Morphological evolution of the Eastern Havana beaches due to anthropic and natural actions

Abstract

The morphological evolution of the Eastern Havana beaches within the time showed the sand production in the close area as the main key stability issue.  The natural beach evolution should be affected by antropica or natural elements as the Casuarinas plantations, huge effects of hydro meteorological extremes phenomena (including hurricanes), and the dredger activities within the Guanabo river mouth.  All these factors actually increased the rate of nutrients and pollutants income to the environment affecting the natural sand production. The effect on the sand income to the beaches shown an intense erosion process with the sand losses in the submarine beach profile, the sand dunes come back process up to 1 meter up slopes and mangroves allocations. It had shown two morphological issues: 1⁰, in the past these coastal areas was biogenic accumulative mangroves and 2⁰, later the coastal line became accumulative beach.