Variazioni morfologiche e granulometriche annuali di tre spiagge ghiaiose del litorale marchigiano meridionale

Annual morphology and granulometry variations of three pebble beaches of the Southern Marche (Central Italy)

Abstract

This note reports the results of seven surveys carried out within one year on three emerged pebble beaches along Marche Region coast-line. On the three mentioned shores morphological and grain-size studies were carried out in connection with storms which normally or exceptionally happened along this coast-line. The studied beaches showed, within the period of our surveys, a trend to erosion and sometimes a very strong one. The morphological analysis made it possible to locate three zones along the beaches profiles which show clear variations both in the width and thickness of sediments in response to the passage of the chief coastal storms. Really the chief damage to the shore was caused by the storms from East and South-East. The grain-size and FOLK & WARD (1957) parameters were worked out of each sample from the transverse profile of shores. The results obtained from these analyses visualized on diagrams, showed as far as the mean-size is concerned, a clear trend to reduction going towards the shoreline. The sorting index is better for coarse sediments, really the finest sediments showed a comparatively good value of sorting only along the shoreline.