Patterns of Development of Abrasion-Landslide Processes on the North-West Coast of the Black Sea

Abstract

The development of abrasion-landslide processes on the north-west coast of the Black Sea depends on several factors: geological structure, slope exposure, neotectonic, climatic and hydrodynamic conditions. However, the nature of this relation is not always obvious and insufficiently studied. The goal is to identify patterns of spatial and temporal development of landslide processes in the north-west coast of the Black Sea. Methods of correlation-regression, and spectral analysis were used. Periods of activation of landslide processes depending on changing climatic and hydrodynamic conditions were determined. On the south-west from the Odessa bay, abrasion process is described by dependence model abrasion indicators from wind wave energy, width of a beach and a precipitation. On the east from the Odessa bay the most proved model is dependence between abrasion indicators, sea level and a precipitation. Beaches have a significant role in the rate of abrasion and landslide processes. Gentle slopes at some sections of the beaches are the result of the predominance of silt and clay components in abraded loess strata of coastal slopes. All identified patterns have significant correlation coefficients (r > 0.5). It was found that the landslide processes in relation to climate and hydrodynamic impacts have a delay of 1–2 years, due to the inertia of the coastal geological system.