Sea level fluctuation and shoreline evolution on decadal time scale, Lithuanian Baltic Sea coast

Fluctuations in sea level are reflected in shoreline dynamics. Depending on the nature of the change, the coast is dominated by either erosion or accumulation processes. However, despite considerable attention to this subject, few works have been dedicated to the direct research of coastal development dependence on these determining factors. The objective of this paper was to assess the impact of sea level fluctuations on shoreline dynamics based on coastal monitoring data. The monitoring of coastal dynamics has been carried out since 2002. Annual shoreline displacement was determined based on the obtained data. In addition to morphometric data, sea level data from the Klaipeda gauge station from 2002-2012 were used. The results showed that the long-term tendency of shoreline displacement was not uniform. From 2002-2012, a shoreline recession of the mainland coast was observed, whereas accumulation processes prevailed in the Curonian Spit. Also, a trend of rising sea level was observed from 2002-2012. No significant correlation between shoreline displacement and sea level on a decadal time scale was found. This may be due to the fact that the long-term trend in sea level was negligible and had no distinct impact on coastal dynamics. Short-term changes in sea level, on the other hand, have had a greater impact on coastal dynamics. A good correlation between the short-term change in yearly sea-level and shoreline displacement was observed.