Changes in Beach Profile due to Man-made Barriers-A Case Study of Ennore Satellite Port, Southeast Coast of India

Any man made activity along the coastal zone creates anxiety to the coastal users, as the activity may prove detrimental to the coastaline. Different type of coastal structures such as breakwaters for the ports, seawater intake and outfall systems, seawalls, jetties, groynes, installation of pipe lines for transportation of petroleum products etc. are constructed along the coastal belt for the benefit of the man-kind. these structures, though beneficial, have an indirect effect on coastal region (Komar, 1976). Shoreline is one of the important dynamic coastal features where the land, air and sea meet each other. Due to the action of waves, the shorelines of many coasts change periodically. This is a very common phenomenon in the coastal areas. In any open coast, If interference of man-made structure is happened, such as construction of breakwaters, groynes, atc, in to the seaside, the structure will cause drastic changes on the shoreline, particularly along the east coast of India. The changes on the shoreline by way of accretion on the southern side (updrift side) and erosion on the northern side (downdrift side).