The morphodynamics of shingle beaches in the Maltese Islands – a temporal and spatial perspective

Abstract

Shingle Beaches in the Maltese Islands constitute a distinct geomorphological niche, marked by high dynamic activity. Within the Maltese Islands, only 0.2% of the coastline is in the form of shingle beaches and this study aimed to investigate the granulometric and morphometric properties of three chosen shingle beaches within the spatial and temporal scales. Another purpose of the research was to comprehend the principle of sediment grading in micro-tidal environments responsible for varying particle size distributions along the chosen shingle beaches. Furthermore, this research sought to provide a deeper understanding of coastal processes and the resultant geomorphic features that constitute shingle beaches, despite the fact that few geomorphologic studies have pursued this area of research within the Maltese littoral environment. [Excerpt]