Relationship between shoreline evolution and sediment wear

Abstract

Many factors can influence the shoreline retreat, such as: the maritime climate, anthropogenic actions like the construction of ports, dams, etc. To overcome this problem, it is necessary to understand the influence of each of the factors involved in beach erosion. This work tackles the problem of shoreline erosion from the study of the beach material, specifically sediment wear. The main objective is to establish a relationship between shoreline evolution and sediment wear. The study of diverse beaches (with different median sediment size, mineralogical composition, etc.) shows that the shoreline evolution trend is similar to of the results obtained by the accelerated particle wear test (APW). However, the relationship between the number of APW test cycles and the years of shoreline evolution is not clear. In Guardamar beach (Guardamar, Spain) the ratio (years/cycles) is 9.7, in Marineta Casiana beach (Denia, Spain) it is 5.6, and in Arenal beach (Calpe, Spain) it is 3. Differences may be due to the different mineralogical composition and morphology of the sand particles. Therefore, there is a relationship between sediment wear and shoreline evolution. However, more sediment tests (composition, morphology, fractures, etc.) are needed to determine the exact relationship between the number of APW cycles and the years of shoreline evolution.