STUDY ON APPLICABILITY OF GRAVEL BEACH NOURISHMENT IN TUVALU

Abstract

 Fongafale Island in Tuvalu country, of which land was formed by the accumulation of coral gravels and sand with low elevation of 3 to 4 m from seawater level, was subject to serious coastal disaster risk, such as wave overtopping, coastal erosion, etc. The pilot Project of gravel beach nourishment was undertaken in Tuvalu to examine the applicability and effectiveness as coastal protection measures taking into account the enhancement of beach use. The continuous monitoring has been carried out to examine the change in beach profile and its stability against wave action by comparing to the full-scale reclamation project which was carried out at nearby coast. The results show the high stability of beach profile and less outflow for filling gravels and sand.