Collected reprints: Abstract 3707
Collected reprints
Abstract
De Moor, G. (1981). Erosie aan de Belgische kust. [Erosion at the Belgian coast.]. De Aardrijkskunde 1/2: 279-294
Intense residual erosion attacks several sections of the Belgian coast. During the last decades this coast has been hit over several kilometers at Knokke, at Bredene-De Haan, at Lombardsijde, at Koksijde and at De Panne. A sequence of beach budgets shows the phenomenon and its importance and proves that different morphodynamic sections follow one another all along the rectilinear coast. The author ascribes every erosive section to an erosive megaprotuberans attacking the coast over a more or less long distance during a more or less long time span. He proves that such megaprotuberans develops gradually, that it is part of a cyclic macroprocess of coastal evolution that lasts several decades, sweeps the cost and whose aggressive phase is followed up by a phase of restoring as far as no dune breaching occurs. The interpretation rests upon the evolution of the daily mean beach budget over observation periods of increasing duration and upon geological information. Normal beach processes and their sedimentological and morphological effects are considered as active parts within the morphodynamic megaprocess. The aggressive phase of an erosive megaprotuberans develops due to the local activation of the erosive intervals of the normal beach processes. Storm surges seem to play an act in the activation. The phenomenon might be due to changes in the near shore topography allowing more energetic ware trains to reach temporarily certain beach sections or coastal currents to change their angle of incidence. The author treats several coastal defense systems used along the Belgian coast and their effects. He puts forward the usefulness of a means of predicting the evolution stage of an erosive megaprotuberans hitting the coast and draws attention to the possibilities given by the daily mean beach budget diagram.
The author stresses the need for elaboration of a concerted program of beach and nearshore research in Belgium.
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