COASTAL PROTECTION ISSUES IN BAYED BEACHES.THE IMPORTANCE OF SHORELINE TILTING
Vicente Gracia, Laboratori d’Enginyeria Maritima, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (LIM/UPC), vicente.gracia@upc.edu
Herminia Valdemoro, LIM/UPC, herminia.valdemoro@upc.edu
Tonatiuh Mendoza, LIM/UPC, tonatiuh.mendoza@upc.edu
Agustin Sanchez-Arcilla, LIM/UPC, agustin.arcilla@upc.edu
Jose A. Jimenez, LIM/UPC, jose.jimenez@upc.edu
Bayed beaches are usually treated as stable coastal units at the long term scale with a plane shape defined by the dominant wave climate. However, at shorter scales they experience important reorientations due to the impact of storms. Deviations from the “ideal” state need to be analyzed in order to properly manage the beach. Implications of such changes are studied in the bayed beach of Lloret de Mar (Spanish Mediterranean Coast). Results show that shoreline fluctuations within the bay with respect to the mean configuration control both protection under storms and recreational use.