Version 1
: Received: 21 October 2024 / Approved: 22 October 2024 / Online: 24 October 2024 (14:06:47 CEST)
How to cite:
Pranzini, E.; Cinelli, I.; Anfuso, G. Beaches Expulsion from Paradise: From a Natural to an Artificial Littoral in Tuscany (Italy). Preprints2024, 2024101726. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.1726.v1
Pranzini, E.; Cinelli, I.; Anfuso, G. Beaches Expulsion from Paradise: From a Natural to an Artificial Littoral in Tuscany (Italy). Preprints 2024, 2024101726. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.1726.v1
Pranzini, E.; Cinelli, I.; Anfuso, G. Beaches Expulsion from Paradise: From a Natural to an Artificial Littoral in Tuscany (Italy). Preprints2024, 2024101726. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.1726.v1
APA Style
Pranzini, E., Cinelli, I., & Anfuso, G. (2024). Beaches Expulsion from Paradise: From a Natural to an Artificial Littoral in Tuscany (Italy). Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.1726.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Pranzini, E., Irene Cinelli and Giorgio Anfuso. 2024 "Beaches Expulsion from Paradise: From a Natural to an Artificial Littoral in Tuscany (Italy)" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.1726.v1
Abstract
This study investigates the shoreline evolution of the Tuscany coast (Italy) from 1878−83 to 2019. The 205 km sandy coastline, divided into 821 sectors each one 250 meters long, was analyzed to understand how human activities have altered this once-pristine coast. Sub-period analyses highlighted the impacts, both positive and negative, of various shore protection projects. Initially, regional beaches were undeveloped and accreting, except for some river deltas where alternating phases of erosion and accretion were observed. Coastal erosion began at these deltas due to reduced sediment input and expanded with the development of human settlements and tourism. Shore protection structures were quickly built to safeguard these areas: some succeeded but others increased erosion rates in downdrift sectors. Beach nourishment projects added about 1 million cubic meters of sediment since the 1980s, mostly from inland quarries. Currently, 57.8% of beaches are larger than in the 1880s, 9.4% remained the same, and 32.8% are narrower. Overall, the Tuscan coast gained 6.5 km² of beach surface with an average shoreline advancement of 32 m. Recent trends (2005-2019) show that 37.7% of the coast is eroding, 21.1% is stable, and 41.2% is accreting, with a total surface area increase of about 200,000 m². Although these changes may seem significant, from geomorphological and coastal management perspectives, they highlight that beach surface area is still increasing despite the existing reduced sediment input. This is due to the reduced loss of sediment due to the existence of morphological cells enclosed by headlands and the absence of submarine canyons directing sediments to the continental shelf.
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
