Sediment Dynamics, Heavy Mineral Depletion and Morphological Changes of a Placer Beach of SW coast of India

National Centre for Earth Science Studies Thiruvananthapura

Beach stability in relation to the nearshore wave energy distribution along the Quilon coast, SW coast of India

233-239<span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" color:black;mso-ansi-language:en-in;mso-fareast-language:en-in;mso-bidi-language:="" hi"="" lang="EN-IN">The study covers the short- and long-term beach volume changes, shoreline changes, wave refraction pattern and nearshore wave energy distribution. In general there is a decrease of wave energy towards north. The distribution of wave energy for monsoon shows that the highest value of 5215 J/m2 is found in the southern most station and lowest value of 4043 J/m2 is found in the northern most station. The computation of short- and long-term beach volume changes indicate that the beaches of the southern sector are nearly stable while the northern sector beaches are eroding. In addition to the wave and wave-induced processes, the anthropogenic factors such as sand mining by IRE, presence of breakwaters at Ashtamudi inlet and lack of sediment supply from the rivers contribute to the continuous erosion in the northern sector. The erosion/accretion pattern closely follows the longshore energy gradient except in locations where anthropogenic factors dominate.</span

Comparative evaluation of erosion accretion criteria for a tropical beach

1135-1139Beach processes along the Neendakara-Kayamkulam sector on the coast of Kerala related to the offshore waves and local wind conditions are investigated. This study is based on the field observations made during March 2012 to March 2013, which indicates that a major portion of the beach is dynamically stable except for a few hot spot locations, wherein, the natural balance or equilibrium has been disturbed due to excessive mining or introduction of hard structures as a part of harbour development activities or shore protection measures. It is also observed that the condition of some of the areas which were under heavy erosion during the last decade has improved considerably or remained more or less stable in recent past probably due to the protection measures adopted.</span

Climate change adaptation guidelines for coastal protection and management in India

A general overview publication how to prepare the Indian coastline for climate change. The key document is Volume 1: “Climate Change Adaptation Guidelines for Coastal Protection and Management in India”. The Guidelines document (Volume I) is self-contained, with adequate information to understand the Guidelines and put them into practice. It is supported by appendices provided in Volume II for users wanting to take a more in-depth approach. The appendices are designed for specialized training, selection of coastal protection measures, and as a tool to help practitioners use the information from this study. Teachers may find that the appendices could form the basis for academic lessons. Some users may be unable to comprehend the equations and physics of coasts and waves, while others may show strong interest in economics or beach dynamics, and thus the various topics are dealt with in separate appendices. These Guidelines are part of the Climate Resilient Coastal Protection and Management Project, which also contains other components, such as case studies, pilot subprojects, and capacity building. The case studies are selected to help formulate the Guidelines. The pilot subprojects provide real examples of a recommended solution for the future management of the shoreline. Capacity building program is designed from the Guidelines with compatible information. The outputs have been passed on to the Central Water and Power Research Station and other relevant departments for ownership. The Guidelines are vetted by a panel of experts from all coastal states, coastal zone management authorities, specialists from Indian research institutes, implementing agencies of the project, and the National Technical Committee (created for this purpose) represented by the concerned ministries.Climate Resilient Coasta

Field Survey and Geological Effects of the 15 November 2006 Kuril Tsunami in the Middle Kuril Islands

The near-field expression of the tsunami produced by the 15 November 2006 Kuril earthquake (Mw 8.1–8.4) in the middle Kuril Islands, Russia, including runup of up to 20 m, remained unknown until we conducted a post-tsunami survey in the summer of 2007. Because the earthquake occurred between summer field expeditions in 2006 and 2007, we have observations, topographic profiles, and photographs from three months before and nine months after the tsunami. We thoroughly surveyed portions of the islands of Simushir and Matua, and also did surveys on parts of Ketoi, Yankicha, Ryponkicha, and Rasshua. Tsunami runup in the near-field of the middle Kuril Islands, over a distance of about 200 km, averaged 10 m over 130 locations surveyed and was typically between 5 and 15 m. Local topography strongly affected inundation and somewhat affected runup. Higher runup generally occurred along steep, protruding headlands, whereas longer inundation distances occurred on lower, flatter coastal plains. Sediment transport was ubiquitous where sediment was available—deposit grain size was typically sand, but ranged from mud to large boulders. Wherever there were sandy beaches, a more or less continuous sand sheet was present on the coastal plain. Erosion was extensive, often more extensive than deposition in both space and volume, especially in areas with runup of more than 10 m. The tsunami eroded the beach landward, stripped vegetation, created scours and trim lines, cut through ridges, and plucked rocks out of the coastal plain. This article is available from SpringerLink