Ph.D. Program in Oceanography and Global Change at the Canary Islands, Spain
The archipelagoes of the Canary Islands and Cape Verde have certain geodynamic peculiarities that, together with their coastal climatic characteristics, give rise to geomorphological combinations of special rarity worldwide. Among them, wind sedimentary systems, usually absent on oceanic islands, are present, with some breadth, on the shores of the oldest islands of both archipelagoes. These wind systems are environments characterized by high dynamism, very sensitive to changes, whether naturally or anthropic. Most of the spaces in which these systems are developed are protected by Nature's protection laws, at different scales. However, at the same time, they represent attractions for the tourism of masses of sun and beach. As a result, the anthropic pressure on these systems is very intense throughout the year, as there are no months in which the absence of users allows their recovery. This results in impacts, which alter their characteristic natural processes, putting at risk the survival of systems that are key to the island economy. Among the specific environments in which these systems are developed on the islands, transgressive dune fields have been extensively studied and nebhkas wind-systems mantles are focused on study. Both of them produce particular processes that have to be taken into account when managing them. Other types of systems, also with specific features, have not been studied, so far, in detail. Such is the case with bypass wind sedimentary systems. Characterized by developing on coastal outlands, they are credited with a key role in the transport of sediments over long distances, in the context of the islands. They must also produce interactions between wind and hillside processes. But also about them must have made a dent in human activities. Characterizing them, from the perspective of the specific natural processes that occur in them, but also from human interactions, are the objectives of this research, whose ultimate purpose is to contribute knowledge for their proper management.
