Panaji (Goa):  Researchers from across the country met in Visakhapatnam to deliberate on the recent advances and studies conducted on beach erosion with special focus on Andhra Pradesh.

The workshop on ‘Recent Advances and Future Studies on the Coastal Processes and Beach Erosion’, with a special emphasis on Andhra coast, was organised on Wednesday (Feb 10) in Visakhapatnam, a press released issued here said.

The experts discussed variability of coastal currents at an offshore station off Visakhapatnam and their impact on the near-shore currents at the beaches, particularly the Rama Krishna beach, impacting waterfront changes leading to movement of sand and hence beach erosion.

Beach erosion, often referred to as coastal erosion, occurs when the area’s sand is washed into the ocean. Beach erosion is a constant process, and the persistence of a beach depends upon local rivers and streams to transport more sand to the area. If the area loses more sand than it gains, it begins to shrink over time.

“This appears to be the major factor besides the regular tides and wind waves. However, the requirement of long-term time series of nearshore currents is pointed out for further examining the beach erosion issue of the Visakhapatnam beaches,” the release said.

The increase of air pollutants over Vizag city due to the industrial activities, further enhanced due to the orography, the bowl shape of the mountains, leads to higher residence time of the pollutants.

This increased concentration of air pollutants causes acidification of coastal waters of Visakhapatnam, thus impacting biodiversity of these coastal waters. This in-turn may have an impact on the food web dynamics, the experts said.

Andhra University’s Vice Chancellor Prof G Nageswara Rao was the Chief Guest and Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL) Director Dr O R Nandagopan was the guest of honour at the event.

Goa-based National Institute of Oceonography’s (NIO) Director Dr S Prasanna Kumar chaired the workshop.

Experts from various research organisations, institutes and universities attended the event.

Beach erosion occurs because of wind, rain and waves. Strong storms in the ocean can cause serious damage in a short period of time. As most major rivers  have been dammed, the amount of sediment that reaches the ocean is very low. Accordingly,  beaches are slowly disappearing. Climate change, which causes the sea level to rise, also influences the rate of erosion.

When the beach begins disappearing, there are a few things that humans can do to protect it. Sea walls and other structures often serve as a temporary solution, but they ultimately cause different problems. A better solution is to protect naturally occurring barrier islands. These islands weaken the waves and storms that contact the beach, which reduces the amount of sand that is washed away. Another alternative is to increase the amount of vegetation on the beach, as tree and plant roots help to stabilize the sand.

[Contributed by intern Deb Boruah]

  beach, development, environment