DETERMINATION OF THE ACTUAL LITTORAL SEDIMENT TRANSPORT RATES ALONG HORMOZGAN PROVINCE SHORELINE, IRAN

Longshore sediment transport (LST) refers to the movement of beach and nearshore sand parallel to the shore through the longshore currents produced by tides, wind and waves. Identification of the LST rate is essential for sustainable coastal zone management and site selection for marine structures. Analytical expressions for determination of LST rate assume that there are infinite amounts of sand along the shoreline. This assumption is not valid at most locations and it is necessary to distinguish between potential and actual alongshore sediment transport [1]. In this study, the longshore sediment transport rate for Hormozgan province coastline is determined by using LITDRIFT developed by DHI. Considering the long length of Hormozgan coastline (1000 km), the coastline is divided into a number of segments. The model is calibrated based on the actual rate of sedimentation around the existing structures such as breakwaters and long jetties. Although the periodic hydrography is the best source to determine the actual sedimentation rate, it is not available for all existing structures. Hence, the satellite images are used to investigate the shoreline changes and estimating the sedimentation volume. In addition to the actual littoral sediment transport rate, calibration parameter (bed roughness) along the Hormozgan province coastline is presented in this paper for the first time. This study is part of Hormozgan ICZM project [2].