Vulnerability of Subaerial and Submarine Landscapes: The Sand Falls in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Juan Carlos Alcérreca-Huerta, Jorge R. Montiel-Hernández, Mariana E. Callejas-Jiménez, Dulce A. Hernández-Avilés, Giorgio Anfuso and Rodolfo Silva
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Juan Carlos Alcérreca-Huerta: Department of Observation and Study of the Earth, the Atmosphere and the Ocean, National Council of Science and Technology-The Southern Border College (CONACYT-ECOSUR), Chetumal 77014, Mexico
Jorge R. Montiel-Hernández: Institute of Marine Sciences and Limnology, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
Mariana E. Callejas-Jiménez: Department of Observation and Study of the Earth, the Atmosphere and the Ocean, The Southern Border College (ECOSUR), Chetumal 77014, Mexico
Dulce A. Hernández-Avilés: Faculty of Architecture, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
Giorgio Anfuso: Department of Earth Science, Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of Cadiz, 11003 Cadiz, Spain
Rodolfo Silva: Institute of Engineering, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City 04510, Mexico

Land, 2020, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-18

Abstract: The coastal landscape of the south of the Baja California peninsula provides significant socio-economic benefits based on tourism. An analysis of coastal vulnerability was conducted for Cabo San Lucas, considering wave climate conditions, sediment characterization, beach profiles, and the historical occurrence of coastline changes, hurricanes, and El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. The coastal scenery was also classified considering the landscape value of the environment from a touristic point of view, based on human and natural interactions on the landscape. Results show that the vulnerability increases close to the submarine sand falls, near intense urbanization, in resort areas, and at locations with narrow beach and dune widths. The degree of vulnerability along the coast alters abruptly, as urban and recreational sites alternate with natural sites. This coastline has seen exponential development since the 1980s, resulting in highly vulnerable areas with a low, and decreasing, touristic value, as the landscape has been changed into an urban settlement with limited natural attractions. Urban and recreational settlements threaten to cover dunes and reservoirs of natural sediments, increasingly affecting vulnerability in the area as well as the landscape values of many parts of the coast, including the submarine sand falls.

Keywords: submarine sand falls; coastal vulnerability; coastal landscape; tourism; Cabo San Lucas (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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