Determinación de direcciones de corrientes mediante el análisis de "formas de fondo" en la Bahía de Cádiz

Abstract

Different fields of “bed forms" in external areas of Bay of Cadiz has been identified, with aim of establish a distribution pattern of bottom currents, on the base of analysis of side scan sonar recordings and echosounder profiles. The distribution of facies and "bed forms“are conditioned for the hydrodynamic system and shows the trajectories of the currents. In the eastern sector, the morphology of the bottom consists in bar systems perpendicular and oblique to the coast and large lateral extension, alternating large and small dunes generated by combinated action of tidal and wave currents. In the western sector, several fields of “bed forms" appear: dunes, plane bed, sand and mud patches, formed mainly by effect of the ebb current. The main drainage current of the bay is initiated in the internal zones (lagoon), when it arrives to the external bay is divides in two branches: one borders the city of Cadiz and reach deeper waters depositing part of the suspension load; the other goes to the eastern margin and toward the north, and then it turns to the west conditioned by the morphology of the coast and bottom until reach the continental shelf