The impact of a port to the surrounding shores based on the 10 years monitoring results: Port of Sillamäe case study (Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea)

Abstract

The current study was focusing on the shore processes and the coastal sea fronting Sillamae town. The shores near the Sillamae starting west from the Voka settlement and ending at the top of Cape Kannuka were described as one litho dynamic system with a good natural balance in the recent past. The main aim of the paper was to analyse the impact of a port establishment to the changes in the coastal evolution and sediment budget in the vicinity of Sillamae town based on the regular monitoring results (9 different shore profiles - by using RTK-GPS or Leica level, repeated photographs in several locations, shoreline mapping - by using RTK-GPS or handheld GPS, scarp measurements - by using orthophotos and RTK-GPS). The results suggest that either a stable geomorphic state or a slow accumulation prevailed along major part of the studied coast. After stronger storms, occasional erosion events were registered in several sections of the study site. However, these changes were mostly temporary and a stable state was usually restored soon after the erosion event. Finally, we can conclude that the monitoring of shore processes from 2004-2013 has not registered any changes on the shores directly influenced from the new harbour. Major changes on the shores are caused by natural extreme events. The changes in shore processes resulted from these events are comparable to the ones registered in the other naturally developing sites in Estonia.