υ-tocopherol (vitamin E), all-trans-β-carotene, 9-cis-β-carotene, 13-cis-β-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and β-cryptoxanthin) were determined. The milk production varied between 7.3 and 45.9 liters per cow per day, highlighting the diversity found among production systems. The milk fat content ranged from 2.64% to 4.38% and the protein content from 2.87% to 3.56%. Regarding the fatty acids profile, the percentage of saturated fat varied between 59.95% and 75.99%. The linolenic acid content fluctuated between 0.21 and 1.31 and rumenic acid ranged from 0.20 to 2.47 (g 100 g−1 total FA). The most important correlations between diet and milk FA were always related to the content of fresh grass and total forage (which is defined by both fresh and conserved forage derived from fresh grass (GCF)) in the diet. The content of vaccenic acid, linolenic acid, total omega-3, rumenic acid, and total CLA isomers showed the highest correlation with the proportion of fresh grass in the diet. The antioxidant contents were also highly variable, although correlations with dietary components were lower. The highest correlations were between total forage content (fresh grass (FG) plus GCF) and lutein, all-trans-β-carotene, and 13-cis-β-carotene. Diets without fresh grass had lower omega-3 content, CLA, vaccenic acid, lutein, all-trans-β-carotene, and 13-cis-β-carotene.

Evolution of the Tazones Lighthouse slope (Cantabrian coast, N Spain). Multidisciplinary monitoring between 2018 and 2020

The Tazones Lighthouse slope shows different active mass movements affecting an area of 70.000 m2 of the Cantabrian Coast (N Spain), characterized by almost vertical rocky cliffs developed on Jurassic rocks: alternating marl, sandstone and limestone with three main stratigraphic and structural discontinuity families. Between June 2018 and May 2020, 22 monthly monitoring campaigns have been carried out to measure the displacement of 38 control points, located between 95–110 masl. The total station monitoring has been complemented by ortophoto analysis and detailed digital terrain models (DTM) from two drone flights. Since the beginning of the 3D monitoring, about the 50 % of the markers moved more than 1 m, one of them exceeding 15 m. Detailed DTM has shown that the increased activity is controlled by the discontinuities. There is an extraordinary correlation between displacement acceleration and precipitation and soil moisture: the largest displacements have occurred after 2 periods of intense rain (January and October–November 2019, with a maximum 24-hour precipitation of 64.5 mm and 82.1 mm, respectively, and soil moisture values higher than 90 %). This represents an exceptional opportunity to analyse in real time the Jurassic cliffs retreat of the Cantabrian Coast, a question that remained not quantified.

Application of Multiple Geomatic Techniques for Coastline Retreat Analysis: The Case of Gerra Beach (Cantabrian Coast, Spain)

The beaches of the Cantabrian coast (northern Spain) are exposed to strong winter storms that cause the coastline to recede. In this article, the coastal retreat of the Gerra beach (Cantabria) is analyzed through a diachronic study using the following different geomatic techniques: orthophotography of the year 1956; photogrammetric flights from 2001, 2005, 2010, 2014, 2017; Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) survey from August 2012; Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) survey from November 2018; and terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) through two dates per year (spring and fall) from April 2012 to April 2020. With the 17 observations of TLS, differences in volume of the beach and the sea cliff are determined during the winter (November–April) and summer (May–October) periods, searching their relationship with the storms in this eight-year period (2012–2020). From the results of this investigation it can be concluded that the retreat of the base of the cliff is insignificant, but this is not the case for the top of the cliff and for the existing beaches in the Cantabrian Sea where the retreat is evident. The retreat of the cliff top line in Gerra beach, between 1956 and 2020 has shown values greater than 40 m. The retreat in other beaches of the Cantabrian Sea, in the same period, has been more than 200 m. With our measurements, investigations carried out on the retreat of the cliffs on the Atlantic coast have been reinforced, where the diversity of the cliff lithology and the aggressive action of the sea (storms) have been responsible for the active erosion on the face cliff. In addition, this research applied geomatic techniques that have appeared commercially during the period (1956–2020), such as aerial photogrammetry, TLS, LiDAR, and UAV and analyzed the results to determine the precision that could be obtained with each method for its application to similar geomorphological structures.

The fast evolution of the Tazones Lighthouse landslide (N Spain): multidisciplinary 3D monitoring between 2018 and 2019

<p>The Tazones Lighthouse landslide is an active mass movement affecting a stretch of the Cantabrian Coast (N Spain), characterized by the presence of almost vertical rocky cliffs developed on Jurassic rocks. The area is being monitored since 2018 when irreversible structural damages appeared in a building located in the surroundings of the lighthouse because of the fast evolution of the landslide.</p><p> </p><p>On June 2018, the first 24 topographic marks were installed by the COSINES Project researchers and 10 more were set up on December of that year, after the appearance of new cracks. Since then, monthly monitoring campaigns have been carried out by total station to gauge the displacement of the 34 mentioned marks and 4 additional control points. One of the control marks was lost, between January and February 2019, due to the fast evolution of the movement. Monitoring has been complemented by the elaboration of detailed digital terrain models through drone flights carried out in November 2018 and November 2019. In addition, precipitation data registered on the rainfall gauges of the surroundings have been collected.</p><p> </p><p>This contribution presents the recent fast evolution of the Tazones Lighthouse landslide, affecting an area about 70.000 m<sup>2</sup> and characterized by relevant horizontal and vertical displacements. Since the beginning of the 3D monitoring, the 50% of the marks have moved more than 1 meter and 34% of them have moved more than 2 meters, one of them exceeding 14 meters of displacement.</p><p>The detailed digital terrain models have allowed quantifying the volume of mobilized mass over a year from the main head of the movement, located 110 meters above sea level. Moreover, the comparison of these data with precipitation records has led to relate the evolution of the displacement with the rainfall, being able to establish a very good correlation between precipitation distribution and movement acceleration.</p>

La necessitat d’anomenar vila un llogarret: motivacions en la fundació de San Vicente de la Barquera (1210)

This article proposes is to show a series of hypotheses about the reasons behind the founding of San Vicente de la Barquera by King Alfonso VIII of Castile. Like the rest of the inhabited centers in the Cantabrian coast, this town was a rural space: one of the so-called aldeas (small towns) or costas bravas (rough coasts). When the need to articulate, arbitrate, trade and dominate, led to the kings of several kingdoms to call them villas. This might be interpreted as a mere declaration of intent. However in this article we we point to other factors that were involved in the founding of this port town.