Castelli, G.

Castelli, S.

Galvani, A.

Marabini, Franco

Mertzanis, A.

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China-Italy Bilateral Symposium On The Coastal Zone: Evolution And Safeguard 
4 - 8 November 2007 Bologna, ITALY 181  
HUMAN INTERVENTIONS AND ALTERATIONS OF THE 
GEOMORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS IN PARTS OF 
THE COASTAL AREA IN THE IONIAN COAST 
(IPIROS - GREECE) 
 
 
Α. Mertzanis (1), F. Marabini (2), A. Galvani (3), S. Castelli (4) and G. Castelli (4) 
 
(1)
 Forestry and Natural Resources Management Department, Technological Educational 
Institute of Lamia, 36100, Karpenisi, Greece,  amertzanis@teilam.gr 
(2)
 National Research Council, ISMAR, 101 P. Gobetti str., 40129, Bologna (BO), Italy,  
 franco.marabini@bo.ismar.cnr.it 
(3) Department of Economic Sciences, University of Bologna, 2 Scaravilli Square, 40126,  
Bologna (BO), Italy 
(4)
 Te.Ma.snc, 5 S. Rocco Square, 48018, Faenza (RA), Italy 
 
 
Abstract 
The construction of harbour constructions and more generally of constructions on 
the coastal areas, consist in most cases the cause for the destabilization of the 
natural geomorphological procedures in the coastal area. If the necessary care is 
not taken during the designing, planning and also during the construction of the 
“development” works, then the destabilization of the balance of the coastal area 
worsens. A characteristic example of this and of the stress that the coastal area has 
suffered as a result of the tourist exploitation and the relevant infrastructure 
works, is the part of the coastline of the Ionian sea, between the towns of Preveza 
and Kastrosikia in the Ipiros region (Greece). The aim of this work is to assess the 
human intervention that has led to the destabilization of the coastal area in the 
area that has been mentioned above.  
 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
The intensiveness with which the natural resources and especially the 
coastal areas are exploited is in many cases also related to the construction and 
operation of harbor works, swimming and sports facilitaties, as well as with 
constructions for the protection against erosion phenomena of the coast, and all 
the abovementioned constitute the most significant burden to the 
geomorphology of the coastal zone. The size and the type of those changes that 
are seen in the coastal environment and especially in the geomorphological 
activities and in the geomorphological structure, the distribution of the deposits 
and in the sea resources, as a result of the constructions of this kind of 
«development projects», are directly correlated with the oceanographic, 
China-Italy Bilateral Symposium On The Coastal Zone: Evolution And Safeguard 
4 - 8 November 2007 Bologna, ITALY 182  
geological, hydrological, geomorphological, geotechnical and climatic 
conditions of the area, as well as with the specific characteristics of the 
construction, mainly its location as well as its shape and size and the type of its 
foundation. 
 
 
MATERIALS AND METHODS 
 
Research site location 
 
The study area is a 22 kilometers elongated coast, geographically 
located in the north-western part of the terrestrial part of Greece and 
specifically in that part of the coast of the Ionian Sea that extends west of the 
town of Preveza and reaches the peninsula of Kastrosikia in the north.  
Administratively, this area belongs to Ipiros. 
 
Fig. 1 – Geographical location of the area of 
research 
The present study focused mainly in three chosen sites in the coast, 
which have suffered major changes due to human interventions (harbor 
installations, and swimming and sports facilities) which affect the coastal and 
sea area and have led to the destabilization of the balance of the area and the 
distribution of the sediments. These sites are namely: a. Site 1 – Kastrosikia 
Harbor, b. Site  2 - Preveza Beach Hotel and c. Site 3 - Preveza – Aktio 
Immersed Tunnel. 
 
China-Italy Bilateral Symposium On The Coastal Zone: Evolution And Safeguard 
4 - 8 November 2007 Bologna, ITALY 183  
Geomorphology - Tide – Currents 
 
Overall, the coasts in the study area exhibit relatively modest 
morphological gradients with the exception of the Southern part, from the area of 
Mitika to Pantokratora, where we can see most of the steep gradients, where the 
sea depths exceed the 50 meters in a distance of about 1500 meters from the 
coastline.  
The geological background of the area consists of pebble conglomerates, 
arenacious clays, long-standing alluviums and sills, while the sea bed near the 
coast consists of deposits and mainly of successions of sand, sand sludge, and 
sludge (I.G.E.Y. - I.F.P. 1966). Quite extended is also the presence of beach 
rocks, found in the area between the Preveza Beach Hotel and Kanali. 
The tide in the area is of the half day type and according to data, 
(Mertzanis Α., 1992) it has a Maximum amplitude of 0.25 m., Minimum 
amplitude of 0.01 m. and Mean amplitude 0.05 m. The main direction of the 
coastal sea currents is from northwest to southwards and they are significantly 
enforced from the blowing northwestern winds, with the exception of the currents 
that prevail in the entrance of the Amvrakikos Gulf area, which are of a particular 
kind, that is related to the rate of renewal of the waters of this gulf, and their 
direction is from East to West.  
 
 
RESULTS – DISCUSSION 
 
Human interventions and disturbances of the balance of the coastal 
environment 
 
According to data resulting from in situ observations and the interpretation 
of the aerial photography of the past, it arises that in general terms the state of the 
coasts in the study area is fragile, while there is a predominant tendency of 
regression of the coast line towards the inland. The three chosen sites in the coast, 
which constitute the sites at which this study focuses and are analysed in detail, 
have been extensively affected and altered as a result of human interventions, that 
is namely, harbor installations, coastal protective dams (groins) and installations 
for swimming facilities which have been constructed in the last 30 years and 
China-Italy Bilateral Symposium On The Coastal Zone: Evolution And Safeguard 
4 - 8 November 2007 Bologna, ITALY 184  
which affect the coastal and sea area and have led to the destabilization of its 
balance and the redistribution of sediments (Vavizos G. and Mertzanis A. 2003). 
The prevailing characteristics of each one of the three chosen sites that are 
mentioned above, are described in detail below: 
− Site 1 – Harbor of Kastrosikia: At this site, in the far northern end of the 
study area and the Nikopolis Bay which extends to the southern 
part of the coast of the peninsula Kastrosikia, has been constructed 
and is in use for approximately the last 10 years a small harbor, 
used by fishing boats and consisting of two protective branches 
(groins). The construction of this harbor led to the trapping of part 
of the sediments which are transferred, as a result of the effect of 
sea currents near the coast and to the formation of low scale 
erosion conditions in the part of the coast that extends down south. 
Already during 2003-2005, the intense contribution of deposits 
from the current of Paliouria which are deposited south east and in 
a distance of about 500 meters from the Kastrosikia Harbor and 
which supply the coastal zone, were trapped inside the harbor, 
filled at least the 2/3 of its surface, restrained the facility of 
entrance of the fishing boats and thus hindered the functionality of 
the harbor. In 2006 in order to make the harbor deeper the deposits 
were removed, thus making the harbor functional once again. 
− Site 2 – Hotel Preveza Beach: At this site, located on the coast at about 2,5 
kilometers Northwest of the Kanali village, around 30 years ago 
was constructed, laterally to the coast, a concrete pier 30 meter 
long, in order to facilitate the activities of the swimmers that use 
the swimming facilities of the Preveza Beach Hotel, located near 
by the coast, and also to be used for water sports. From an 
environmental point of view, this pier acts as a barrier and inhibits 
the transfer of sediments which move, with the help of sea currents 
that prevail near the coast, with a direction from north to south. 
The trapped sediments are accumulated in the northern side of the 
pier, while in its southern side, we can see phenomena of erosion 
and alteration of the coast line which regresses towards the inland 
and this regression seems to have exceeded the 40-45 meters in the 
last 30 years and is extended in a length of about 2-3 kilometers.    
− Site 3 – Immersed  tunnel of Preveza-Aktio: At this site and more 
specifically at the northern end of the coast of the «Preveza 
Passage» have been constructed seven (7) protective groins, 
laterally to the coast, which protect from erosion not only the coast, 
but also the entrance of the Immersed Tunnel of Preveza - Aktio. 
Nowadays, the result of the construction of those protective groins 
is an area with characteristics that differs from those that prevailed 
in the area in the years before 1998. Up until the year 1998, the 
predominant tendency was that of erosion and regression of the 
coastline due to coastal currents and swell, which both have an 
China-Italy Bilateral Symposium On The Coastal Zone: Evolution And Safeguard 
4 - 8 November 2007 Bologna, ITALY 185  
erosion effect in the area and sweep along the erosion products and 
the sediments. After the construction of the protective groins, the 
predominant phenomenon is the deposition of sediments in the 
coastal area. 
 
 
CONCLUSIONS 
 
The changes of the natural geomorphological activities connected to the 
destabilization of balance of the coastal area, in the study area, are mainly 
attributed to the human intervention, as for example the excessive developments 
and constructions related to the facilities for tourism. The situation worsens, if the 
proper care is not taken during the phase of planning and designing those projects 
and constructions (Angeli M. et al. 2007). The state of the coasts in the study area 
is fragile, while it seems that there is a predominant tendency of regression of the 
coastline toward the inland. Human interventions and more specifically harbor 
constructions, protective groins and installations for swimming activities and 
water sports, constructed at specific sites of the study area, have led to a change of 
the characteristics of the coastal area and have resulted in each case, in all sort of 
effects. 
A prerequisite for the protection from intense destabilization phenomena 
of the coastal area, as far as future environmental interventions are concerned, is 
the systematic evaluation of data relative to the geomorphological parameters, that 
can give suitable information on the forecast for the in time evolution of the coast 
(Enzi S. and Marabini F. 1992). 
 
 
REFERENCES 
 
Angeli M., Castelli S., Galvani A., Gasparetto P., Marabini F., Mertzanis A., 
Pontoni F. (2007). «Erosive processes and related hazards in the coastal zone». In 
Proceedings of the International Conference on “Landslides and climate change- 
Challenges and Solutions”, May 21-24, 2007, Ventor, Isle of Wight, United 
Kingdom. p. 415-418.  
 
China-Italy Bilateral Symposium On The Coastal Zone: Evolution And Safeguard 
4 - 8 November 2007 Bologna, ITALY 186  
Enzi, S., Marabini, F., (1992). Evoluzione della fascia costiera Adriatica e 
l’azione antropica. Proceedings of the Congress “Associazione Italiana di 
Cartografia”, Bolzano, Italy. 
 
I.G.E.Y. - I.F.P. (1966). Etude geologique de l'Epire. Ed. Technip Paris 
 
Mertzanis Α. (1992). «Geomorphological Evolution of the Gulf of Amvrakikos». 
PhD Thesis, Geology Department of Athens University.Athens, Greece. (in 
Greek). 
 
Vavizos G. and Mertzanis A. 2003.  Environment - Studies of Environmental 
Impact, Athens, Papasotiriou, p. 342. (in Greek).  


HUMAN INTERVENTIONS AND ALTERATIONS OF THE GEOMORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS IN PARTS OF THE COASTAL AREA IN THE IONIAN COAST (IPIROS - GREECE)

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HUMAN INTERVENTIONS AND ALTERATIONS OF THE GEOMORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS IN PARTS OF THE COASTAL AREA IN THE IONIAN COAST (IPIROS - GREECE)

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