Agustín Millares

Impact of river regulation on a Mediterranean delta: Assessment of managed versus unmanaged scenarios

This work addresses the effects of the construction of a reservoir 19 km from the mouth on the dynamics of the Guadalfeo delta (southern Spain), a Mediterranean delta in a semiarid and high-mountain basin. The sediment volume transported as bed load and accumulated in the delta was estimated under two scenarios by means of a calibrated hydrological model: a managed scenario, considering the flows drained by the dam, and an unmanaged scenario, considering the absence of such infrastructure. Bathymetric and topographic measurements were analyzed and correlated with the fluvial and maritime forcing agents. Results indicate that the reservoir has significantly modified the dynamics downstream: the coast has lost almost 0.3 hm3 of sediments since the entry into operation of the dam, generating a 1.4 km coastline retreat around the mouth, with a maximum retreat of 87 m (92% of the initial). The beach profile decreased by up to 820 m2, whereas the average decrease around the mouth was equal to 214 m2. Under unmanaged conditions, more than 2 hm3 of bed load would have reached the coast. Based on the results, three new management scenarios of flows drained by the dam, in combination with bypassed sediment from the reservoir, were proposed to prevent more severe consequences in the delta and the silting of the reservoir. The proposed methodology for new management scenarios can be extended to other worldwide deltas, especially to those in semiarid and Mediterranean basins, and it represents an advanced tool for decision making.

Estimation of turbidity along the Guadalquivir estuary using Landsat TM and ETM+ images

Estuarine water in Mediterranean basins has high concentrations of suspended sediment. In order to study the temporal and spatial distribution of turbidity, a monitoring network with sufficient temporal and spatial resolution is needed to monitor water quality, and this is not always available. Thus, over the last few years, satellite images have been used as an alternative way to estimate water quality parameters, such as turbidity. The Guadalquivir River estuary in south-west Spain extends for 105 km and is one of the world’s most turbid estuaries. The sediments present are of a very fine texture due to the great length of the river but, mainly, to the extreme trapping efficiency of the dense reservoir system upstream. This work shows the relationship between turbidity patterns along the Guadalquivir river estuary and the data from Landsat ETM+ images from August 2008 to 2010, and the suitability of the algorithms previously used in this estuary environment, with the ultimate goal of obtaining turbidity maps. The results of this study show that the use of previously developed algorithms underestimate turbidity values measured by the monitoring network used, which proves that one single algorithm for the entire period of study does not provide a reliable reproduction of the real situation. The wide variability in turbidity data along the estuary has enabled us to develop specific expressions for each day, which allow us to obtain turbidity maps.