Mapping Environmental Impacts on Coastal Tourist Areas of Oceanic Islands (Gran Canaria, Canary Islands): A Current and Future Scenarios Assessment

The combination of the current sea level rise (SLR) and an increase in the frequency and severity of sea storm events and surges, will have important environmental impacts on coastal tourist areas located in oceanic islands that are often heavily dependent economically on tourism. Importantly, coastal tourist resorts and their associated beaches are commonly located in the S-SW of these islands where they are protected from the effects of the NE trade winds but exposed to these storms. This study analyses the current and future conditions of SW sea storm events. Then, through mapping using orthophotos, LiDAR data, and bathymetry with high spatial resolution, it studies the environmental effects that these events are having now and will have in the future on tourist zones of oceanic islands. This is of particular importance, as in the case of the Macaronesia islands, SW sea storm events are occurring with ever greater frequency. The case study considers the SW sector of the island of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain). Regarding the analysis of SW storms, the results obtained show an increase in the frequency of events, especially since the 1990s, with 104 events detected (67.5% between 1958 and 2018). The most affected areas during these storms are usually beaches (severe erosive processes). Breakwaters and seafronts usually resist the impact of waves well, however, as is discussed that in the future scenario, their implementation will mean a high economic cost for local administrations.

• Publication year

  2023

• Venue

  Remote Sensing

• Publication date

  2023-03-14

• Fields of study

  Computer Science, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.3390/rs15061586
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Impact of climate change on beach erosion in the Basque Coast (NE Spain)

  2021cited by this paper
• Marine storms in coastal tourist areas of the Canary Islands

  2021cited by this paper
• Impacts of climate change on human health, HABs and bathing waters, relevant to the coastal and marine environment around the UK

  2020cited by this paper
• Sandy beaches can survive sea-level rise

  2020cited by this paper
• Interactive flood hazard visualisation in Adobe Flash

  2018cited by this paper
• Estimating the risk of loss of beach recreation value under climate change

  2018cited by this paper
• The management of coastal erosion

  2017cited by this paper
• Desastres naturales en Canarias. La costa como espacio de riesgo en Tenerife

  2017cited by this paper
• Assessing the Economic Costs of Sea Level Rise and Benefits of Coastal Protection: A Spatiotemporal Approach

  2017cited by this paper
• Comparative Analysis of Coastal Flooding Vulnerability and Hazard Assessment at National Scale

  2017cited by this paper
• Human impacts quantification on the coastal landforms of Gran Canaria Island (Canary Islands)

  2017cited by this paper
• Managing coastal erosion under climate change at the regional scale

  2017cited by this paper
• Interactions between climate change and the tourism sector: Multiple-criteria decision analysis to assess mitigation and adaptation options in tourism areas

  2016cited by this paper
• Doubling of coastal erosion under rising sea level by mid-century in Hawaii

  2015cited by this paper
• IPCC Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis - Findings and Lessons Learned

  2014influential reference
• The Human Dimension of Changing Shorelines Along the U.S. North Atlantic Coast

  2014influential reference
• Long term effect of climate change on rainfall in northwest Iraq

  2014cited by this paper
• The Modified Bruun Rule Extended for Landward Transport

  2013cited by this paper
• A significant increase in wave height in the North Atlantic Ocean over the 20th century

  2013cited by this paper
• Coastal squeeze and managed realignment in southeast England, does it tell us anything about the future?

  2013cited by this paper
• Defining coastal squeeze: A discussion

  2013influential reference
• Decadal-scale impacts of a segmented, shore-parallel breakwater system

  2012influential reference
• THE MORPHOLOGICAL RESPONSE OF BEACHES PROTECTED BY DIFFERENT BREAKWATER CONFIGURATIONS

  2012cited by this paper
• Características del viento en el campo de dunas de Maspalomas (Gran Canaria, islas canarias, España)

  2012cited by this paper
• The establishment of a rapid natural disaster risk assessment model for the tourism industry

  2011cited by this paper
• Characteristics of African easterly waves associated with tropical cyclogenesis in the Cape Verde Islands region in July–August–September of 2004–2008

  2011cited by this paper
• Tourism and Trade in Small Island Regions: The Case of the Canary Islands

  2011cited by this paper
• Estimating the potential economic impacts of climate change on Southern California beaches

  2011cited by this paper
• The Value of Disappearing Beaches: A hedonic pricing model with endogenous beach width

  2011cited by this paper
• The introduction of coastal infrastructure as a driver of change in marine environments

  2010cited by this paper
• LOS TEMPORALES MARINOS COMO EPISODIOS DE RIESGO EN TENERIFE A TRAVÉS DE LA PRENSA (1985-2003).

  2009cited by this paper
• THE IMPACTS OF SEA-LEVEL RISE ON THE CALIFORNIA COAST

  2009cited by this paper
• Coastal hazards of Faja do Calhau (Sao Miguel - Azores): a first approach

  2009cited by this paper
• A climate change vulnerability assessment methodology for coastal tourism

  2009cited by this paper
• Climate Change and Tourist Comfort on Europe's Beaches in Summer: A Reassessment

  2009cited by this paper
• Climate change and coastal flooding in Metro Boston: impacts and adaptation strategies

  2008cited by this paper
• What is the economic cost of climate change

  2008cited by this paper
• Tourists and disasters: lessons from the 26 December 2004 tsunamis

  2008cited by this paper
• An integrated coastal modeling system for analyzing beach processes and beach restoration projects, SMC

  2007cited by this paper
• Episodic flooding and the cost of sea-level rise

  2007cited by this paper
• Erosion and tourism infrastructure in the coastal zone: problems, consequences and management.

  2006cited by this paper
• Inbound international tourism to Canary Islands: a dynamic panel data model

  2006cited by this paper
• Harmonising climate change adaptation and mitigation: The case of tourist resorts in Fiji

  2005cited by this paper
• Spatial and temporal variability of coastal storms in the North Atlantic Basin

  2004cited by this paper
• Assessing climate change impacts on coastal infrastructure in the Eastern Caribbean

  2004cited by this paper
• A Framework to Analyze the Robustness of Social-ecological Systems from an Institutional Perspective

  2004cited by this paper
• Living in the Greenhouse

  2003cited by this paper
• Scientific uncertainty: When doubt is a sure thing

  2002cited by this paper
• Topography and flooding of Coastal Ecosystems on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska: Implications for Sea-Level Rise

  2001cited by this paper
• Overcrowding and the Demand for Beaches in Southern California

  2001cited by this paper
• Ecological effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation

  2001influential reference
• Islands at Risk: Coastal Hazard Assessment and Mapping in The Hawaiian Islands

  2001cited by this paper
• Un siglo de temporales en la prensa de Gran Canaria

  1999cited by this paper
• Utilization of geoindicators for rapid assessment of coastal-hazard risk and mitigation

  1999cited by this paper
• Sea-Level Change: The Expected Economic Cost of Protection Or Abandonment in the United States

  1998cited by this paper
• Beach loss along armored shorelines on Oahu, Hawaiian Islands

  1997influential reference
• The economic cost of greenhouse-induced sea-level rise for developed property in the United States

  1996cited by this paper
• Global warming and its effects

  1993cited by this paper
• Impacts of Climatic Change on River Flow Regimes in the UK

  1992cited by this paper
• Wave Runup Distributions on Natural Beaches

  1991influential reference
• THE COST OF NOT HOLDING BACK THE SEA - PHASE 1 ECONOMIC VULNERABILITY

  1989cited by this paper
• Experimental Study on the Function of Submerged Breakwater to Control Cross-Shore Sediment Transport on Artificially Nourished Beaches

  1988cited by this paper
• Recreation and conservation of the coastal environment of the Madeira Islands

  1988cited by this paper
• Stability of Gobi block revetment to wave attack

  1975cited by this paper
• Sea-Level Rise as a Cause of Shore Erosion

  1962cited by this paper
• Design of Sea-Walls and Breakwaters

  1961cited by this paper

• Isolation, Insularity and Resilience: A Review of the Geophysical, Socioeconomic, and Environmental Vulnerabilities of Gran Canaria and Lesvos Islands for Policy Interventions to Global Change

  2026cites this paper
• Identification of Damaged Coastal Areas starting from newspaper articles in the Canary Islands

  2025influential citation
• Critical reflections on mass tourism and empathy in the works of a Finnish artist

  2025cites this paper
• Integrating visitor reviews and nature-based solutions to explore geoconservation on urban beaches with erosive trends. Case Study of Martianez Beach (Tenerife, Canary Islands)

  2025cites this paper
• Sustainable Land-Use Change in Insular Territories: The Role of Landscape Metrics for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Canary Islands

  2025cites this paper
• Governance Challenges for the Adaptation to Sea‐Level Rise in the Canary Islands: A Multilevel Approach

  2025cites this paper
• Local and global stressors as major drivers of the drastic regression of brown macroalgae forests in an oceanic island

  2024cites this paper
• A Study of Environmental Organizations in Puerto Rico Advocating for Social and Environmental Justice

  2024cites this paper
• Environmental Factors Influencing Metal Concentrations in Scomber colias Along the Canary Islands

  2024cites this paper
• Use and transformation of beaches as a tourism resource by promoters and managers in oceanic islands. A conflict for geoheritage conservation and social preferences in the canary islands

  2024cites this paper
• Racial Composition and Homeownership Influence the Distribution of Coastal Armoring in South Carolina, USA

  2024cites this paper
• A Structural Analysis of the Economic Impact of Tourism and the Perspective of Tourism Providers in Kuélap, Peru

  2024cites this paper
• Review of metal concentrations in marine organisms in the Canary Islands: Insights from twenty-three years of research

  2024cites this paper
• Surface integrity could limit the potential of concrete as a bio-enhanced material in the marine environment.

  2024cites this paper
• Patterns of Endemism in Lichens: Another Paradigm-Shifting Example in the Lichen Genus Xanthoparmelia from Macaronesia

  2024cites this paper
• Using multi-scale spatio-temporal shoreline analysis of an urban beach adjacent to a basin system on an oceanic island for its integrated planning

  2024cites this paper
• Coastal Vulnerability Assessment of Thrace Peninsula: Implications for Climate Change and Sea Level Rise

  2023cites this paper
• A Comparative Analysis of Sparisoma cretense in Island Environments: Unraveling Metal Accumulation Differences in the Canary Islands (Spain, NW African Waters)

  2023cites this paper