Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
The Guadiana Estuary is a major resource which is suffering from large scale human impacts such as overfishing and dam constructions. Dams currently manage 81% of all freshwater flow into the Guadiana Estuary, halting a large portion of sediment flow downstream. The Alqueva Dam, completed in 2002, is the largest dam in Europe and is locate 150 km north of the Guadiana Estuary. This study is predicts that the construction and completion of the Alqueva Dam will decrease the supply of sediment to the Guadiana Estuary mouth, eventually depleting the estuary mouth of sediment. The study uses GIS, aerial photography, and area percent calculations to determine land cover shifts. Methods used supplied results that indicated a reduction in sediment at the Guadiana Estuary mouth and various changes in landcover.
Date Awarded
2009
Department
Geology
Advisor 1
Christopher M. Bailey
Recommended Citation
Wicker, Sofia B., "Coastline Changes and Evolution of the Guadiana Estuary, Iberian Peninsula: Sediment Studies Since the Installment of the Alqueva Dam" (2009). Geology Senior Theses. William & Mary. Paper 225.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/geologyseniors/225
