The influence of storm events on packet beaches in the north of Malta : case study : Ramlet il-qortin and Ramla tat-torri l-abjad

Abstract

Sandy beaches account to 2.2% of the Maltese Islands shoreline and they are mostly classified as pocket beaches. The occurrences of storm events have an impact on the beaches of the Maltese Islands. Sandy beaches are mostly constituted of grain size ranging from very fine sand to very coarse sand. Very few studies have tackled this particular research of beaches and storm events. This dissertation aims to contribute to knowledge on such research and provides a deeper understanding of how beaches behave in relation to storm events especially Ramlet il-Qortin Bay and Ramla tat-Torri l-Abjad Bay. Both beaches are found on the same stretch of coastline but they are oriented differently. One of the properties which constitute a beach is sediment grain size which can be studied to add further knowledge of the beaches understudy. A number of field sessions took place to collect data qualitatively and quantitatively for the width of the beach, photographic comparisons, and sediment size. Since this dissertation also includes storm events, weather data was collected to establish relationships between wave height, wind speed, wind direction and frequency, and the width of the beach after a storm event throughout the months of October 2013 and March 2014. Appropriate techniques were used to provide a comprehensive understanding of the sandy beaches understudy. Major findings for illustrated a correlation between wind speed and wave, and a correlation between the mean and sorting. This meant that as one increases the other increases as well. However there was no correlation between width of the beach and wind speed, and width of the beach and wave height. This confirmed that although storm events occurred the width of the beach was not affected by wind speed or wave height for this period hence at times the width of the beach increased not decreased.