| Abstrakt: |
Information on shoreline changes is important for the planning of coastal protection works and development of infrastructure facilities in the coastal belt. The Thiruvananthapuram-Kochi sandy coastline in Kerala (India) is prone to severe changes in geomorphology. Continuous monthly data on shoreline positions with respect to the reference stations have been available for this study from 1989 to 2003; these data are analyzed for the seasonal, short- and medium-term changes. Results revealed that the magnitude of fluctuation of the shoreline positions varies with respect to the season and stretch. Seasonal fluctuation is maximum during the southwest monsoon, followed by the non-monsoon season. Shoreline changes classified under erosion, accretion, fluctuation, and stable condition are observed at different stations. During the period, maximum and minimum changes due to erosion occurred at Ambalapuzha and Eravipuram, respectively. Annual maximum fluctuation at any station is found to be 0.5-0.9 times that of the maximum fluctuation observed at that station for the entire period. Stretches with shore protection structures behaved differently, exhibiting continuous recession, tendency to arrest recession, fluctuation and advancement of shoreline. The changing trend - maximum and minimum distance to the shoreline - observed at Arattupuzha is unique when compared to that at other study reaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
