Changes to a Drive-in Beach in Southwest India Due to Severe Erosion and Subsequent Reformation

Abstract

Driving in beach, a fascinating recreational activity is in vogue in a few special beaches in the world. Management plans are formulated for these beaches to overcome the adverse impact of beach driving on the overall coastal ecosystem and to ensure the safety of both the passengers and others who frequent the beach. The management plans for drive-in beaches often deal with the vehicle conditions such as tyre pressure, number of driving wheels and their dimensions and also the environmental conditions of the beach such as wave conditions, storms and stages of tide. However, such a management plan has not been formulated for the Muzhappilangad drive-in beach of Kerala on the southwest coast of India. Generally, this beach experiences only normal changes during the monsoon. However, during the 2013, a portion of the beach underwent severe recession which lead to the ban of vehicles to the eroded part of the beach. A portion of subsequently reformed beach became unfit for vehicle driving. Erosion brought changes to the wave breaking pattern. Plunging waves are observed at some stretches of the eroded beach; spilling breakers continued on either sides of this portion. After reformation, spilling breakers are observed in the entire length of the beach. Samples extracted from three depths by core cutter prior to erosion and after reformation revealed that the mean diameter and standard deviation of the particle changed significantly at the severely eroded portion where plunging breakers are experienced whereas; at other portion of the reformed beach, the changes in the particle size is very nominal.