Simultaneous employment of hydrodynamical simulation and RS imageries for analyzing the influence of an anthropogenic construction on shoreline transformation

Abstract

Coastal areas are usually heavily exploited. Numerous anthropogenic constructions are developed along the coastal areas for recreational, economic and/or cultural purposes. They influence the coastal hydrodynamics. Therefore, identifying the source of coastline transformation is essential for controlling these modifications and develop a sustainable coastal area. Simultaneous deployment of numerical modeling and RS imageries is a suitable approach for understanding hydrodynamic processes in coastal areas. In this study, the hydrodynamic condition of the Beris Port area located in the Makran region, north of the Gulf of Oman, has been analyzed using MIKE-21 software package, RS, and GIS techniques. Our results reveal the accretion of 20.97 ha adjacent to the breakwater since 1988. We also found that the shore near the port is heavily accumulated by sediment, while this is not the case for those shore far from the port. According to our results significant wave height is considerably low inside the port, even during the high season of summer, which is due to the construction of the port and the bay shape of the coast. The current speed, inside the port, is also low (0.01 m/s). The current adjacent to the port is in the opposite direction to the main current direction of the region, causing nearshore accretion. Therefore, it is believed that the accretion problem is due to the poor design of the breakwaters' layout. Thus, a new alignment for the breakwater is suggested, taking into account the hydrodynamics and morphodynamics of the area.

Keywords

• beris port
• mike 21
• rs technique
• makran region
• shoreline change