Padrões de distribuição sedimentar na costa sotavento Algarvia, Portugal

ABSTRACT: Sediment grain size gives important information on the origin and evolution of coastal sedimentary environments. This work reports the sediment grain size spatial distribution longshore and cross-shore the Southeastern Algarve coastal area, assessed through the analyses of 395 samples collected in 133 profiles, positioned along a 55 km continuous sector, from Ancão peninsula to Vila Real de Santo António. The results are presented as the mean value of grain size and were clustered into the normalized classes of the Wentworth grain-size scale. The preliminary analysis reveals that the very fine and fine sand clusters are absent for the entire transect, even at the dune area, where the smallest average grain size is within the range of medium sand in the eastern sector and coarse sand at the western edge. General trends in the spatial distribution of sediments exhibit a distinctive variation resulting from the exposure to forcing agents along the study area.