Observation on the interplay of sea level rise and the coastal dynamics of the Curonian Spit, Lithuania

Abstract

Long-term sea level rise is commonly considered to enhance coastal erosion, the rate of which is often evaluated using the Bruun Rule. We make an attempt to assess the recent coastal dynamics of the Curonian Spit in terms of the shoreline displacement rate on the basis of a comparison of maps from different years and coastal monitoring data. The obtained results are compared with those calculated according to the Bruun Rule. It was found that only individual-year average changes over the entire spit are linked to sea level variations, whereas long-term trends of shoreline dynamics are uncorrelated with the sea level increase. Although the sea level has increased in the study area, coastal recession has been observed since 1910 in the southern part of the Lithuanian sector of the Curonian Spit and accretion in the northern part, while the central part has been stable.