Coastal Vulnerability of the West Coast of Aceh Besar: A Coastal Morphology Assessment

Muhammad Irham,Annisa Mardiah Siregar,Haekal A Haridhi,Yopi Ilhamsyah,Ichsan Rusydi,Ichsan Setiawan,Muhammad Rusdi,Anwar Deli

doi:10.3390/jmse9080815

Muhammad Irham, Annisa Mardiah Siregar + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9080815

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine how vulnerable the west coast of Aceh Besar, Aceh province, Indonesia, is in terms of its coastal morphology. This research was conducted from August to December 2020 and data processing was carried out at the Geographical Information Systems Laboratory, Faculty of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Syiah Kuala University. The method used was the coastal vulnerability index (CVI) with four geological parameters, namely geomorphological parameters, beach elevation, beach slope and shoreline changes. The results obtained from the CVI method show that 20.60% of the west coast of Aceh Besar, which has a total coastline length of 93.2 km, is in the very high vulnerability category (19.2 km), while 23.18% (21.6 km) is in the high vulnerability category, 8.80% (8.2 km) in the moderate category, 6.44% (6 km) in the low category and 40.99% (38.2 km) in the very low category. Sub-districts classified as having very high vulnerability are Peukanbada (7.94%), Leupung (6.22%), Lhoong (4.94%), and Lhoknga (1.50%). The geomorphology of areas that have very high vulnerability is generally in the form of sandy beaches with a very gentle slope, while, geomorphologically, areas that have very low vulnerability have a high elevation and cliff beaches.

Highlights

Aceh Besar district is located in the Aceh province, tip of Sumatra, Indonesia, which is divided into two coastal locations, namely the north coast of Aceh Besar and the west coast of Aceh Besar
The results of this study indicate that almost all coastal areas studied have high vulnerability, despite the fact that 10 physical parameters were used
This study aims to assess the vulnerability index limiting the assessment to four parameters, namely geomorphology, elevation, beach of the west coast of Aceh Besar based on its coastal morphology by limiting the assessment slope and shoreline change

Summary

Introduction

Aceh Besar district is located in the Aceh province, tip of Sumatra, Indonesia, which is divided into two coastal locations, namely the north coast of Aceh Besar and the west coast of Aceh Besar. The sea water area is 2796 km and Aceh Besar has a coastline of 344 km [1]. This coastal area is greatly influenced by natural phenomena, the surrounding environment and anthropogenic features [2,3]. Rukin [4] stated that coastal areas have unique landscapes and socio-economic characteristics that affect human activities, and these human activities usually create long-term effects in the form of coastal changes if they are not managed properly [5,6]. Socio-economic activities carried out by humans and geooceanographic processes can result in morphological changes on the coast [7,8]. Since the coastal environment is very vulnerable and sensitive to change, a careful assessment of the critical issues and shortcomings is required before the implementation of any intervention or strategy involving the coastal system [9,10]

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