Modelling the impact on coastal morphology of the water management in transboundary river basins

Abstract

Purpose – To study the impact of River Nestos (North Greece) dams construction on coastal morphology.Design/methodology/approach – In order to study the evolution of the coastal morphology in the area, an “one‐line shoreline change model” was developed (PELNCON). The model's input comprises the field characteristics, the wave characteristics at the breaker line and a “source” term for the sediment supply rate by River Nestos. The model calculates the shoreline change over a given period of time. The annually transported sediment quantity by the river is estimated using filed measurements and other models' results for various sites along the Greek part of the hydrologic basin of Nestos (Nestos is a transboundary river extending along Greece and Bulgaria).Findings – The “PELNCON” results demonstrate a serious erosion threat for the coastal area due to the sediment budget deficit of about 1.8 × 106 m3/year.Research limitations/implications – The developed model is subject to common structural weaknesses of c...