Rehabilitation of Urban Beaches on the Mediterranean Coast in Valencia (Spain) Observed by Remote Sensing

Abstract

Beaches, as ecosystems of high ecosocial and biodiversity importance, are threatened by human activities such as city development and port construction. This study used satellite imagery (Landsat 5, Landsat 8, and Sentinel-2) to detect a significant reduction of 70% in the beach areas of El Saler and La Garrofera (Valencia, Spain) from 170 ha in the 1990s to 43 ha in the year 2022. This process has occurred in parallel with the successive expansion of the Port of Valencia, a modifying agent of marine sedimentation in the region. In addition, encouraging results have been observed in the rehabilitation efforts in different periods. The latest work in the autumn of 2023 has improved the beach area to 112 ha. In this context, remote sensing emerges as an essential tool to monitor these ecosystems, which are important for both human welfare and biodiversity conservation, as well as to allow for monitoring during ecological restoration.