Shoreline changes due to construction of groyne field in north of Chennai Port, India.

Abstract

Chennai Port (13.099872° N, 80.297407° E), located along the southeast coast of India, has been a hub for maritime trade since the fifteenth century. An artificial harbour was initially constructed in 1881 which underwent numerous expansions in the following years. The breakwaters of the harbour intercepted the heavy sediment-laden littoral drift along the coast, resulting in the formation of the world's second-longest urban beach south of the port, i.e. on its up-drift side. Meanwhile, the coast north of the port, i.e. the down-drift side, experienced intense erosion due to a lack of sediment supply and forces induced on the coast due to waves and currents. The shoreline change study in this paper investigates a shoreline stretch of about 6km (protected by transitional groynes), north of Chennai Port by dividing it into three segments. The rate of shoreline changes over a period of about 12years across three different segments was assessed using statistical parameters by employing remote sensing techniques complemented with geographical information system (GIS) and digital shoreline analysis system (DSAS) tool. It is inferred that the coast has witnessed accretion and sizable growth in beach width has been observed post the construction of groyne field.