BEACH PROCESSES AND SHORE PROTECTION ALONG THE NORTHERN COLOMBIA COAST / PROCESSOS LITORÂNEOS E PROTEÇÃO COSTEIRA AO LONGO DA COSTA NORTE DA COLÔMBIA

Resumo

The shoreline of northern Colombia is located in the tropical zone along the south coast of Caribbean Sea. Its coastal processes 
are strongly influenced by the northeast trade wind, which results in the dominating northeasterly approaching wave occurring 
over 95% of the time. This drives a persistent southwestward longshore sand transport. The state of the beach along the generally 
northeast-southwest trending northern Colombia coast is strongly influenced by this constant unidirectional longshore sediment 
transport. At locations where this westward longshore sand transport is interrupted, naturally or anthropogenically, beach 
accretion occurs along the updrift shoreline coupled with erosion at the downdrift side. Natural interruption of longshore 
transport can be caused by tidal inlets, protruding headland, shoreline orientation change, and nearshore bathymetry variations. 
Anthropogenic interruption of the longshore transport along the northern Colombia coast is mainly caused by the construction 
of groins, as well as harbors at some locations. Numerous groins were constructed due to their local success in creating beach 
accretion at the drift side. However, severe beach erosion occurs along the downdrift shoreline. Shoreline protection along the 
northern Colombia coast, and coasts in the tropical area in general, should carefully consider the persistent unidirectional 
longshore sand transport and should not be misguided by the local updrift accumulation as being a successful project.