The Corrubedo beach-lagoon complex, Galicia, Spain: Dynamics, sediments and recent evolution of a mesotidal coastal embayment

doi:10.1016/0025-3227(91)90128-Q

Marine Geology

Volume 97, Issues 3–4, April 1991, Pages 391-404

https://doi.org/10.1016/0025-3227(91)90128-Q Get rights and content

Abstract

The Corrubedo beach-lagoon complex is situated in an embayment on the northwestern coast of Spain. The 4.1 m tidal range and southwesterly winds are the main agents of sediment transportation. The sediments are hybrid arenites (siliciclastic + bioclastic), with carbonate percentages ranging from 27.36 to 54.10%; silt, clay and organic matter occur in minor amounts. Repeated mapping and sampling of the beach, tidal channels, salt marshes and active and vegetated dunes recorded the vertical facies associations and their temporal evolution. Two peat layers at 0.6 and 1.7 m below the present-day marsh have yielded ages of 2280 ± 60 yrs B.P. and 1045 ± 125 yrs B.P. respectively. The possible causes of the relative sea-level rise are discussed.

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Seven years of macroinfauna monitoring at Ladeira beach (Corrubedo Bay, NW Spain) after the Prestige oil spill
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The exposed sandy beach of Ladeira (Corrubedo Bay, NW Spain) was sampled during seven years (2003–2009) after the Prestige oil spill (winter 2002–03), to determine interannual variations in the macroinfaunal community in two ways: (i) through ecological indices (species richness and abundances, Shannon’s diversity and Pielou’s evenness) and (ii) through the density of the most representative species. A clear zonation pattern was found, consisting of two zones: (i) the supralittoral, occupied by talitrid amphipods, isopods and insects, and (ii) the intertidal, where marine crustaceans and polychaetes prevailed. The amphipods Talitrus saltator and Talorchestia deshayesii dominated from the drift line upwards, and isopods (Eurydice spp.), polychaetes (Scolelepis spp.) and the amphipod Pontocrates arenarius dominated the intertidal. Univariate indices remained constant throughout the study period in the supralittoral, but they varied widely in the intertidal zone. Multivariate analysis showed that the Prestige oil spill scarcely affected the macroinfaunal community structure during the study period (2003–2009) and its effect was limited just to the first campaign (2003), six months after the Prestige accident.
Organic matter sources for tidal marsh sediment over the past two millennia in the Minho River estuary (NW Iberian Peninsula)
2012, Organic Geochemistry
Citation Excerpt :
Both factors indicate the maximum terrestrial contribution during this period. In contrast, the section at 94 cm depth (100–200 AD) had the second most positive δ13C value of the entire core and a low Corg/N ratio, matching with the numerous references to a highstand occurring between 0 and 500 AD, equivalent to the Dunquerkian transgression in northern Europe (Vilas et al., 1991; Devoy et al., 1996; Granja et al., 1996; Martínez Cortizas et al., 1996) affecting Roman settlements (Martínez Cortizas and Costa Casais, 1997; E5; Fig. 2). Other notable δ13C oscillations downcore may indicate temporal changes in the source of OM or climatic alteration (1100 or 700 AD), but modifications caused by decomposition also have to be considered.
Environmental changes during the last 2 millennia in the Minho River tidal marsh (NW Portugal–Spain border) were reconstructed. Changes in the sources of organic matter (OM) delivered to the marsh were evaluated from elemental, isotopic and molecular composition using a 1 m sediment core. Carbon isotopic composition (δ¹³C) and organic carbon to total nitrogen ratio (C_org/N) provided valuable information concerning the origin of the OM. These parameters indicated a major input from land plants, reaching a maximum at 1100–1200 and 1750–1850 AD. These periods match with major flood events in the NW of the Iberian Peninsula, as reported by several authors. A significant reduction in the terrestrial signature occurred at 6–4 cm (ca. 1960–1985 AD), which is contemporaneous with the construction of several major dams on the Minho River. The distribution of selected lipid biomarkers, including n-alkanes, n-fatty acids and n-alkan-2-ones and specific parameters derived from the molecular distributions, were useful for refining bulk geochemical results. Long chain n-alkanes with an odd number of carbons are indicators of soil-and vascular plant-derived terrestrial OM and were dominant throughout the core. In addition, a greater contribution of plankton-derived lipids was observed in the sections corresponding to ca. 1960–1985 AD (6–4 cm) and ca. 100–200 AD (96–94 cm). Although different degradation rates for individual compounds might have partly affected biomarker assemblages, the variations could be attributed to a sharp decrease in the freshwater contribution to the Minho River estuary (dam construction) and a possible marine highstand, respectively. In addition, several parameters suggested changes in land use (including deforestation and farming) and probably the effects of mining exploitation during the Roman occupation of the area.
Coastal processes in northwestern Iberia, Spain
2011, Continental Shelf Research
Citation Excerpt :
Regular sampling of ria sediments, using a dense mesh, was carried out in the work of Vilas et al. (1995, 1996, 1999). The study of submerged sedimentary bodies has generated ample literature, focusing particularly upon the Ria of Vigo (Vilas, 1983; Vilas and Nombela, 1985; Nombela et al., 1987, 1995; Diz et al., 2002; Evans et al., 2003; Howarth et al., 2005; Costas and Alejo, 2007; Alvarez-Iglesias and Rubio, 2009; Bernabeu et al., 2010; Rubio et al., 2010) and other areas along the coastline (Vilas et al., 1991; Rubio et al., 2001; Rey et al., 2004). Surficial sediments from the ria bottoms have been the subject of a number of studies, from both purely scientific and applied viewpoints.
The main coastal processes controlling water, nutrients and sediment transport are considered in the present issue, to emphasize the need for multidisciplinary approaches to achieve a proper assessment of the environmental status in coastal zones (such as the Galician area). Special emphasis has been placed upon the interpretation of local processes, within the context of a global perspective, especially for those regions with environmental properties similar to Galicia.
Identification of the main driving mechanisms in the evolution of a small coastal wetland (Traba, Galicia, NW Spain) since its origin 5700 cal yr BP
2007, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
This paper examines the interdependence among the different forcing factors in the evolution of the Traba coastal wetland (Galicia, NW Spain) based on lithofacies and diatom analyses of three cores reaching the basement. According to radiocarbon data, the wetland originated 5700 cal yr BP, a time when similar systems on the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula were formed. Diatom assemblage data allow the estimation of the sea level position at 5700 cal yr BP at least 7 m below present-day mean sea level. Attenuation of the sea-level rise at that time was a major driving mechanism that permitted the establishment of an incipient beach–dune complex, causing water-logging in the Traba basin. However, the location of this incipient wetland on a basement high, which prevented an open connection to the sea, made topographic inheritance the main forcing factor in the subsequent evolution of the wetland. Thus, Traba was never a coastal lagoon system, as it has sometimes been defined. The maximum permeability of the beach–dune complex enclosing the wetland was recorded after its origin until 2900 cal yr BP, when increased stormy conditions affected the Galician shelf waters. Since then, the evolution of the wetland has been mainly controlled by more local factors, especially the continental sediment supply. Changes in land use in the basin have accelerated the infilling of the water body since the 19th century. This rapid infilling makes the whole system more prone to total encroachment in the short term, rather than to sea drowning. Palaeoenvironmental analyses showing the main trends in the long-term evolution of coastal wetlands can be of key importance in any management decisions aimed at preserving these kinds of sensitive coastal environments.
Formation, exposure, and evolution of a high-latitude beachrock in the intertidal zone of the Corrubedo complex (Ria de Arousa, Galicia, NW Spain)
2004, Sedimentary Geology
The presence of beachrocks is noted on the Galician shoreline at 41°N, a latitude at which this phenomenon is rarely found. The present study focuses on the petrological characterization and sedimentological evolution of a beachrock that was exhumed during an exceptional storm in the winter of 2001 in the intertidal zone of a high-energy beach. The cemented material comprises medium-to-coarse mixed siliciclastic-carbonate sands. Unlike tropical beachrocks, the cement consists of epitaxial low-Mg calcite presenting varied morphologies and textures: acicular and bladed coatings and pore linings, pore fillings of sparitic calcite, and meniscus-style cements. Seawater, dominantly wave action, plus marine and meteoric mixed waters are invoked as the main generative fluids. Beachrock formation and evolution are approached from a morphodynamic viewpoint, considering four progressive stages:
- 1.
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- 4.
  disintegration/preservation and burial.
Finally, the morphodynamic significance, climatic implications, and occurrence of this type of cementation along the north and northwest shoreline of Spain are discussed.
Holocene evolution on Galician coast (NW Spain): An example of paraglacial dynamics
2002, Quaternary International
The recent evolution and the present coastal dynamic in middle Atlantic latitudes, as the coast of Galicia, can be considered in a paraglacial context. The fossilization of Eemian coastal landforms by deposits developed under cold conditions, followed by a paraglacial environment during the Holocene transgression. The characteristics of the different types of deposits and the rising sea-level curve controlled the evolution of the coastline, showing the co-existence of bluff-retreat and continental sedimentation.

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Research paperThe Corrubedo beach-lagoon complex, Galicia, Spain: Dynamics, sediments and recent evolution of a mesotidal coastal embayment

Abstract

Estuarine Res.

Mar. Geol.

Sedimentology of the northwestern shores of the Ria de Arosa (NW Spain)

Leidse Geol. Meded

Holocene coastal development in the western Netherlands: indications of major changes in tidal ranges in time

Morphology, sediments and Quaternary history of the continental shelf between the Straits of Dover and the Cape of Finisterre

Mesotidal inlets and estuaries

Ecological studies on two unattached coralline algae from Western Ireland

Paleontology

Bedforms and their hydraulic stability relationship in a tidal environment, Bay of Fundy, Canada

Nature

Comparison of ridge and runnel systems in tidal and non-tidal environments

J. Sediment. Petrol.

Intertidal flat sediments and their environments of deposition in the Wash

Q. J. Geol. Soc. London

Mechanisms of berm development and resulting beach growth along a barrier spit complex

Sedimentology

Comparison of eolian and subaqueous sandflow cross-strata

Bull. Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol.

Basic types of stratification in small eolian dunes

Sedimentology

Research paper
The Corrubedo beach-lagoon complex, Galicia, Spain: Dynamics, sediments and recent evolution of a mesotidal coastal embayment