Coastal erosion: investigations in the southwest coast of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Sri Lanka is an island with a coastline of length approximately 1600 km. Coastal erosion has been identified as a major hazard in many coastal areas, particularly along the densely populated southwest coastline of the country. Numerical studies were conducted to assess the sediment transport rates in selected areas along the southwest coast. Field investigations were carried out at several locations to assess the behaviour of the coastline. In this on-going study, seasonal trends of sediment transport rates are to be assessed and compared with measured shoreline behaviour.