In recent days, after the passage of the Óscar depression, images of the sandy beach of Porto Santo have been circulating, whose idyllic setting, with an extensive stretch of sand, breathtaking, consecrated and distinguished , with various quality seals, one of them from the prestigious European Best Destinations, has changed this splendorous picture completely changing to a basaltic rocky mantle. Is it true that the beach no longer has sand? Is it a seasonal phenomenon? What is the reason for this change? Is the island in serious danger of losing the image it boasts?
First:the images. It is true that the alerts and warnings issued by the authorities awakened caution in Porto Santo for days of storm to come. Cautious, the eyes also turned to the most precious thing on the island, the beach. The clicks and flashes quickly spread across social networks. One of the photographs is the one you can see below. It went viral. It caused alarm and concern.
To understand this the Diário Notícias spoke with João Baptista. He is a professor and researcher, Geobiotec, FCT, University of Aveiro. He has been studying the dynamics of Porto Santo beach for years. A true expert on the subject. He was a guest speaker by the Order of Economists of Madeira for the XV Annual Tourism Conference, held in October 2022, and on that occasion he presented a thorough study on the dynamics of the beach.
Reading it, you will notice that the appearance of a “solid load or slab”, as it is called, on “the face of the beach”, is not new. But what leads to so much erosion? In this specific case, it was due to the “cyclonic winds”, from the south, which altered the “hydrodynamic regime of the swell” providing an “abnormal” maritime agitation that modified the image of the beach.
Moreover, even if there are repairs or suggestions for interventions , the Regional Government has already carried out sand recharges by dredging the interior of the port, taking advantage of the aggregates from desilting to restore the previous levels, as you can see here .
