Ruth Durán

Institute of Marine Sciences

El estudio de la morfología de las playas encajadas es de vital importancia para determinar sus características morfodinámicas y su evolución frente a los potenciales efectos del cambio climático. El elevado número de playas encajadas existente en la costa mediterránea española requiere que se aborde su clasificación desde una perspectiva integral....

Embayed beaches are laterally bounded by natural barriers such as rocky headlands or by artificial structures on human-altered coasts. They are commonly described as closed compartments because of limited sedimentary connection with other systems. However, this description is not accurate for many embayments, where sediment exchange can occur via h...

Remote sensing has become an effective tool for acquiring coastal data over the last decades. Algorithms, such as cBathy or UBathy, have enabled the derivation of bathymetries through the observed wave propagation using videos from, for example, fixed stations or drones. In this work, we explore the potential use of these techniques for satellite v...

The sensitivity of a 2DH coastal area (XBeach) and a reduced-complexity (Q2Dmorfo) morphodynamic model to using different forcing sources is studied. The models are tested by simulating the morphodynamic response of an embayed beach in the NW Mediterranean over a 6-month period. Wave and sea-level forcing from in situ data, propagated buoy measurem...

Chirp profiles collected on the southern Brazilian shelf were combined with sedimentological and hydrodynamic data to characterize shelf geomorphology, focusing on the development of outer shelf bedforms and their genetic links with major oceanic currents. Outer shelf sediment accumulations are interpreted as two scales of bedforms, such as dunes a...

The sensitivity of a 2DH coastal area (XBeach) and a reduced-complexity (Q2Dmorfo) morphodynamic models to using different forcing sources is studied. The models are tested by simulating the morphodynamic response of an embayed beach in the NW Mediterranean over a 6-month period. Wave and sea level forcing from in-situ data, propagated buoy measure...

Maërl habitats are composed of coralline red algae species that can live freely rolling on the seabed and forming nodules, the so-called rhodoliths, or incrusted forming coralligenous habitats. Maërl habitats are generally distributed in the Mediterranean at a depth of between 30 m and 70 m and are considered one of the most emblematic Mediterranea...

Bottom trawling is a fishing method that involves towing of nets along the seafloor to catch demersal species. The dragging of trawling gears along the seafloor results in scraping and ploughing of the surficial sediments, leading to the formation of turbid plumes of resuspended sediments and causing measurable changes in the seabed morphology. Hig...

Los fondos marinos siguen siendo grandes desconocidos. Frente a los paisajes terrestres, más accesibles y familiares, la mayor parte de ellos permanecen inexplorados, siendo un enorme desafío para la investigación científica. Este libro da a conocer los paisajes submarinos de distintas zonas del Mediterráneo peninsular: unos fondos singulares y poc...

Resumen: Se exploró la variabilidad longitudinal de la arquitectura interna de la barrera costera de la bahía de Pals utilizando un georadar para identificar patrones de configuración interna y su relación con los principales factores del cambio. Los datos geofísicos se combinaron con ortofo-tos y datos LiDAR obtenidos en diferentes años. Los resul...

The effects of massive dumping of dredged material were studied during and after the last large Barcelona port expansion. A benthic tripod equipped with a current meter, a turbidimeter and a video camera was deployed at the edge of the Barcelona shelf dumpsite. Additionally, sediment cores were taken before, during and after dumping at the tripod l...

The mesophotic domain is a poorly explored part of the oceans, notably in the Mediterranean Sea. Benthic communities in these depths are not well documented and as such are under higher risk from anthropogenic impacts. Hard substrate habitats in this depth window are not common and are a key ecotope. The Malta Plateau in the central Mediterranean,...

Continental margins are transitional areas between the land and the deep ocean where large amounts of particulate matter are supplied, transported, and ultimately deposited in the deep sea. High-energy hydrodynamic processes such as storms, ocean currents, or internal waves and tides, as well as bottom trawling activities contribute to the resuspen...

Increases of water turbidity and suspended sediment transport in submarine canyons have been associated with high-energy events such as storms, river floods and dense shelf water cascading (DSWC), and occasionally with bottom trawling along canyon flanks and rims. To assess the variations on the water column turbidity and sediment transport in the...

Plain Language Summary Bottom trawling grounds have been expanding to deeper areas of the oceans since the mid‐XXth century, causing substantial effects to fish populations. In order to reduce this impact, new management strategies have been introduced, such as establishing temporal trawling closures to allow fish populations to recover. Bottom tra...

Measuring the nearshore bathymetry is critical in coastal management and morphodynamic studies. The recent advent of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), in combination with coastal video monitoring techniques, allows for an alternative and low cost evaluation of the nearshore bathymetry. Camera calibration and stabilization is a critical issue in bath...

Submarine canyons are deep, large-scale incisions that occur on the continental shelf and slope of all ocean margins. These landforms serve as preferential particle-transport conduits that connect the coastal zone with the deep-sea. Canyons have been studied for decades and are among the most iconic submarine geomorphic features. Advances in marine...

An integrated approach, combining swath bathymetry, an extensive dataset of vibrocores and high‐resolution seismic reflection data was used to assess the origin and evolution of offshore sand ridges in a tideless continental shelf (Gulf of Valencia, western Mediterranean). The sand ridges are located in the mid‐outer shelf at 55‐85 m water depth, o...

Submarine canyons are known to force ocean mesoscale circulation and local hydrodynamics. Alternate up-and down-canyon near-bottom flows have been widely documented along the upper reaches, connecting the canyon heads with the contiguous outer shelves and vice versa. Nonetheless, we still miss clear evidence of bedform fields expressing these compl...

Se ha estudiado la evolución morfológica del tramo de costa entre el Puerto de Barcelona y Port Ginesta, en Barcelona (Cataluña) a partir de datos topográficos de alta resolución (LIDAR) obtenidos en 7 campañas realizadas entre los años 2008 y 2017. Se han analizado las variaciones en la posición de la línea de costa y el volumen de la playa emergi...

Resumen: La morfología del litoral del delta del Ebro pone de manifiesto la presencia de depósitos relictos de prodelta asociados a las diferentes desembocaduras del río que han sido identificadas en la llanura deltaica durante el último milenio. En este trabajo, utilizando datos batimétricos existentes reprocesados y otros nuevos adquiridos con so...

During the ABIDES (Assessment of Bottom-trawling Impacts in DEep-sea Sediments) Project, 20 ROV dives were conducted along the Catalan margin (NW Mediterranean) targeting heavily exploited continental slope fishing grounds, with the aim of exploring the impact of bottom trawling activities on the sedimentary environment and deep-sea benthic communi...

The temporal evolution of water column turbidity was studied on a submarine canyon on the Barcelona continental margin. From April to June 2014, an instrumented mooring array equipped with an autonomous hydrographic profiler with a CTD and a turbidimeter was deployed in the Foix canyon axis at 870 m depth. The instruments were programmed to collect...

An extensive dataset of vibrocores and high-resolution seismic data were analysed to characterise offshore sand ridges on the Gulf of Valencia and the Murcia continental shelves, in the western Mediterranean Sea, with the aim of improving knowledge about the formation and evolution of these bedforms. Sediment coring revealed a layer of coarse sand...

Autonomous hydrographic profilers have been recently used to conduct continuous measurements of water column properties over large depth ranges at high temporal and vertical resolution. In the frame of the FORMED and the ABIDES Projects, the Aqualog profiling carrier, equipped with a CTD and a turbidimeter, was successfully tested in two submarine...

Continental shelves comprise the zone adjacent to the continents, extending from the infralittoral to a marked change in slope known as the shelf break. The shelf break is located at a variable depth from 20 to 550 m, with a global average depth of 140 m. They develop in passive and active margins and can be dominated by different processes, which...

Clinoform depositional features along the Iberian Mediterranean margin are investigated in this study, with the aim of establishing the causes of their varied shapes and other characteristics. We have analyzed the broad-scale margin physiography and seismic stratigraphic patterns based on high-resolution bathymetric data and previously interpreted...

An integrated approach combining swath bathymetry, high-resolution seismic reflection and seabed sediment sampling was performed to characterize a field of sand ridges on the Murcia continental shelf in the western Mediterranean Sea. The aim of this work was to improve knowledge about the formation, evolution and present-day dynamics of these bedfo...

Large sediment waves have been observed over the Gulf of Roses (GoR) continental slope (NW Mediterranean), developed between ~200 and ~400 m water depth. Geometric parameters computed from the acquired swath bathymetry revealed mean wave lengths of ~2000 m, and maximum wave heights of ~60 m. Single-channel reflection seismic profiles provided infor...

In the framework of the ABIDES (Assessment of Bottom-trawling Impacts in DEep-sea Sediments) Project, a focused ROV cruise targeting heavily impacted fishing grounds of the Catalan margin (NW Mediterranean) was conducted in September 2017. Trawling fleets on this region have been specialized on a monospecific fishery targeting the blue and red deep...

A sand ridge field located over a retreating deltaic lobe in the Ebro Delta (NW Mediterranean) is characterized using three sets of co-located multibeam bathymetric data acquired in 2004, 2013 and 2015, measurements of near-bottom currents, high-resolution seismic profiles, and aerial photographs. The aim of this study is to illustrate the processe...

Swath bathymetry and backscatter data and sediment samples are used to characterize the sorted bedforms developed on the north Catalan continental shelf (NW Mediterranean Sea). The sorted bedforms are located in the inner shelf, at water depths ranging from 10 to 40 m. They develop over fine sand deposits that extend from the shoreline to the seawa...

The city of Barcelona (NW Mediterranean) suffered a significant transformation of the sea front because of the Olympic Games held in 1992. In La Barceloneta beach, the largest beach of the city, several sand nourishments have taken place since 1991 and a detached breakwater and associated tombolo were built in 2006-2007, dividing the beach in two s...

Maërl habitats are of great biological value due to their high biodiversity and productivity, but they are also very fragile. The subaqueous dune field on the continental shelf off the Mar Menor exhibits sediment characteristics that favour the presence of maërl habitats. However, this seabed is altered by two kinds of disturbance: biogenic disturb...

Multibeam swath bathymetry, sediment and benthos samples (including both epifauna and infauna) and submarine images were explored to characterize benthic communities in a subaqueous dune field on the Mar Menor middle shelf (western Mediterranean). The dunes are 2–5 m high and spaced 400–1100 m apart, with a predominant NE-SW orientation oblique to...

Recently acquired swath bathymetry and seismic datasets on the Gulf of Roses continental slope revealed the presence of large sediment waves that have developed between ~200 and ~400 m water depth. Geometric parameters were computed from the multibeam dataset and the obtained results showed mean sediment wave lengths of ~2000 m and maximum heights...

Continental shelves are recognized to play a key role in the biogeochemical cycle of carbon, linking terrestrial and marine carbon reservoirs. In this study we investigate the physical and biogeochemical processes that control the source, transport and fate of organic carbon (OC) in the continental shelf off Barcelona city, in the NW Mediterranean...

Canyon head regions are key areas for understanding the shelf-to-canyon sedimentary dynamics and assessing the predominant hydrodynamic and sedimentary processes shaping their morphology. High-resolution multibeam bathymetry surveys conducted on the shelf, upper slope and along the main thalwegs of the Alías-Almanzora submarine canyon system were u...

The dynamics of sorted bedforms on the inner shelf off El Masnou coast (NW Mediterranean) was investigated based on time-series of swath bathymetry and backscatter and grain-size analysis of grab samples spanning 4 years (2006–2009). The sorted bedforms are superimposed on the edge of a shallow infralittoral wedge with an orientation nearly perpend...

A sand ridge field with crests oriented NE–SW (52°) located between 55 and 85 m water depth on the Valencia continental shelf (Spain) was mapped with multibeam swath bathymetry and characterized with high-resolution seismic reflection profiling and sediment sampling. Boundary layer hydrodynamic and suspended sediment concentration measurements cond...

Multibeam echosounder data and sediment samples were used to characterize sorted bedforms on the inner shelf off Lloret and Tossa de Mar (NW Mediterranean Sea). The sorted bedforms are formed by a sequence of coarse-grained (coarse sand) and fine-grained (fine to medium sand) domains, with little topographic relief (up to 1 m). They exhibit elongat...

Multibeam swath bathymetry, high-resolution seismic data and sediment samples were used to characterize a field of sand ridges and subaqueous dunes on the outer Murcia continental shelf (western Mediterranean Sea). Sand ridges are 1.5–3 m high and show a predominant E-W orientation oblique to the present-day shoreline. High-resolution seismic data...

High-resolution multibeam bathymetry, bottom sediment samples and time series of current intensities and directions were collected over a dune field in the Ebro Delta coastal area. Aerial photographs were used to analyse the morphological changes of the river mouth since 1946. The bathymetry show a ~6.4 km2 dune field located at a water depth of 6–...

A subaqueous dune field located over a retreating deltaic lobe in the Ebro delta (NW Mediterranean) is morphodynamically characterized by analyzing three sets of co-located, multibeam bathymetric data acquired in 2004, 2013 and 2015, measurements of near-bottom currents and suspended sediment concentrations, high-resolution seismic profiles and aer...

Multibeam echosounder data and sediment samples were used to characterize sorted bedforms on the inner shelf off Lloret and Tossa de Mar (NW Mediterranean Sea). The sorted bedforms are formed by a sequence of coarse-grained (coarse sand) and fine-grained (fine to medium sand) domains, with little topographic relief (up to 1 m). They exhibit elongated...

The geomorphological evolution of a low-lying, micro-tidal sandy beach in the western Mediterranean, Pals beach, was characterized using airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data. Data were collected in prior to and six months after the impact of an extreme storm with a return period of approx. 50 years, with the aim of characterizing the b...

The evolution of sand ridges was investigated in a tideless continental shelf, the Murcia continental shelf in the Western Mediterranean, using high-resolution multibeam bathymetry and seismic data. Sand ridges are 1.5-3 m high and show a predominant E-W orientation, oblique to the shoreline. They are composed of sandy sediments and display asymmet...

High-resolution multibeam bathymetry, bottom sediment samples and time series of turbidity and currents were collected over a dune-field on the Ebro Delta coastal area in the north-western Mediterranean. The acquired bathymetry images a 3.6 km2 dune-field with dunes of 1 m of mean height and 240 m of mean wavelength. Comparison between historical c...

High-resolution multibeam bathymetry, bottom sediment samples and time series of turbidity and currents were collected over a dune-field on the Ebro Delta coastal area in the north-western Mediterranean. The acquired bathymetry images a 3.6 km2 dune-field with dunes of 1 m of mean height and 240 m of mean wavelength. Comparison between historical c...

Here we present a synthesis of bedforms and sediment types on the shelves surrounding the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, after the integration several pieces of bathymetric, morphological and sedimentological datasets. The Iberian and Balearic shelves are divided into segments according to the largescale margin configuration, fluvial s...

We present a synthetic view of continental-shelf evolutionary patterns around the Iberian Peninsula, focusing on proposed sequence stratigraphy interpretations and attempting a comparison between Atlantic- and Mediterranean-type shelf-margin constructions. Most of the studied shelves show a dominance of regressive to lowstand deposition through suc...

The shallow gas reservoirs in marine sediments from the Iberian margin or their escapes can be detected by using direct methods: (1) the measurement of high concentrations of methane or other hydrocarbons in the water column or sediment cores, (2) the identification of chemosynthetic communities and/or authigenic carbonates in the seafloor, and (3)...

An extensive dataset of vibrocores and high-resolution seismic data allowed characterizing a sand ridge field in the Valencia mid-outer shelf. Sediment coring revealed a layer of coarse sand to gravel with pebbles corresponding with the basal reflector which is identified in the seismic profile and interpreted as the Holocene ravinement surface. In...

A sand ridge field with crests oriented NE–SW (52°) located between 55 and 85 m water depth on the Valencia continental shelf (Spain) was mapped with multibeam swath bathymetry and characterized with seismic profiling and sediment sampling. Boundary-layer hydrodynamic measurements conducted over a sand ridge at 66 m depth show evidence of wave and...

During the last years, the increasing application of multibeam sonar systems for mapping the seafloor has revealed the occurrence of sedimentary bedforms on the continental shelves worldwide. In addition, repeated multibeam surveys are used to monitor and compare the temporal evolution of such morphologies providing important insights into the sedi...

The geomorphological evolution of a low-lying, micro-tidal sandy beach in the western Mediterranean, Pals beach, was characterized using airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data, collected prior to and six months after the impact of an extreme storm with a return period of approx. 50 years, with the aim of characterizing the beach’s respon...

The northern Catalan continental shelf, in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea, extends along 200 km from the Cap de Creus submarine canyon to the Llobregat Delta, in the vicinity of the city of Barcelona. In this paper we present the results of a systematic investigation of this area by means of very high-resolution multibeam bathymetry to fully as...

Subaqueous dunes are pervasive bedforms on many continental shelves worldwide generated by strong tidal or unidirectional currents (e.g. geostrophic currents or wind-driven flows). Dunes can be stationary bedforms or migrate at different rates providing valuable information about local and regional current patterns and sediment transport. In the Mu...

The Blanes submarine canyon (BC) deeply incises the Catalan continental shelf in the NW Mediterranean Sea. As a consequence of the closeness (only 4 km) of its head to the coastline and the mouth of the Tordera River, the canyon has a direct influence on the shelf dispersal system as it collects large amounts of sediment, mainly during high-energy...

Subaqueous dunes are pervasive bedforms on many continental shelves worldwide generated by strong tidal or unidirectional currents (e.g. geostrophic currents or wind-driven flows). Dunes can be stationary bedforms or migrate at different rates providing valuable information about local and regional current patterns and sediment transport. In the Mu...

High-resolution multibeam data, sub-bottom seismic profiles and sediment samples have been acquired in the Murcia continental shelf (Western Mediterranean Sea) to characterize a field of subaqueous dunes observed in the middle to outer shelf. Bedforms are composed of sandy sediments and display asymmetric morphology, with crest to crest spacing ran...

The sill of the Strait of Gibraltar is the morphological and oceanographic gateway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea for the post-Messinian period. It was surveyed by multibeam echosounder, TOPAS profiler, and 380 grab samples to study the distribution of cold-water corals. The sill represents an elevated seabed topography charac...

Recently acquired high-resolution bathymetric and seismic data illustrate numerous current-generated bedforms on the continental shelf of Roses, mostly in the vicinity of the submarine canyons of Cap de Creus and La Fonera, which are deeply incised in the continental shelf. The set of bedforms includes oval and irregularly shaped depressions, linea...

The Deep-Sea and Sub-Seafloor Frontiers Conference. 11-14 March, Sitges, Spain, Abstract Volume, P-085. Background and Aims: We present the preliminary results of the COCAN survey onboard B/O Miguel Oliver (October-November 2011), during which 5682 km2 of the Cantabrian margin around the Aviles canyon were swath-mapped, within project DOS MARES (D...

This book started as an idea at the GeoHab meeting held in Noumea, New Caledonia, in May 2007. We noticed that multibeam bathymetry maps of geomorphic features, sometimes shown as 3D fly-thru movies, followed by detailed sampling and photographic data (including underwater videos) illustrating the substrate conditions and associated biota was a con...

This article presents a reasonable present-day, sea-level highstand numerical simulation and scenario for a potential tsunami generated by a landslide with the characteristics of the BIG’95 debris flow, which occurred on the Ebro margin in the western Mediterranean Sea in prehistoric times (11,500 cal yr BP). The submarine landslide deposit covers...

Southeastern Bay of Biscay (Basque coast) seafloor characterization and benthic habitat mapping was carried out integrating data from multibeam echosounder, topographic and bathymetric LiDAR, video, and sediment and biological sampling ranging from the intertidal zone up to 100 m depth over 1,096 km 2. The area shows high geomorpho-logic diversity...

Recent studies have shown that strong bottom currents associated with extreme events, such as high-energy storms and dense shelf water cascading, have the potential to transport large amounts of water and sediment from the shelf, reshape submarine canyon floors and affect deep-sea ecosystems. In this study we investigate the seafloor morphology of...