Monitoring geomorphological changes and sediment transport during annual flows in the Rambla de Cervera (Castellón)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7203/CGUV.112.29261Keywords:
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
Maria Pilar Rabanaque, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN) - CSIC
Carles Sanchis-Ibor, Centro Valenciano de Estudios del Riego, Universitat Politècnica de València
Olegario Castillo, Universidad de Cádiz
Daniel Vázquez-Tarrío, Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME), CSIC
Mikel Calle, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Vanesa Martínez-Fernández, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
Yolanda Sánchez-Moya, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
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