Manuel Díez-Minguito

• Profesor Titular de Universidad
• Professor (Associate) at University of Granada

The Doñana Protected Area, Western Europe’s largest protected wetland and UNESCO World Heritage Site, is of great importance for the Spanish biodiversity. Despite its ecological value, there is a noticeable scarcity of scientific and technical information about its hydrology and expected climate change effects, as highlighted by several authors. Th...

The present numerical study builds on Ekman (1905)’s work in surface boundary layer and extends the boundary value problem to overcome some of its limitations. Previous studies addressed model’s limitations by assuming that deviations from observations are usually ascribed to different eddy viscosity shapes, but seldom to the presence of baroclinic...

Urban development in coastal areas has become increasingly important due to the climate crisis and its effects on sea level rise and extreme events, which increased the vulnerability of coastal zones. Therefore, it is important to analyze possible sustainable development techniques in urban planning and residential housing construction based on low...

Wind-driven flow in power-law viscous fluids in homogeneous semienclosed basins is analyzed. Analytical solutions for vertical current profiles for non-newtonian fluids with different power-law indexes are derived assuming a wind shear stress at the surface and zero net transport. Previous classical solutions for wind-driven flows in semienclosed b...

Freshwater pulses (during which river discharge is much higher than average) occur in many estuaries and strongly impact estuarine functioning. To gain insight into the estuarine salinity response to freshwater pulses, an idealized model is presented. With respect to earlier models on the spatiotemporal behavior of salinity in estuaries, it include...

In 1926 Albert Einstein gave a clear explanation of the physical processes involved in the meander formation and evolution in open channels (Einstein, 1926). Although this work is far from being recognized as one of his greatest achievements, such as his annus mirabilis papers in 1905, he shows a truly remarkable didactic skills that make it easy t...

A depth understanding of the different processes of water movements produced by the wind surface stress yields a better description and improvement of the marine food chain and ecosystem. The classical Ekman model proposes a hypothetical ocean, excluding the influence of continents and the Coriolis force. It also assumes infinite depth and a consta...

This paper investigates the impact of the bridge-pilling modifications on the tidal flow at the strait of a human-altered mesotidal estuary (Cádiz Bay, Spain). The analysis was accomplished by combining (1) field data of current velocities in a cross-section close to the pile of a recently built bridge, and (2) hydrodynamics results from the calibr...

Ekman (1905)’s theory of wind-driven currents in a surface boundary layer is a building-block of modern oceanography and helps to explain (e.g.) coastal upwelling, which have high impact on biological productivity. Ekman deduced that the momentum balance for steady horizontal currents must be between Coriolis force and divergence of turbulent shear...

The Valdivia River Estuary (VRE) is in the Los Ríos Region, Chile. It is an area of great ecological wealth, which has also contributed to the economic and cultural development of the city of Valdivia and the cities in the interior of the province. Research dedicated to the study of its hydrodynamics in recent years has increased but obtaining para...

A complex hydrodynamic computational model was implemented in the Guadalquivir river estuary. Along-channel in situ observations of water level were confronted to model output during normal and high-discharge events. The determination coefficients attained mean values of R2= 0.88 and R2=0.78, respectively. Model simulations were able to closely mim...

Microplastics (MPs) patterns in a weakly-stratified estuary were investigated using a combined approach of observations and modeling. The study was conducted in the Guadalquivir River Estuary, which is of high environmental value, yet significantly altered by human activities. The study aims to contribute to understanding and quantifying the land-o...

The coast of southern Chile, located between 37° and 41°S, has many estuaries, which, together with their wetlands, still comprise a region with high biological richness and a high ecosystem value. The Valdivia River Estuary (VRE) stands out due to its relative size and commercial importance. This study analyses time series of environmental forcing...

This study describes observations of non-tidal Superinertial Internal Waves (SIWs) for the first time in Jolúcar Canyon, which is a short prototype canyon in the Alborán Sea (western Mediterranean). The analysis, based on current velocities and acoustic echo-amplitude signals, identified non-tidal SIWs and their vertical and temporal variability. S...

IAHR and the Congress Organising Group invite you to take part in the 39th IAHR World Congress ‘From Snow to Sea’ to be held in Granada, Spain, from 4 to 9 July 2021. The Congress aims to provide scientists, engineers, organisations, central and local authorities, companies, and young professionals early in their careers a stimulating opportunity t...

This study analyzes the circulation of a short, microtidal submarine canyon from observations and an analytical model. The Jolúcar submarine canyon is located near the Carchuna beach (Granada, southern Spain) in the northern continental shelf of the Alborán Sea. Observations were analyzed with harmonic and spectral analyses techniques. Observations...

Supplement: Model Verification regarding the paper "Observations and idealized modelling of microplastic transport in estuaries: The exemplary case of an upwelling system (Ría de Vigo, NW Spain)" https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2020.103780

This study evaluated how multiyear changes in sea water temperature, salinity, river flow, sea level, and tidal amplitudes influenced the exchange mass flow, tidal energy propagation, water column stratification, and saline intrusion in 93 Iberian estuaries. To do this, trends estimated between 2000 and 2015 in four vulnerability indices that chara...

The objective of the present study is to demonstrate the informative capacity of the longitudinal anomaly of potential energy (LAPE) in the analysis of the magnitude and spatiotemporal variability of estuarine processes. For this purpose, a LAPE balance equation is formulated. The LAPE integrates and varies with the vertical and longitudinal densit...

Microplastic pollution in marine environments is currently receiving much attention due to the increased awareness of its potential risks to life and human health. Numerical simulations can be used to provide estimates of microplastic distribution, but so far this approach has been largely applied to coastal seas and the open ocean. In this work, w...

In the Region Of Freshwater Influence (ROFI), located between sea exposure and estuary, characteristic physical processes of both estuarine and shelf seas overlap and impact on shelf circulation, sediment transport and ecosystem (Simpson, 1997). Although freshwater discharge typically exhibits the highest variability (Horner-Devine et al., 2015), t...

This study describes observations of non-tidal Superinertial Internal Waves (SIWs) for the first time in the Jolúcar canyon, a short prototypical canyon in the western Mediterranean Sea. The analysis, based on current velocities and acoustic echo-amplitude signals, identified SIWs and their spatial and temporal variability in this submarine canyon,...

The Guadalquivir estuary is a high‐nutrient load environment, yet it has a reduced primary production because the high suspended sediment concentration (SSC) causes light attenuation. High‐resolution observations revealed relationships between the SSC and Chlorophyll‐a (Chla) concentration from seasonal to intratidal time scales. Local maxima of ti...

Microplastics (MPs) pollution in marine environments has received considerable attention over the past two decades due to the increased awareness of its potential risks to ecosystems. Numerical simulations can be used to provide estimates of MPs fate and distribution, but so far this approach has been largely applied to the open ocean. In this work...

Floods are one of the most harmful extreme events that occur in estuaries, which are induced by tides and freshwater discharges. The Guadalquivir River Estuary (SW Spain) has experienced multiple flooding events in recent decades. High-resolution time series from a long-term monitoring campaign were analyzed to assess the impacts of subtidal water...

Los intercambios que se producen entre los estuarios y las masas de aguas adyacentes de ríos, mares y océanos, se rigen, entre otros, por los procesos de mezcla y estratificación de la columna de agua. En este sentido, hace casi 50 años se concibió el concepto de anomalía de energía potencial (Simpson y Hunter, 1974), que es una medida de la estrat...

Estimación de los efectos del cambio climático de la amplitud y fase mareal en la elevaciones y salinidad del estuario del río Guadalquivir El cambio climático es un hecho reconocido por la comunidad científica que presenta un panorama inestable e incierto. La presencia del cambio del climático en los pulsos naturales es cada vez más frecuente y su...

Floods are one of the most harmful extreme events occurring in estuaries, which are influenced by tides and freshwater discharges. The Guadalquivir estuary (SW Spain) has experienced flooding multiple times in recent years. In this estuary, high-resolution time-series from a long-term monitoring campaign are analyzed to assess the impacts of two di...

The Guadalquivir estuary is a high-nutrient, low-productivity environment in which suspended sediment attenuation of light limits phytoplankton growth at long time scales [Ruiz et al., 2013]. Recent analysis of high-resolution observations shows also a strong connection at tidal scale between Suspended Sediment Concentration (SSC) and Chlorophyll-a...

a reyess@ciccp.es b mdiezm@ugr.es c mlosada@ugr.es Resumen Un sistema prototípico de conflictos humanos y ambientales es el estuario del Guadalquivir. No sólo los procesos de intercambio naturales en el estuario alteran la morfo-hidrodinámica del sistema. El estuario, con mayor intensidad desde el siglo XIX, ha sido dragado y modificado en sus traz...

Microplastic pollution in marine environments is currently receiving much attention due to the increased awareness of its potential risks to human health and wildlife. Numerical simulations can be used to provide estimates of microplastic distribution, but so far this approach has been largely applied to coastal seas and the open ocean. In this wor...

Es conocido que una reflexión mareal especialmente significativa se produce típicamente en constricciones abruptas del canal en estuarios y en las presas o represas situadas en sus cabeceras. Este es el caso de numerosos estuarios, como, por ejemplo, los estuarios del Guadiana y del Guadalquivir en el SE de la península ibérica (Garel, 2014; Díez-M...

The G&M14 stratification-circulation diagram allows to classify estuaries on the basis of river flow and tidal forcing in terms of the freshwater Froude number and a mixing parameter that accounts for the vertical structure of the water column [Geyer & MacCready, 2014]. In this study, instead of computing these parameters for the whole estuary as w...

El nivel del mar asociado a la marea astronómica ha sido tratado como determinista puesto que se conoce con precisión el movimiento relativo de los astros y los esfuerzos que generan sobre la masa de agua en la Tierra. Sin embargo, varios estudios recientes apuntan a que las amplitudes y fases mareales presentan la influencia de otros procesos no r...

Las bahías son áreas caracterizadas por un gran dinamismo debido principalmente al intercambio de agua y sedimentos entre los ambientes terrestre y marino. Este intercambio permite el desarrollo de entornos únicos, con una alta productividad ecológica y de gran importancia para otros ecosistemas marinos. Se encuentra, además, entre los ecosistemas...

This study addresses the vertical structure of currents in a shelf‐indenting submarine canyon (Sacratif, southern Spain) by means of observations and analytical solutions. The vertical structure of the current velocities is analyzed by Empirical Orthogonal Functions and spectral analysis techniques. Our measurements and analysis reveal that the fir...

Offshore wind energy began its development in early 2000, in coastal countries of the North Sea, having a marked success due to its environmental advantages as well as the plenty and steady wind resource that it provides. Current foundation systems, mono-pile and jacket, are suitable in shallow waters, under 60 m depth. For deeper sea locations, fl...

Improving current understanding of hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics in complex tidal embayments is of major importance to face future challenges derived from climate change and increasing human pressure. This work deepens the knowledge of the hydro-morphodynamics of complex creek networks that connect basins with different characteristics, ident...

This study analyzes the management alternatives that are currently considered by public administrations in the Guadalquivir River Estuary, which is a well-mixed and rather channelized estuary in the southwest of Spain. A linearized multichannel exploratory model that operates at tidal and averaged scales is used. The model extends the previous deve...

This manuscript proposes an analytical model and a simple experimental methodology to estimate the effective settling velocity of very fine sediments at high concentrations. A system of two coupled ordinary differential equations for the time evolution of the bed height and the suspended sediment concentration is derived from the sediment mass bala...

River discharge, precipitation, wind, water level and salinity measurements were used to investigate saltwater intrusion in a subtropical estuary. The upstream limit of saltwater intrusion was defined by the position of the 2 g/kg isohaline (X2) as it changed each tidal cycle. Observations were obtained from November 2014 to November 2015 along the...

The objective of this research was to assess the effect of gullying on the erosive response at the basin scale by modeling. For this purpose, a distributed hydrological model, which includes erosion by raindrop, rilling and gullying, was configured and applied in a Mediterranean basin in southern Spain. The results show a range of parameters close...

The analysis of mean sea level trends in the Iberian Peninsula coastal regions has been studied by a number of authors (e.g., [Marcos & Tsimplis, 2007]). However, the climatic trend of tides is less researched. This work presents analysis of the tidal harmonic constants climatic trends along the Iberian Peninsula coast. Hourly sea level data from t...

This study addresses the vertical structure of currents in a submarine canyon (Jolúcar canyon, which is located in the deltaic width of the Guadalfeo river, southern Spain), by means of observations and analytical solutions. Observed data are analyzed by Empirical Orthogonal Functions and spectral analysis techniques. Our measurements reveal that t...

The Guadalquivir estuary (SW Spain) is a high-nutrient, low-productivity environment. Suspended sediment attenuation of light limits phytoplankton growth at long time scales [Ruiz et al. (2013), Ecol. Model. 265, 194-206]. Recent analysis of high-resolution observations shows also a strong connection between Suspended Sediment Concentration (SSC) a...

This work presents the analysis of the tidal harmonic constituent variability in 93 Spanish estuaries of the Iberian Peninsula, with a view to address the physical and biotic sensitivity of these estuaries to global change. These estuaries range from tidally-dominated estuaries (e.g., such as the Guadalquivir estuary in the Gulf of Cádiz) and rias...

This paper presents an integrated educational methodology to provide better, more extensive training to students in engineering disciplines. The methodology integrates both existing and ad hoc tools to improve mainly the following skills: holistic and comprehensive views and understanding of real problems, working in teams, communication abilities,...

Recent high-resolution observations show in-phase oscillations at tidal scale between Suspended Sediment Concentration (SSC) and Chlorophyll-a (Chla) concentration [Blaw et al. 2012; Díez-Minguito & de Swart, 2018]. The observations suggests that SSC-Chla variability is mostly controlled by the simultaneous resuspension of mud and microalgae that l...

The morphology of the Bay of C\'adiz in the southwestern Spain has been changing for the past 25 years in response to the human interventions. Since 2012, new interventions, for example the new terminal and the new navigation channel, have been planned to carry out inside the Bay. As a result of these interventions, there has been a decrease in tid...

Las ondas de plataforma continental se definen como ondas atrapadas a la costa, cuya amplitud disminuye exponencialmente con la distancia a la costa. Poseen frecuencia subinercial, y requieren de un fondo con pendiente para generarse y propagarse. Tienen amplitudes del orden de los centímetros, periodos del orden de días, y longitudes de onda del o...

This paper presents a study on the tidal-fluvial interaction in the highly regulated Guadalquivir River Estuary (SW Spain), which is occasionally subjected to high discharge episodes that affect navigational conditions and increase flood risks. The study specifically focuses on the processes and controlling mechanisms of the nonstationary response...

La mayoría de los puertos Andaluces requieren ser dragados periódicamente. Estos trabajos son diseñados para recuperar la operatividad original con la que fueron diseñados. En otras ocasiones, su finalidad es la regeneración de determinadas zonas de playa con carácter de urgencia tras eventos de temporal. Para dar una respuesta basada en el estado...

La mayoría de los puertos Andaluces requieren ser dragados periódicamente. Estos trabajos son diseñados para recuperar la operatividad original con la que fueron diseñados. En otras ocasiones, su finalidad es la regeneración de determinadas zonas de playa con carácter de urgencia tras eventos de temporal. Para dar una respuesta basada en el estado...

Plataforma integral de e-Learning con Sistema de Corrección Automática (SCA) en el Ámbito de la Ingeniería de Costas e Hidráulica Ambiental. Proyecto de Innovación Docente (PID) 12-203 de la Universidad de Granada

This work presents a Non-Stationary Monte Carlo (NS-MC) approach to predict middle-to-long term subtidal currents and water levels in estuaries. The approach is applied to the Guadalquivir River Estuary (GRE). This is a well-mixed and mesotidal estuary located in the Southwest of Spain in which the most energetic tidal constituent is the semidiurna...

Tidal wave reflection is a quite common transformation process experienced by a tidal wave and occurs simultaneously in a wide range of spatial scales. Sometimes the reflection is prominent (in terms of fraction of reflected energy), as for instance at a head weir, but sometimes is subtle, as occurs when tides propagate into a long, weakly converge...

This work presents a Non-Stationary Monte Carlo (NS-MC) approach to predict middle-to-long term subtidal currents and water levels in estuaries. The approach is applied to the Guadalquivir River Estuary (GRE). This is a well-mixed and mesotidal estuary located in the Southwest of Spain in which the most energetic tidal constituent is the semidiurna...

Continental margins worldwide are often interrupted by submarine canyons, steep-sided valleys that cut into the continental slope, and sometimes extend further onto the continental shelf. Submarine canyons play an important role in the exchange between the continental shelf and deep zones, representing topographic features of interest for studies o...

This paper analyzes thermal energy transport in the narrow and tidally energetic Guadalquivir River Estuary (SW Spain). Measurements from a comprehensive monitoring campaign (2008–2011) reveal the forcing factors of the temperature field and its spatio-temporal variability. The along-channel thermal energy gradient reaches magnitudes of ∼375 J/m4 n...

The Guadalquivir estuary has an important place in history as mainland Europe’s most southern large river-estuary-delta system. Intensification of human pressure combined with a limited understanding of its functioning have resulted in increasing socio-economic and environmental conflicts over the estuary. Within this context, the existing scientif...

Carchuna beach (Granada, Spain) is a 4km long reflective beach exhibiting remarkable non-rhythmic cuspate features at the shoreline. The bathymetry is characterized by a narrow continental shelf where a shelf-indenting submarine canyon whose head is close to the coastline and an infralittoral prograding wedge are inserted in the inner shelf. The i...

As in many others coastal systems, the interplay between tide and littoral drift controls the inlet morphodynamics of the Punta Umbría estuary (SW Spain). Their interaction causes that the estuary mouth has a natural tendency to closure, altering the economic activities related to the navigation through the inlet. The situation is no longer sustain...

Offshore wind energy began its development in early 2000, in coastal countries of the North Sea, having a marked success due to its environmental advantages as well as the plenty and steady wind resource that it provides. Current foundation systems, mono-pile and jacket, are suitable in shallow waters, under 60 m depth. For deeper sea locations, fl...

The Bay of Cádiz (BoC) is a tidally-short, low-inflow embayment in the SW of Spain. This study area is characterized by two basins connected through a narrow strait (the Strait of Puntales, SoP). Extensive industrial, port activities and deteriorated protected natural areas characterize the BoC. This work analyzes the influence of the atmospheric...

The Guadalquivir estuary is one of the most important socioeconomic areas in the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula. Based on data recorded during a comprehensive field campaign (2008-2011), the tidal wave propagation along the estuary, and the salt and suspended sediment distribution and transport have been characterized during low river flows...

The Cádiz Bay (SW Spain) is a semidiurnal low-inflow estuary that harbors port facilities. Its morphology is characterized by a seaward outer bay, an inner bay with extensive tidal marshes, and a channel connecting both. Human activities (i.e. new port terminal and channel deepening) are profoundly changing of the morphodynamics of the Bay. To asse...

Analytical solutions to the continental shelf wave problem at subinertial frequencies for the Alborán Sea shelf shapes are studied in this work. The general properties of both free and alongshore wind forced waves are estimated. For free waves, correlations at different time lags between records of sea level measured at distant locations along the...

As in many others coastal systems, the interplay between tide and littoral drift controls the inlet morphodynamics of the Punta Umbría estuary (SW Spain). Their interaction causes that the estuary mouth has a natural tendency to closure, altering the economic activities related to the navigation through the inlet. The situation is no longer sustain...

A study is presented on the transport of Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) in the Guadalquivir estuary during low river flow conditions. Observations show that tidally-induced SPM exceeds that associated with catchment-derived inputs. The main mechanisms that contribute to longitudinal transport are identified and quantified by analyzing the tidal...

This paper presents an analysis of turbidity and suspended sediment transport during low river flows in the Guadalquivir river estuary (Spain). The distribution and sources of the suspended particulate matter (SPM) are identified. The analysis of the transport rates allow us to devise a semi-analytical model for transport of SPM in well-mixed estua...

Estuaries are transition ecosystems connecting land and sea subjected to a large number of external forcings that make estuaries complex and highly variable. Models developed to simulate estuaries use to be also complex and, henceforth, difficult to constrain and parameterize. Here, we propose a simple biogeochemical model of the water column of te...