Spatial approach to medium-term coastal evolution in south Sicily (Italy): Implications for coastal erosion management

[EN]: Four sets of maps and aerial photographs have been integrated into a Geographic Information System (GIS) project to investigate coastal changes along a 60-km-long littoral sector in south Sicily, Italy. The beaches studied recorded significant morphological changes essentially related to the p...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Martínez del Pozo, José Ángel, Anfuso, Giorgio
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2008
Country:España
Institution:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repository:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/137752
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/137752
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Erosion
Management
Human impacts
Shoreline trend
Description
Summary:[EN]: Four sets of maps and aerial photographs have been integrated into a Geographic Information System (GIS) project to investigate coastal changes along a 60-km-long littoral sector in south Sicily, Italy. The beaches studied recorded significant morphological changes essentially related to the presence of human structures that interrupted littoral drift. Most of the investigated beaches experienced progressive erosion because of sediments being trapped by human structures resulting in the formation of wide beaches on the updrift side and erosion downdrift. The latter has often been counteracted by the construction of breakwaters. However, local planning authorities did not carry out an assessment of the impacts related to the construction of harbours and ports and their successive enlargement. This article proposes alternative actions concerning the possible future erosion management of the studied littoral.