## 2 Environmental Setting  
The Corrubedo dune complex is located in the western edge of the O Barbanza peninsula (Figure 1), which separates the _ria_ of Muros-Noia, in the north, from the _ria_ of Arousa, in the south. It is a large sedimentary inlet delimited by low granitic cliffs and enclosed in its inner end by low elevations that do not exceed 300 m. Corrubedo is a singular system with a large sedimentary beach over 4 km in length and with an associated dune field that encloses a small lagoon and a marshland area with several meandering channels. The high environmental interest of this sector has led to its inclusion within the Natura 2000 network and to the creation of the Natural Park named _Complexo dunar de Corrubedo e lagosa de Carregal e Vixan_ (hereinafter referred to as Corrubedo Natural Park) in 1992. The Corrubedo Natural Park has a humid-oceanic climate, with an average yearly rainfall of 1000-1200 mm and mild temperatures all year round (18.5\({}^{\circ}\) in summer and 9.5\({}^{\circ}\) in winter) [38]. Winds vary in intensity and direction depending on the season. S and SW winds prevail in autumn and winter, in association with low pressures originated by the Polar front, which causes the majority of marine storms in this area. NW winds prevail during the summer, in association with anticyclones; winds during this season are persistent but with lower intensity than winter winds, with an average speed of 14 km/h. Wave data were obtained from point no. 3010013 of the SIMAR network (Puertos del Estado [39]), located 4 km offshore to the south of the study area. The dominant wave direction is the West, which is the main orientation of the highest waves (Figure 2a), which occur during the winter months and frequently exceed 6 m in height (Figure 2c). Figure 2b shows the days with wave heights above Hs.95 (3.78 m), with a total of 280 days (4.28% of the analyzed period). This value evidences the importance of marine storms in this area, which constitute an essential erosive agent for the evolution of sedimentary systems, with values over 95%. In the Corrubedo system, several geodynamic units can be distinguished between the upper beach and the continent, ranging from incipient dunes, whose genesis and evolution is related to hydrodynamic agents, to ancient dunes, which are fixed by vegetation. [PERSON] [31] carried out the first detailed cartography of these units, characterized their dynamic relations and analyzed environmental factors that influenced their recent evolution. In this sense and following the classification established by [PERSON] [14], there is a sector of variable width composed by primary dunes, which receive sedimentary contributions and where two different categories can be distinguished: embryonic dunes, formed in the upper beach from berms or deposited material at the front of dune microcliffs and colonized by pioneer species such as _Agropyrum junceiforme_ or _Cakile martima_; and foredunes, which are sub-elliptic in plain view and generally follow a SW-NW direction, with _Anmophila arenaria_ as the dominant species. Figure 1: Location map of Natural Park of Corrubedo. 9 (**a**) represent the area in European context; (**b**) shows Corrubedo in west Galicia area; and (**c**) shows the large dune and the analysis zona in detail with the polygons used for analyzing the elevation differences (Geomorphic Change Detection (GCD) zone); the area to analyzed the pathways (Complete area) and the topographic profiles position above PNOA 2017 orthophotography [37]. The group of secondary dunes includes a wide stripe of hummock dunes with 2-4 m in height. This geometry can result from crosswinds from the NW and SW, together with the protecting effect of vegetation. Towards the shore, the degree of vegetation coverage progressively increases, except in the vicinity of the mobile dune, where W winds carry sediments to this area.