Analysis of the Dynamics of the Valdevaqueros Dune

The Valdevaqueros dune, located on the Atlantic coast of Cádiz (SW of Spain), is considered one of the largest transgressive dune in Europe due to its dimensions: 700 m length, 500 m width and 50 m over the sea level. It is expected that the dune will continue growing because, at the current date, any method has achieved to stabilize the dune. Valdevaqueros is located a few kilometers from the Strait of Gibraltar, where the prevalent winds of Levante cause a migration rate of 17 m/year. This fact has provoqued the burial of the regional road, so maintenance task must be done periodically. In view of this troublesome, the Valdevaqueros dune has been the subject of numerous studies with the purpose to obtain a correct characterization of its behavior and evolution. Throw out this work, the dune will be studied between 2008 and 2015 by means of three analysis kind: the spatial and volumetric variation of the dune field using LiDAR data, the shoreline evolution supported by the ArcGIS DSAS extension; and the study of its internal structure using GPR data. The results reveal that the dune has doubled its size and volume, the sedimentary patterns on the windward face of the dune are associated with foreslope and the coastal environment is mostly erosive. This study represents a significant advance in knowledge of this dune dynamic.