291

Numerical Model Studies on the Effect

of Breakwaters on Coastal Processes –
A Case Study along a Stretch of the
Kerala Coast, India
L.Sheela Nair1, V.Sundar2 and N.P.Kurian3
1E-mail: sheela06@gmail.com Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS),
Thiruvananthapuram 695 031, India
2E-mail: vsundar@iitm.ac.in Department of Ocean Engineering,

Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600 036, India

3E-mail: npkurian@gmail.com Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS),

Thiruvananthapuram 695 031, India

Abstract
The Kayamkulam-Arattupuzha coastal stretch which forms part of the Kayamkulam –
Thottapally ( Quilon-Cochin) sector of the Kerala coast of India has been an eroding
coastline for the past two to three decades. From 2000 to 2007 there has been a drastic
increase in the erosion particularly around the inlet. Coincidentally, during the same
period, two long breakwaters were constructed for the formation of the Kayamkulam
fishing harbour. A critical analysis of the field data clearly indicates that the
morphological changes are directly due to the construction of breakwaters. This paper
reports the application of numerical models as an effective tool to study the coastal
dynamics of the area and also to quantify and assess the shoreline changes for predicting
the shoreline evolution pattern over a period of time. The Spectral Wave (SW) and
Hydrodynamic Flow Model (FM) of the MIKE 21 modeling system (DHI) have been
used for modeling the coastal dynamics, whereas, the studies on the shoreline change
were carried out using LITPACK coastal suite (DHI). The paper highlights the need for
an integrated coastal management approach as a proactive measure wherein shoreline
management plans are also developed and implemented along with the execution of the
project to address adverse impacts if any.

Keywords: breakwater-coastal processes-numerical modeling-shoreline evolution

1. INTRODUCTION
The Kayamkulam-Arattupuzha coastal stretch (Fig. 1), which forms a part of the Quilon-Cochin
sector of the southwest coast of India has been identified as an eroding site for over the last two to
three decades (Sreekala et al. 1998). The Kayamkulam-Thottapally sector is a 22 km stretch of barrier
beach of varying width located on the north of the Kayamkulam inlet. It has the Lakshadweep islands
as a boundary on the western side and the Kayamkulam backwaters as well as the Pallana river as
boundaries on the eastern side. There is a perceptible variation in the width of this barrier beach as
one moves towards the north of the Kayamkulam inlet with the narrow region near the inlet. The
southern side of the Arattupuzha coast which is about 5 km to the north of the Kayamkulam inlet
consists of a few marshy and inter-tidal areas. Because of this, the southern sector of the Arattupuzha
coast often gets inundated from both the sea and the backwaters particularly during the monsoon. As
this region falls under the moderate wave regime, wave action is the primary source of energy
available in the near shore zone and this can be considered as one of the main factors that influence
the coastal processes of the region. Kurian et al. (2008) have reported that severe erosion (Fig. 2)

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292 Numerical Model Studies on the Effect of Breakwaters on Coastal
Processes – A Case Study along a Stretch of the Kerala Coast, India

Jammu &
Kashmir

Himachal
Pradesh

Punjab Uttaranchal

Arunachal
DELHI Pradesh
Sikkim
Rajasthan Uttar Assam Nagaland
Pradesh
Megalaya
Bihar Manipur
Jh Tripura
ar West Mizoram
Gujarat Madhya kh
an Bengal
Pradesh rh d
ga
tis
at Kolkata
hh (Calcutta)
C Orissa
Mumbai Maharashtra
(Bombay)

Andhra
Pradesh
Goa

Karnataka
Chennai (Madras)
KASARAGOD Lakshadweep

N Kerala
Tamil
Nadu Andaman & Nicobar
KANNUR

WAYANAD
KOZHIKODE MALAPPURAM
Thotapally Inlet
PALAKKAD
THRISSUR

ERNAKULAM IDUKKI
KOTTAYAM
Trikkunapuzha
ALAPPUZHA
PATHANAMTHITTA

Arattupuzha KOLLAM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Kayamkulam Inlet
Azheekal

Figure 1. Location map of the study area

Aratupuzha
La
ksh
ad
we

Kayamkulam
ep
Se
a

Ka
yam
kul
am
Ka
yal

Accretion
Erosion
1985 Kulasekharapuram
2000

0 2.5
Kilometers

Figure 2. Shoreline change for the Kayamkulam – Arattupuzha sector during the period
1985–2000 (after Kurian et al. 2008)

International Journal of Ocean and Climate Systems

L.Sheela Nair, V.Sundar and N.P.Kurian 293

occurs in this stretch of the barrier beach during the southwest monsoon when the wave activity is at
its peak. However, the Thrikunnapuzha coastal stretch, which is having a lesser number of
intertidal/marshy and mangrove areas, has a wider beach between the Pallana river on the eastern
side and the sea. This stretch of the coast appears to be stable except for occasional occurrences of
erosion reported during the monsoon. In most of the cases this is directly linked to the formation of
mud banks further north of the region in the Thrikkunnapuzha-Thottapally sector. On the other hand,
the Kayamkulam-Arattupuza stretch being densely populated, there is enormous pressure on this
barrier beach and at many locations along the backwater boundary the backwater has been reclaimed.
Although various protection measures like seawalls had been adopted at various stages for the
protection of the coast, none of these measures has been effective in the long run for controlling the
erosion. This is mainly because the shore protection measures implemented so far have been done in
a piecemeal fashion without attempting to understand the near shore hydrodynamics including the
coastal processes. Hence, this aspect is being taken up through numerical modeling using state of the
art modeling systems like DHI’s MIKE21 and LITPACK. The results of this study are expected to
serve as a useful base for planning of coastal protection measures.

2. STUDY AREA
Applying the concept of a sediment cell, the Kayamkulam-Thottapally sector of 22 km length can be
easily considered as a sediment sub-cell with prominent morphological features like tidal inlets as
boundaries at both ends. On the basis of this concept the observed variation in the shoreline changes
over the years, which could be spatial, temporal or both can be assumed to be self contained. Hence,
for identification of the causative factors that are responsible for the observed changes in coastal
processes, it is enough to restrict the study to this sediment cell.
The 25 km coastal stretch extends from Azheekal (Lat. 9.9°N, Long. 76.485°E) located 2.5 km to
the south of the Kayamkulam inlet to the Thottapally inlet (Lat. 9.33°N, Long. 76.375°E), which is a
seasonal inlet in the north. To study the impact due to the newly constructed breakwaters of lengths 720
m (southern arm) and 485 m (northern arm) at the Kayamkulam inlet, a small stretch of the coast 2.5
km to the south of the inlet has also been included in the study area.

3. METHODOLOGY
Numerical Model studies have been carried out using the various modules of the MIKE21 Modeling
System and the LITPACK coastal suite of DHI. For the computation of the wave transformation from
the deepwater to the nearshore region, the Spectral Wave (SW) model of MIKE21 (DHI 2009) was
adopted. The fully spectral formulation based on the wave action conservation equation (Komen et al.
1994; Young 1999) was used. The model is capable of simulating the growth, decay and transformation
of wind generated waves and swells in both offshore and coastal areas. MIKE21 SW is a new
generation spectral wind-wave model based on unstructured meshes, which takes into account all the
important phenomena like wave growth by influence of wind, non-linear wave-wave interaction,
dissipations due to white-capping, bottom friction and depth-induced breaking. The effects of refraction
and shoaling of waves due to depth variations and wave-current interaction and diffraction effects due
to the presence of large structures like breakwaters and groins are also taken into account. The outputs
from the model are the regular wave parameters that include the significant wave height, mean wave
period, mean wave direction, directional standard deviation and also the wave radiation stresses
required as input for executing the hydrodynamic module.
The Hydrodynamic (HD) and Sand Transport (ST) modules of the MIKE21 Flow Model-Flexible
Mesh (FM) series (DHI 2009 ) have been used for the modeling of the coastal circulation and near shore
sediment transport pattern along the Kayamkulam-Thottapally coast. This modeling system has been
developed for complex applications within oceanographic, coastal and estuarine environments. It
simulates the water level variations and flows in response to a variety of external forcing functions and
includes features accounting for the effects of flooding and drying, momentum dispersion, bottom shear
stress, coriolis force, wind shear stress, tidal potential, wave radiation stresses etc. It is based on the

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294 Numerical Model Studies on the Effect of Breakwaters on Coastal
Processes – A Case Study along a Stretch of the Kerala Coast, India

numerical solution of the two-dimensional, incompressible Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes

equations subject to the assumptions of Boussinesq and of hydrostatic pressure. Thus, the model
consists of continuity, momentum, temperature, salinity and density equations and it is closed by a
turbulent closure scheme.
Coastline evolution analysis has been performed with the LITLINE module of the LITPACK (DHI
2004) modeling system. LITLINE simulates the coastal response to gradients in the alongshore
sediment transport capacity resulting from natural features and a wide variety of coastal structures.
LITLINE calculates the coastline evolution by solving a continuity equation for the sediment in the
littoral zone. The influence of structures, sources and sinks are also included. The basic input data for
running the model are the alongshore relative coastline alignment, cross-shore profile description and
bathymetry, active depth of transport and depth contour angles at each grid point, environmental data
with wave properties, tidal currents and water levels position and size of structures etc.

3.1. Model Setup

Since the Kerala coast experiences both south-west (June–September) and north-east
(October–December) monsoons, two separate models were set up for the simulation of the wave field
and circulation. The waves are predominantly from the SWW direction during the monsoon season and
are more vigorous compared to the post-monsoon season during which the waves mostly approach
from the SW direction. The northeast monsoon occurs within a month after the withdrawal of the
southwest monsoon and since the wave activity is comparatively less during this period, it is generally
referred to as the post-monsoon period.
The bathymetry data for the model was obtained using the MIKE C-MAP digital charts. MIKE C-
MAP works on the Global Electronic Chart Database CM-93 provided by Jeppesen Norway. For the
nearshore region, fine bathymetry grid data was compiled from a shallow water bathymetry survey of
the region, conducted by CESS. The model domain selected for the study is about 25 km × 75 km with
a maximum water depth of about 280 m as shown in Fig. 3. An unstructured mesh was created with
local refinement in the nearshore region and also in the vicinity of the breakwaters. The unstructured
mesh approach gives the maximum degree of flexibility. For small-scale applications, the basic
conservation equations are usually formulated in cartesian co-ordinates. The source functions used in
the SW model are based on third-generation formulations. An unstructured finite volume method was
used for the spatial discretisation of the conservation equation for wave action.

3.2. Boundary Conditions and Model Input

The model was set up with three open boundaries – north, south and west, along with a land boundary
on the eastern side. For defining the western open boundary, offshore wave data consisting of the
significant wave height, mean wave direction, peak wave period and directional standard deviation
were given as the input parameters. The other two open boundaries, i.e., the northern and southern

Bathymetry
9.30 Above 0
−20 – 0
Latitude (degree)

−40 – −20
9.25 −60 – −40
−80 – −60
9.20 −100 – −80
−120 – −100
−140 – −120
9.15 −160 – −140
−180 – −160
−200 – −180
9.10 −220 – −200
−240 – −220
75.90 76.00 76.10 76.20 76.30 76.40 −260 – −240
Longitude (degree) −280 – −260
Below −280

Figure 3. Bathymetry of the study area

International Journal of Ocean and Climate Systems

L.Sheela Nair, V.Sundar and N.P.Kurian 295

boundaries were defined as lateral boundaries. Since the data available with CESS is mostly confined
to the nearshore region, the deep water met-ocean parameters collected for the year 2005 from the
deepwater offshore buoy (DS2) located near Kavaratti island in the Arabian Sea, under the National
Data Buoy Programme (NDBP) implemented by the NIOT, were used for defining the offshore
boundary conditions.
For setting up the Flow Model (Flexible Mesh –FM) the surface elevation or tidal variation at the
three open boundaries were given as input for defining the boundary condition. The wind data for the
region, sediment characteristics and output from the SW model which gives the wave radiation stresses
were also provided. Hydrodynamic data like tides, wind, wave, current, sediment characteristics
compiled by CESS, were also used.

3.3. Model Calibration

The model calibration was done by fine tuning the model by adjusting the bottom friction parameter
which is normally expressed in the form of seabed roughness. For this purpose, the simulated results
from MIKE21 were compared with the corresponding measured values at Thrikunnapuzha, a coastal
station located almost mid-way between the Kayamkulam inlet and Thottapally.

4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1. Coastal Hydrodynamics
Separate models were set up using the various modules of the MIKE21 modeling system for the two
distinct seasons of monsoon and post-monsoon to simulate the wave, current and sediment transport
patterns. The results were analysed to bring out the seasonal variation in the nearshore coastal processes
and their impact on the coastal area. The nearshore wave climates during the two seasons being entirely
different, there is a marked difference in the nearshore circulation and sediment transport distribution.
The spatial and temporal impact due to construction of breakwaters at the Kayamkulam inlet on the
shoreline has also been critically analysed by conducting a one dimensional shoreline change study
using the LITLINE module of the LITPACK modeling system.

4.2. Waves
The mean value of the significant wave height for the study area during the monsoon was found to
range between 1.2 and 1.35 m as can be seen in Fig. 4a, whereas, this ranges between 0.75 and 0.9 m

(a) Statistical mean : sign. wave height (b) Statistical mean : sign. wave height

9.32 9.32

9.30 9.30

9.28 9.28

9.26 9.26

9.24 9.24

9.22 9.22

9.20 9.20

9.18 9.18

9.16 Meter
Meter 9.16 Above 0.60
Above 1.65
1.50 – 1.65 0.55 – 0.60
0.50 – 0.55
9.14 1.35 – 1.50
9.14 0.45 – 0.50
1.20 – 1.35
1.05 – 1.20 0.40 – 0.45
0.90 – 1.05 0.35 – 0.40
9.12 0.75 – 0.90 9.12 0.30 – 0.35
0.60 – 0.75 0.25 – 0.30
0.45 – 0.60 0.20 – 0.25
9.10 0.30 – 0.45 9.10
0.15 – 0.20
0.10 – 0.15
0.15 – 0.30
0.00 – 0.15 0.00 – 0.10
0.00 – 0.05
76.30 76.35 76.40 76.45 76.30 76.35 76.40 76.45
Timestep (1/1) : 7/17/2005 00:00:00 Timestep (1/1) : 11/1/2005 00:00:00

Figure 4. Mean significant wave height during (a) monsoon and (b) post-monsoon

Volume 2 · Number 4 · 2011

296 Numerical Model Studies on the Effect of Breakwaters on Coastal
Processes – A Case Study along a Stretch of the Kerala Coast, India

(a) (b)
9.32 9.32
9.30 9.30
9.28 9.28
9.26 9.26
9.24 9.24
9.22 9.22
9.20 9.20
Degree
9.18 Above 325
300 − 325
9.18 Degree
Above 280
275 − 300 260 − 280
250 − 275 240 − 260
9.16 225 − 250 9.16 220 − 240
200 − 225 200 − 220
175 − 200 180 − 200
9.14 150 − 175 9.14 160 − 180
125 − 150 140 − 160
100 − 125 120 − 140
75 − 100 100 − 120
9.12 50 − 75 9.12 80 − 100
25 − 50 60 − 80
0 − 25 40 − 60
9.10 −25 − 0 9.10 20 − 40
Below −25 0 − 20
Undefined value Below 0

76.30 76.35 76.40 76.45

76.30 76.35 76.40 76.45
Timestep (1/1) : 7/17/2005 00:00:00
Timestep (1/1) : 11/1/2005 00:00:00

Figure 5. Mean wave direction during (a) monsoon and (b) post-monsoon

during the post-monsoon season (Fig. 4b). There is, however, a small reduction in the wave activity in
the immediate vicinity of the breakwaters (particularly the southern arm of the Kayamkulam
breakwater) due to the shadowing effect. The mean wave direction during the monsoon is found to be
in the range of 250–275° indicating south-westerly to westerly waves (Fig. 5a) whereas, it is 240–280°
(Fig. 5(b)) during the post-monsoon period. The simulated peak wave periods for the two seasons are
11s and 17s respectively. There is also a noticeable change in the mean wave direction at the
boundaries, adjacent to both the breakwaters. This apparently is due to the localized changes in the
wave pattern because of the combined effects of refraction and diffraction due to the presence of the
breakwaters. The wave height in the immediate vicinity of the breakwaters are found to be smaller than
the wave heights at a distance of 1.5 to 2 km on either side of the breakwaters during both the seasons.
The results clearly indicate that the construction of breakwaters at Kayamkulam has certainly had an
impact on the adjoining shoreline. These results are in confirmation with the field observations of high
erosion reported along the Kayakulam Thrikkunnapuzha stretch by Kurian et al. (2007).

4.3. Nearshore Currents

The mean current speed during the monsoon is found to range between 0.1 and 0.2 m/s as seen in Fig.
6(a). The results of the post-monsoon (Fig. 6(b)) simulation show comparatively higher alongshore
currents. The mean current speed in the region to the north of the Kayamkulam inlet varies between
0.11 and 0.14 m/s, whereas, it is between 0.2 and 0.3 m/s on its southern side. A distinct increase in
its value to about 0.26 m/s is observed at the tip of the breakwaters as can be seen in the results
depicted in Fig. 7(a). The mean value of nearshore current varies between 0.07 and 0.2 m/s on the
northern side of the breakwaters/inlet, whereas, the spatial variation in mean current speed is between
0.03 and 0.1 m/s to the south of the breakwater. The mean current speed at the mouth of the inlet during
post-monsoon is found to be about 0.4 m/s. The general current pattern indicates a predominantly
southerly trend. During the post-monsoon season, as seen earlier (Fig. 7 (b)), the mean alongshore
current direction for the study area varies between 200 and 240° (SSW to WSW). The mean current
direction during post-monsoon for the nearshore region immediately south and north of the breakwater
is between 250 and 300°.

International Journal of Ocean and Climate Systems

L.Sheela Nair, V.Sundar and N.P.Kurian 297

(a) Statistical mean : current speed (b) Statistical mean : current speed

9.32 9.32

9.30 9.30

9.28 9.28

9.26 9.26

9.24 9.24

9.22 9.22

9.20 9.20
m/s m/s
9.18 Above 0.375
0.350 – 0.375
9.18 Above 0.44
0.40 – 0.44
0.325 – 0.350 0.36 – 0.40
0.300 – 0.325
9.16 0.275 – 0.300 9.16 0.32 – 0.36
0.28 – 0.32
0.250 – 0.275 0.24 – 0.28
0.225 – 0.250 0.20 – 0.24
9.14 0.200 – 0.225 9.14 0.16 – 0.20
0.175 – 0.200 0.12 – 0.16
0.150 – 0.175 0.08 – 0.12
9.12 0.125 – 0.150 0.04 – 0.08
0.100 – 0.125 9.12 0.00 – 0.04
0.075 – 0.100 −0.04 – 0.00
0.050 – 0.075 −0.08 – − 0.04
9.10 0.025 – 0.050 9.10 −0.12 – − 0.08
Below 0.025
Undefined value Below − 0.12

76.30 76.35 76.40 76.45 76.30 76.35 76.40 76.45

Timestep (1/1) : 7/19/2005 00:00:00 Timestep (1/1) : 11/5/2005 00:00:00

Figure 6. Mean current speed during (a) monsoon and (b) post-monsoon

The nearshore mean current direction for the monsoon season is mostly in the WSW-W direction
(250–275°) except for the 1.5–2 km stretch south of the Kayamkulam breakwater where the mean
current direction ranges from 270° to 300° as can be seen in the results projected in Fig. 8(a). This
localized effect is clearly due to the recent accretion in the area that has developed as a result of the
breakwater construction.

4.4. Nearshore Sediment Transport

The sediment transport rates and the bed level changes for the two seasons also have been computed.
The sediment transport rates in the nearshore region are relatively small and the direction is mostly
southerly during the monsoon as observed in the results shown in Fig. 9(a). For the post-monsoon
season (Fig. 9(b)) an onshore movement is observed. The simulated bed level changes indicate an
eroding tendency all along the coast during monsoon. The corresponding bed level changes for the
post-monsoon season indicate a marginal increase in bed level. There are also indications of sediment
deposition near to the tip of the southern arm and on both sides of the breakwaters.

4.5. Model Validation

The study area for the present study being a sub-cell of the Quilon-Alleppey coast, the results from the
simulation for the different seasons presented herein were compared with the earlier works (Kurian et
al. 2007, 2008 & 2009, Sheela et al. 2007 and Hameed 1988) reported for this sector of the coast and
it is seen that the results are in close conformity.

4.6. Shoreline Evolution

The shoreline evolution pattern for the Kayamkulam coast was simulated using the LITLINE module
of LITPACK. The shoreline change model was set up by giving the latest coastline and cross-shore
profiles and the nearshore wave climate at a the depth of closure/near shore region as inputs. The
nearshore wave climate (Table 1) and the sediment data (Table 2) for the input for the model were
derived from Kurian et al. (2008) pertaining to the Thrikunnapuzha coastal station during 2004.
The simulated shoreline evolution for 25 years due to the presence of the breakwater (present
condition) in the northern side and the southern side are presented in Figs. 10 and 11 respectively. The
results indicate that if this sector of the coast is left in the present condition, the area north of the

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298 Numerical Model Studies on the Effect of Breakwaters on Coastal
Processes – A Case Study along a Stretch of the Kerala Coast, India

(a) Statistical mean : current speed

9.150
9.148
9.146
9.144
9.142
9.140
9.138
9.136
9.134
9.132
m/s
9.130 Above
0.26 –
0.28
0.28
0.24 – 0.26
9.128 0.22 – 0.24
0.20 – 0.22
9.126 0.18 –
0.16 –
0.20
0.18
0.14 – 0.16
9.124 0.12 – 0.14
0.10 – 0.12
9.122 0.08 –
0.06 –
0.10
0.08
0.04 – 0.06
9.120 0.02 – 0.04
0.00 – 0.02
Below 0.00
70.450 70.455 70.460 70.465 70.470 70.475
Timestep (1/1) : 7/19/2005 00:00:00

(b) Statistical mean : current speed

9.150
9.148
9.146
9.144
9.142
9.140
9.138
9.136
9.134
9.132 m/s
Above 0.44
9.130 0.40 – 0.44
0.36 – 0.40
9.128 0.32 – 0.35
0.20 – 0.32
9.126 0.24 – 0.28
0.20 – 0.24
0.16 – 0.20
9.124 0.12 – 0.16
0.08 – 0.12
9.122 0.04 –
0.00 –
0.08
0.04
− 0.04 – 0.00
9.120 − 0.08 – 0.04
− 0.12 – 0.08
9.118 Below 0.12
70.440 70.445 70.450 70.455 70.460 70.465 70.470 70.475
Timestep (1/1) : 11/5/2005 00:00:00

Figure 7. A closer picture of mean current speed at Kayamkulam inlet during (a)
monsoon and (b) post-monsoon.

Kayamkulam inlet would be badly affected due to significant erosion. The alongshore extent of erosion
is observed up to 7.5 km from the inlet, out of which the coastal stretch of about 4.5 km, starting from
a distance of 0.75 km on the north of the inlet, has been identified as a critically eroding area
experiencing a high rate of erosion particularly during the first 10 years. At the same time advancement
of shoreline is seen over a small coastal stretch of 100 m adjoining the northern arm of the breakwater

International Journal of Ocean and Climate Systems

L.Sheela Nair, V.Sundar and N.P.Kurian 299

(a) Statistical mean : current direction (b) Statistical mean : current direction
9.32 9.32

9.30 9.30

9.28 9.28

9.26 9.26

9.24 9.24

9.22 9.22

9.20 9.20
Degree
9.18 Above 350 9.18
325 – 350
300 – 325 Degree
275 – 300 Above 325
9.16 250 – 275 9.16 300 – 325
225 – 250 275 – 300
200 – 225 250 – 275
9.14 175 – 200 9.14 225 – 250
150 – 175 200 – 225
125 – 150 175 – 200
9.12 100 – 125 150 – 175
75 – 100 9.12 125 – 150
50 – 75 100 – 125
25 – 50 75 – 100
9.10 0 – 25
9.10 50 – 75
Below 0 25 – 50
0 – 25

76.30 76.35 76.40 76.45 76.35 76.40 76.45

Timestep (1/1) : 7/19/2005 00:00:00 Timestep (1/1) : 11/5/2005 00:00:00

Figure 8. Mean current direction during (a) monsoon and (b) post-monsoon

(a) Statistical mean : total load direction (b) Statistical mean : total load direction
9.32 9.32
9.30 9.30
9.28 9.28
9.26 9.26
9.24 9.24
9.22 9.22
9.20 9.20
9.18 9.18
Degree
Degree
Above 325
9.16 300 – 325 9.16 Above 320
275 – 300 300 – 320
250 – 275 280 – 300
9.14 225 – 250
9.14
260 –
240 –
280
260
200 – 225
175 – 200 220 – 240
150 – 175 200 – 220
9.12 125 – 150 9.12 180 – 200
100 – 125 160 – 180
75 – 100 140 – 160
9.10 50 – 75
9.10
120 – 140
25 – 50 100 – 120
0 – 25 80 – 100
60 – 80
76.30 76.35 76.40 76.45 76.30 76.35 76.40 76.45
Timestep (1/1) : 7/19/2005 00:00:00 Timestep (1/1) : 11/5/2005 00:00:00

Figure 9. Mean sediment transport (total load) direction during (a) monsoon and (b)
post-monsoon.

Table 1. Wave data input for shoreline change studies

Duration
Season (% of year) Hrms (m) MWD°N Tz (s)
Pre-monsoon 33.50 0.81 226 8.60
Monsoon 33.00 2.24 246 8.00
Post-monsoon 33.50 0.86 204 9.00

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300 Numerical Model Studies on the Effect of Breakwaters on Coastal
Processes – A Case Study along a Stretch of the Kerala Coast, India

Table 2. Sediment data input for shoreline change studies

Parameter Value
Specific gravity 2.65
Mean grain diameter (mm) 0.15 to 0.3
Fall velocity (m/s) 0.015 to 0.024
Bed roughness 0.006
Geometrical spreading 1.5

650
Initial(m)
600 1st (m)
5th (m)
Beach position (m)

10th (m)
550 15th (m)
20th (m)
25th (m)
500

450

400

350
5000 10000 15000 20000 25000
Distance along coast (m)

Figure 10. Simulated shoreline evolution pattern for 25 years in the present condition
validated with satellite imageries and photos taken from site

which corroborates well with the pattern reported by Thomas et al. (2010), the latest satellite imageries
available for the area and also the latest field observations (photographs shown in the above figure).
The computed shoreline evolution also indicates that this accretion would gradually extend to the
northern side with the passage of time. As per the simulated trend in the shoreline changes, a maximum
beach width of about 60m in the area adjacent to the breakwater would be lost in about 25 years. The
trend in the predicted shoreline evolution using LITLINE is strikingly similar to that observed in the
field as reported by Kurian et al. (2008). Although, the area of interest is the region to the north of

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L.Sheela Nair, V.Sundar and N.P.Kurian 301

800
Initial(m)
1st (m)
Beach position (m) 700 5th (m)
10th (m)
15th (m)
600 20th (m)
25th (m)

500

400

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500

Distance along coast (m)
Lak
sha
dw

Azhikkal
eep
sea

Kayamkulam breakwater
N
W E South of inlet
S Azheekal
Legand
Shoreline 2004
Shoreline 1955
Breakwater

Figure 11. Simulated shoreline evolution pattern for 25 years to the south of inlet for 25
years in the present condition validated with field observations (from Thomas et al 2010
and Sattelite imagery

Kayamkulam, a stretch of 2.5 km to the south of Kayamkulam was also included in the model domain.
The predicted shoreline change over a period of 25 years, along the coastal stretch to the south of the
inlet is projected in Fig. 11. The simulated shoreline evolution clearly indicates that there is an accreting
tendency to the south of the inlet and this is in agreement with field observations as reported by Thomas
et al. (2010).

5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

A critical examination of the results of the numerical modeling work for the two distinct seasons clearly
indicates that the the Kayamkulam-Arattupuzha coastal stretch continues to be a critically eroding site.
Accretion is seen in the immediate vicinity of the breakwaters. The increased rate of erosion seen along
the north of Kayamkulam inlet (a stretch of 7.5 km from the inlet) is clearly due to the construction of
breakwaters in this area. Even though the post-monsoon results show some sediment deposition all
along the coast the quantity that is coming to the area is not sufficient to maintain the balance. The
increased rate of deposition seen along the southern arm of the breakwater is a clear indication of the
net annual northerly drift in this region. The erosion along the Kayamkulam-Arattupuzha stretch is
likely to continue for a few more years till the bypassing of sediment to the north, past the southern
breakwater commences. The results from the study has provided an insight to all the parameters
governing sediment dynamics along the study area through numerical modeling. This can form a strong
base for careful planning and implementation of coastal protection measures.

6. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Ministry of Earth Sciences is thanked for funding the Shoreline Management Project under which
the data was collected. The authors are thankful to Dr. M. Baba, former Director, CESS, for the support
and encouragement given for the work. The deep water data for the model study was provided by

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302 Numerical Model Studies on the Effect of Breakwaters on Coastal
Processes – A Case Study along a Stretch of the Kerala Coast, India

NIOT. The entire project team of the Shoreline Management Project is specially acknowledged for their
involvement in field survey and data collection.

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