Stabilization at Santinho-Ingleses dunefield, Southern Brazil: What will be the future of sediment input to Ingleses Beach?

Maiara Werner Pinto, Antonio Henrique da Fontoura Klein, Adrián Acevedo, Melisa Menendez

Transgressive dune field, Overpassing, Sediment budget.

This paper describes the overpassing process using a case study from southern Brazil, that present a decadal pulse of sediment entering in the system. A transgressive dune field extends across a headland from Santinho beach to Ingleses beach. Analysis of precipitation data (1961-2014), wind direction and speed (1964-2014), aeolian drift potential (DP), aerial photographs/satellite images (between 1938 and 2016) and morphological data (2002, 2010 and 2014) make it possible to analyze the decadal-scale dune field evolution. The wind historical data showed southern wind as the stronger, moving the dune crests to north. The rainfall analysis presents an increasing trend leading to a decrease in drift potential and favors dune stabilization by vegetation growth. There is a decadal pulse of sediment inputs to the system, as well. The northern sector of Santinho beach has a positive budget and provides about 6,000m³/year of sediment to the foredune. Then, with southern winds, the sediment migrates into the dune field (about 3,000-5,000m³/year) reaches Ingleses by overpassing, ensuring a positive sediment budget for the system that occurs at east side of the Ingleses beach.

Received: 01 Jul 2021; Received in revised form: 03 Aug 2021; Accepted: 11 Aug 2021; Available online: 17 Aug 2021

10.22161/ijaers.88.21