Monitoring geomorphological changes and sediment transport during annual flows in the Rambla de Cervera (Castellón)

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7203/CGUV.112.29261

Keywords:

Ríos efímeros, cambios morfosedimentarios, monitorización de caudal y transporte de sedimento, recuperación de ríos degradados

Abstract

Most Mediterranean ephemeral rivers (ramblas) show a significant state of degradation after decades of severe human impacts (e. g. gravel extraction). The seasonal flow in these ramblas has contributed to their social and legislative abandonment. Our colleague Francesca Segura has been a reference in the study of the evolution and morphodynamic processes of the ramblas and in the struggle for their conservation. In this work of the EPHIDREAMS project, of which she is part, we describe the preliminary results of the monitoring of two reaches of the Rambla de Cervera (Castellón) during temporary flows (January and April 2020). Pressure sensors have been used to record the depth, impact sensors have served to determine the intensity of bed load transport, and photogrammetry has been applied to obtain high-resolution DTMs. From these techniques diachronic geomorphological maps, two-dimensional hydraulic models and the quantification of sediment transport rates have been obtained. In the upper reach (Enroig), both events recorded a peak flow of 50 m3/s, showing how its braided channel and the high availability of sediment allow a greater efficiency in the construction of forms (incipient lateral and medial bars) and the transport of gravels. In the middle reach (Cervera del Maestre), with a semi-confined valley with a narrow single channel, peaks of 100 m3/s (January) and 120 m3/s (April) were recorded. In this reach, the conditions of higher energy and regime close to critical flow prevented the lateral accumulation of bars, dominating the deposition of lobes during the recession stage of the hydrograph. Although the volume of sediment transported is modest (660 m3 at Enroig and 800 m3 at Cervera), it is evident that these frequent events are critical to maintain morphological activity and sediment connectivity, preventing channel narrowing due to vegetation growth.

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Author Biographies

Gerardo Benito, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN) - CSIC

Departamento de Geología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales – CSIC, Calle Serrano 115 bis, 28006 Madrid

Maria Pilar Rabanaque, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN) - CSIC

Departamento de Geología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales – CSIC, Calle Serrano 115 bis, 28006 Madrid

Carles Sanchis-Ibor, Centro Valenciano de Estudios del Riego, Universitat Politècnica de València

Centro Valenciano de Estudios del Riego, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camí de Vera s/n, 46007 València

Olegario Castillo, Universidad de Cádiz

Departamento de Ingeniería Industrial e Ingeniería Civil, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería de Algeciras, Universidad de Cádiz, 11202 Algeciras, Cádiz

Daniel Vázquez-Tarrío, Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME), CSIC

Departamento de Riesgos Geológicos y Cambio Climático, Instituto Geológico y Minero de España, IGME,  CSIC, Ríos Rosas, 23, 28003 Madrid

Mikel Calle, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Departamento de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología, C. de José Antonio Novais, 12, 28040 Madrid

Vanesa Martínez-Fernández, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

Departamento de Sistemas y Recursos Naturales, E.T.S. Ingeniería de Montes, Forestal y del Medio Natural, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

Yolanda Sánchez-Moya, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Departamento de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología, C. de José Antonio Novais, 12, 28040 Madrid

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2024-10-31

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Benito, G., Rabanaque, M. P., Sanchis-Ibor, C., Castillo, O., Vázquez-Tarrío, D., Calle, M., … Sánchez-Moya, Y. (2024). Monitoring geomorphological changes and sediment transport during annual flows in the Rambla de Cervera (Castellón). Cuadernos De Geografía De La Universitat De València, 1(112), 195–229. https://doi.org/10.7203/CGUV.112.29261
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