Dunefield transgression and the lost fishing settlement of La Barrosa de Doñana

Abstract

Considering its etymological meaning, the aim of this work was to identify the location of La Barrosa, a lost fshing set tlement located on the dynamic coast of Doñana, and to relate the origin of the name (barrosa=muddy), and the causes of its disappearance to its geomorphological landscape context, tracing its recent evolution over time. Historical documenta tion and cartography about the coast of Doñana have been analysed to fnd records on La Barrosa and contrasted with the geomorphological information available for the area. The results have shown that La Barrosa went from being a shallow pond on the coast during the ffteenth century, which mud was used in pottery, to a fshing settlement on the coastline (frst quarter of the seventeenth century), to fnally disappear in the second half of the seventeenth century. Due to its location, close to the anchorage of the Doñana coastal spit barrier, its origin could be related to the mouth of an old marsh channel that drained the ancient marshland, or to an outfow to the sea from the ancient Santa Olalla lagoon. Its disappearance under transgressive dunes seems to be related to two pulses of dune building that took place around 1560 and 1661. This study shows that the use of toponymy, historical sources, and geomorphological knowledge must be considered in the interpreta tion of recent geomorphological landscape changes to broaden our understanding of the dynamic of coastal environments.