Design and evolution of beach nourishment in Alanya

This thesis explores the causes and effects of beach erosion, as well as potential solutions for mitigating its impact. The resulting loss of beach ecosystems has significant implications for both the environment and local economies. Through a combination of field research and analysis of existing literature, the study aims to find the causes of beach erosion in Alanya and suggest a proposal through an environmentally and economically sustainable way. Overall, the study highlights the need for increased awareness of the importance of beach ecosystems and the urgent need to address the issue of beach erosion. Beach nourishment is a widely used method of restraining coastal erosion and maintaining the recreational and protective functions of coastal areas. The effectiveness of beach nourishment as a coastal management strategy through a comprehensive review of existing literature and the study of the suggested beach nourishment project in Alanya is investigated. The results of this study suggest that beach nourishment can be an effective approach to coastal management, but its effectiveness depends on a variety of factors, including the characteristics of the beach and the surrounding environment, the design and implementation of the project, and the social and economic context of the area. Extensive coastal and topographic survey is done by BUCEL in August 2022 in demand of Municipality of Alanya and with the data collected from surveys, wind and wave regime, analyses of the current coastal environment are done. A beach nourishment of 1km is designed according to the geometry of the shore. The planform and profile evolution of the nourishment is modeled to test the sustainability and reliability of the beach nourishment. Primitive equations and empirical relationships of wave mechanics are used to apply the methods of coastal evolution onto a crenulate bay example. As a result, a combination of analytical solutions of the evolution of crenulate bays, beach nourishments and river deltas are used to demonstrate the mitigation of beach erosion through environmentally friendly solutions like beach nourishments.