Francisco Asensio-Montesinos

• Ph.D. Marine Sciences
• Researcher at Universidad de Cádiz

Citation: Sánchez-Bellón, Á.; Molina-Piernas, E.; Anfuso, G.; Asensio-Montesinos, F.; Cabrera-Hernández, J.A.; Botero, C.M.; Pranzini, E. Textural, Mineralogical and Chromatic Characterisation of the Beach Sediments of Cuba: Management Implications. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13, 557. https://doi. Abstract: Although it is practically impossible to f...

This study is based on a 10-day survey carried out at seven beaches in March 2023 in El Puerto de Santa María municipality (SW Spain). An amount of 5592 items were collected, with a combined weight of 26 kg. Fresh litter, which refers to litter transported to the shore by marine/coastal processes, accounted for 4634 items weighing 23 kg. The remain...

Coasts are the most densely populated regions in the world and are vulnerable to different natural and human factors, e.g., sea-level rise, coastal accretion and erosion processes, the intensification of sea storms and hurricanes, the presence of marine litter, chronic pollution and beach oil spill accidents, etc. Although coastal zones have been a...

This paper deals with beach litter presence on the Ionian coast of Albania, i.e., at Vlora Bay and the Albanian Riviera, which is the most famous coastal tourist destination in the country. Along 16 beaches surveyed in November–December 2022 was found a total amount of 6621 litter items (or 416 kg) belonging to 114 categories of the EU J−code list....

In this study, coastal scenic beauty was assessed at 29 sites at São Miguel, which is one of the Azores Islands, i.e., a group of remote volcanic islands in the North Atlantic Ocean. The assessment was based on in situ observations and the use of the Coastal Scenic Evaluation System (CSES), which consists of a checklist with 26 physical- and anthro...

This study explores the spatial and temporal distribution of beach litter accumulation rates at seven sites in Cadiz Bay, Southwest Spain, during October 2022 (i.e., autumn) and March 2023 (i.e., spring). Beach litter was collected during low tide conditions at the strandline during two series of 10 consecutive daily surveys. The main aim of this p...

The amount and composition of litter was evaluated during May and June 2021 at two urban beaches, i.e., La Victoria and La Cortadura, in Cádiz, SW Spain. Surveys were carried out daily in the morning and in the evening during the weekends to quantify the daily accumulation of beach litter and relate it to the number of beach users, which was assess...

The amount and composition of litter was evaluated, during May and June 2021, at two urban beaches, i.e. La Victoria and La Cortadura, in Cadiz, SW Spain. Surveys were daily carried out in the morning and in the evening during the week−ends to quantify the daily accumulation of beach litter and relate it with the number of beach users, which was as...

This study investigates the spatial and temporal distribution of litter at 7 beach sectors in Cadiz Bay, Southwest Spain. Two ten-day surveys carried out in autumn 2022 and spring 2023 revealed a total of 4,199 and 4,634 items, respectively, with plastic being the predominant material (71.13% in autumn, 88.39% in spring). Litter quantities varied s...

Litter abundance and composition were assessed at 13 sites in the Jambelí Archipelago, El Oro Province, Ecuador. The sites consisted of five beaches, which accounted for 82% of the total litter items, and eight mangrove forests, which accounted for the remaining 18%. Plastic was the most represented material on beaches and mangroves. Litter items w...

Litter abundance and typology were investigated at different beaches and mangrove forests at nine sites on the Colombian Caribbean and Pacific coasts. Average litter abundance on the Caribbean Sea beaches (1.42 items/m2–12.21 g/m2) and in mangrove forests (1.29 items/m2–28.72 g/m2) were greater than that of the Pacific Ocean beaches (0 items/m2–0 g...

Plastic debris is becoming a growing environmental concern and microplastics (size <5 mm) are one of the most important fractions due to their environmental and human potential deleterious effects. Despite the recent effort done on estimating their concentrations in several ecosystems, the dynamics of microplastic accumulation are not sufficiently...

Despite the large research effort on reporting quantities of coastal litter, the dynamics of this litter is not yet sufficiently understood. Litter inputs in five cobble beaches located in the Mediterranean (Spain) were studied over three months during winter by biweekly litter tagging. Plastic represented the dominant material that reached the bea...

Twelve beaches located in Ceuta (Spain) were studied from February to April 2019 to assess litter amounts (expressed as number of items), categories and temporal distribution. At each beach, three surveys were conducted, i.e., one per month (i.e., 36 in total). Selected beaches covered urban (7), rural (2) and remote (3) bathing areas. Plastic repr...

Litter on beaches is one of the most difficult problems in coastal management and every year, much efforts and public money are invested to try to alleviate and solve the problem. Cigarette butts (CB) are among the most widespread abandoned personal items in the world. In Spain, they are found on all types of beaches, where they are discarded by be...

In the Antarctic Peninsula, most important activities are touristic visits, from the second half of the 20th Century, and scientific investigation linked to 75 research stations. Beach litter content/abundance was investigated at 17 beaches in Admiralty Bay (King George Island, Antarctica) and the type of plastic material was determined by Raman sp...

The characteristics and distribution of plastic litter were evaluated in October 2018 at 40 beaches along the coast of Cádiz Province, in Spain. A total of 14,261 plastic items, appertaining to 57 litter groups, were identified along the study area at different beach zones, i.e. at low tide water level (2%), along the foreshore (6%), at high tide w...

A total amount of 16,123 beach litter items, appertaining to 120 litter groups, was identified at 40 bathing areas along the coast of Cádiz, Spain. Selected areas covered remote (5), rural (11), village (13) and urban (11) sites with different morphodynamic states. The observer recorded litter data along 100 m (longshore) coastal sectors, cross-sho...

Sand colour can give important information about mineral composition and, consequently, sediment source areas and input systems. Beach appearance, which is mostly linked to sand colour, has a relevant economic function in tourist areas. In this paper, the colour of 66 sand samples, collected along both natural and nourished beaches in the western M...

Las zonas costeras tienen gran importancia para el desarrollo del ser humano en todo el mundo; de hecho, se estima que para el año 2030 alrededor de 430 millones de personas residirán a lo largo del litoral iberoamericano. Éste espacio tan complejo y frágil que conecta el medio acuático con el terrestre constituye el destino principal de millones d...

Presence of beach litter was assessed during spring and summer seasons 2018, at 56 sites along the coast of Alicante Province (SE Spain). Selected sites covered “remote” (9), “rural” (10) “village” (17) and “urban” (20) bathing areas. In an area of 201,700m2, a total of 10,101 litter items (Avg: 0.062 items m-2) was counted in spring, and 20,857 (A...

Coastal scenery value was evaluated at 56 locations along the 244 km long coast of Alicante (western Mediterranean) according to the methodology of Ergin et al. Area 36(4):367–386, (2004) based on the evaluation of 26 physical and anthropogenic parameters. Selected areas covered remote (10), rural (9), village (15) and urban (22) bathing areas. The...

La presencia de los residuos sólidos en las zonas costeras a lo largo de todo el mundo es uno de los problemas más perjudiciales y difíciles de gestionar a los que se enfrenta el ser humano en la actualidad. Además del deterioro de la calidad estética del paisaje costero, la presencia de residuos sólidos reduce los beneficios económicos que generan...

The coast of Alicante (Costa Blanca) was evaluated at 56 different beach locations in remote (10), rural (9), village (15) and urban (22) areas. Litter presence was assessed using the EA/NALG (2000) methodology, which allowed classifying each site in four grades: A: very good (40 sites); B: good (14); C: fair (1) and D: poor (1). Generally, in natu...

Guía Geológica del Geolodía Cádiz 2018. Excursión dedicada a conocer los aspectos geológicos de las salinas de la provincia de Cádiz, tanto costeras como de interior.

The main characteristics of 42 beaches distributed along the coast of Alicante (Southeastern Spain) were evaluated using a landscape evaluation method. For this, by means of in situ observations, a series of physical parameters such as cliffs, beaches, rocky platforms, dunes, valleys, relief shape, geomorphological features, vegetation remains, etc...

Benidorm Island is one of the most relevant protected marine areas in the Province of Alicante (south-eastern Iberian Peninsula). Its bathymetric gradient and the structural complexity of the seabed make it an ideal place to analyse foraminifer assemblages considering depth and sediment type (particle size distribution). For this purpose, seven sam...

The Messinian coral reef (atoll type)of Santa Pola, placed in the northern sector of the Bajo Seguraneogene basin, is one of the most important places of geoscientist interest from Alicante Province. In this work, the characterization of its geological and paleontological heritage is presented. Firstly, the quantitative patrimonial evaluation is pr...