Contemporary genesis of sand ridges in a tideless erosional shoreface

The bedform morphologies, the oblique arrangement with respect to the shoreline, the angle between the strongest current and the crestlines and the sediment grain size match well with those of shoreface-connected (attached) sand ridges and, particularly, with the initial stages of sand ridge development on storm-dominated continental shelves. Sediment availability, shoreline retreat, relatively strong near-bottom currents induced by winds, seafloor irregularities and relative sea-level rise on the Ebro Delta combine to provide a suitable transgressive environment for sand ridge development. Time-scales related to sand ridges are usually of hundreds/thousands of years, but here it is demonstrated that the genesis of sand ridges can take place within a few decades. The studied bedforms are unlikely to persist in the absence of rapid sea-level rise, leading to sediment scarcity and wave and current reworking.