## 1 Introduction  
Paleogeographic studies have shown that climate change is inherent to the Earth's evolution and a constant throughout human history [1]. In a broad sense, human activity began transforming the Earth's surface with the spread of agricultural production at the beginning of the Neolithic period [2]. This transformation became particularly significant following the Industrial Revolution, influencing aspects such as biodiversity loss, the increase in desertification processes, and the current characterization of the planetary climate. These changes deviate from the natural evolution of the Earth in both genesis and intensity. Instead, they are the direct consequences of disruptions to the environment caused by human activity, leading to what is referred to as (hu)man-induced climate change [3]. Coastal areas are crucial in climate change studies as they provide information on potential risks and impacts, as well as the measures to be considered for mitigating or eliminating them [4]. For this reason, it is necessary to consider these areas globally, that is, as a varied environment including transition zones such as coves, gulfs, and estuaries, since their influence on both hydrodynamics and morphodynamics is of great ecological interest [5]. In relation to the above, the Donana marshes, located in southwestern Spain, are part of a larger functional entity: the extensive coastal ecosystem of the Donana. This area represents one of the most significant European fluvio-coastal complexes, almost entirely situated within Donana National Park. According to [PERSON] et al., this complex comprises several eco-districts (lower-ranking systems) identified through lithological and morphodynamic analyses [6], specifically categorized as follows: aeolian (comprising active, semi-stable, and vegetated dunes); coastal (consisting of the Las Marismillas barrier island, along with both ancient and current beaches); Condado sandfields; sandy continental terrains; and, finally, silt and clay marshes resulting from the infilling of the ancient Guadalquivir estuary. Water resources, including surface and groundwater, are crucial factors in these protected areas [7] as they form the strategic foundation for maintaining ecosystems in general and particularly in marsh environments, lagoon systems, and river streams. However, in recent decades, due to the progressive temperature increase and precipitation decrease along the southern Iberian Peninsula, the floodable area of the Donana marshes has significantly decreased [8; 9], leading to a lower volume of stored water, resulting in a decreased marsh sediment renewal rate, which has impacted various plant and animal communities [10]. According to [PERSON], liminology plays a crucial role in decision making regarding the management of impounded water [11]. Therefore, conducting marsh studies from a multifactorial perspective, considering their ecology, physico-chemical aspects, and biological characteristics, is of great interest. While various field studies have been conducted to examine ecosystem processes and their implications for mitigating future global land degradation [12] or on how to evaluate a population's high flooding vulnerability due to climate change in wetland ecosystems [13], it remains difficult to generalize findings from patch-scale research to other regions. In the field of geomatics, while satellite platforms can help us address this issue, light detection and ranging (LIDAR) data have a clear benefit, as they precisely capture marshes' physical characteristics, which traditional contour mapping often fails to achieve [14; 15]. Consequently, LIDAR data provide the crucial spatial information needed for a detailed marsh-scale analysis of the relationships between climatic variables and soil erosion. LIDAR technology scans its field of view with one or more laser beams to measure the distance to objects [16]. Sometimes, a single light pulse can produce multiple reflections, such as when passing through tree canopies.