Coastal Erosion Studies—A Review

Abstract

The land ward displacement of the shoreline caused by the forces of waves and currents is termed as Coastal Erosion. The Coastal areas have become more prone and vulnerable to natural and human made hazards which lead to Coastal Erosion. The Shoreline retreat is recognized as a burgeoning threat because of global climate change and other anthropogenic activities that alter the natural processes of sustaining beaches and coasts. Coastal Erosion mainly occurs when wind, waves and long shore currents move sand from shore and deposit it somewhere else. The sand can be moved to another beach, to the deeper ocean bottom, into an ocean trench or onto the landside of a dune. The removal of the sand from the sand sharing system results in permanent changes in beach shape and structure. The impact of the event is not seen immediately as in the case of Tsunami or Storm Surge but it is equally important when we consider loss of property. It generally takes months or years to note the impact of Erosion; therefore, this is generally classified as a “Long Term Coastal Hazard”. The present paper attempts to describe a Review on Coastal Erosion Process, Parameters’ affecting, and methodologies are adopted to identify the erosion and recommend a solution.