Coastal Processes and Longshore Sediment Transport along Zemmouri Bay, Central East Coast of Algeria

The coastline of Zemmouri Bay on the northeast coast of Algeria with about 50 km of shoreline has been eroding since 1970. Changes of the sandy shoreline are continuous and occur at diverse spatial and temporal scales. This erosion is a major crisis and it potentially impacts the coastal population and natural environment. In order to understand and predict these morphological changes, an accurate description of sediment transport by waves and currents and shoreline change is important. This paper presents a comprehensive study of wave refraction, current-driven sediment transport and shoreline change. Results show that the study area exhibits a great variety of shoreline evolution trends, with erosion prevailing in the eastern and central sectors and stability or even accretion in the Western area.