MONITORING OF THE BALTIC SEA AND DUTCHMAN‘S HAT CLIFF

Abstract

Baltic Sea coastal monitoring in Lithuania is carried out using remote measurement methods, employing photogrammetric technology and data obtained from coastal observation stations. Since 2017, systematic monitoring of the Baltic Sea coast has been conducted by hydrological research specialists from the Environmental Protection Agency. Despite regular investigations of shoreline changes, observations over the past decade have shown that the coast of the Baltic Sea is experiencing increasingly frequent coastal erosion, while natural coastal accumulation is occurring relatively slowly. Changes of this nature result not only in the loss of sandy sediments along the seashore, a higher risk of flooding, and damage to various hydraulic engineering infrastructures, but also in an increased risk of biodiversity loss and more difficult navigation near the Baltic Sea coast. This study analyses changes along the Baltic Sea shoreline at the beaches of Melnragė, Giruliai, and the cliff area of Olando kepurė. To achieve the objectives of the study, an analysis of scientific literature and previously collected monitoring data was undertaken, and coastal changes in the studied locations were examined. For shoreline data collection, a GNSS receiver “Satlab SL600” was used, while the collected data were processed using Autodesk AutoCAD with the “GeoMap” add-in developed by InfoEra. The obtained results were compared with earlier shoreline surveys and presented visually in diagrams, and the study determined that, compared with previous measurements, the differences between recorded erosion and accumulation zones are significant.