COMBINED FLOODING AND WATER QUALITY MONITORING DURING SHORT EXTREME EVENTS USING SENTINEL 2: THE CASE STUDY OF GLORIA STORM IN EBRO DELTA

Phytoplankton in coastal bays is influenced by physical variables (wind or freshwater inputs) that can influence the composition of phytoplankton. A numerical model has been applied to understand this variability. The simulations show that during weak wind events there is physical separation between surface and deep layers, penalising phytoplankton growth. During intense wind, mixing of the water column occurs, increasing the phytoplankton biomass in the lower layers.

In this contribution we investigate the hydrodynamic response in Alfacs Bay (Delta Ebro, NW Mediterranean Sea) to freshwater flows and inner bay to open sea connections. The numerical model ROMS is applied nested to Copernicus models and validated with in situ data. Considering the results, only the modification of freshwater flows is recommended due to its lower impact on the environment and associated economic costs. None of the proposed solutions solve the problem related to warm waters.