Coastal Morphology Impact on the Erosion and
Accretion Area Using Elevation Data
Nik Amir Ashraf Nik Azmi1, Rohayu Harun Narashid
Centre of Studies for Surveying Science & Geomatics
Faculty of Architecture Planning & Surveying
Universiti Teknologi MARA
Perlis, Malaysia.
nikamir1395@[Link]
Abstract— Coastal beaches in Terengganu considered being
heavily affected with erosion, especially the coastline of the This study can be served as the groundwork for the
northern area of Kuala Terengganu. The area, which consists involved agencies and institutions to figure the solution of
of human settlements, education institution, tourism the coastal erosion to ensure the sustainability of coastal
attraction, economic development and much more, is area can be maintained for the residents and near-beach
considered by some as significant for the state development. ecosystem. The coastal area that being well managed
This study is conducted to determine the impact of coastal continuously can generate income via tourism to the local
morphology on the erosion and accretion area change in citizens specifically, and state government generally, and
Kuala Terengganu using elevation data from the static and avoiding too much loss in treating the damaged beaches and
RTK-GPS survey method. This study reflects the dynamic destroyed infrastructures due to continuous erosion.
equilibrium that occurs in the coastal area. The accretion and
erosion phenomena are naturally taking place in a balanced In addition, this study also reflects the dynamic
ecosystem, other than applying an advanced method of RTK- equilibrium that occurs in the coastal area. The accretion and
GPS observation method can enhance the quality of data when erosion phenomena are naturally taking place in a balanced
determining the variation of elevations of coastal baseline. ecosystem. If one area shows the tendency of significant
accretion, there will be substantial erosion will happen at
another coastal area along the accretion line. The usage of
Keywords— coastal erosion, SPOT-5, morphological factor, an advanced method of various GPS observation method
RTK-GPS can enhance the quality of data when determining the
variation of elevations of coastal baseline, as the data that is
I. INTRODUCTION observed by this method can be acquired faster with the
Coastal erosion shows the massive impact on the land precise result achieved from the observation.
structure within the years. As stated by [1], coastal erosion
can be defined as the loss or displacement of land along the II. STUDY AREA AND DATASETS
coastline due to various factors. Coastal erosion can happen
either by a natural factor or anthropogenic issues [2]. One of A. Study Area
the main driving forces of coastal erosion is a tidal wave. In
Malaysia, the East Coast experiences high wave forces as The study area was conducted at the northern coastal
the coastal area are facing the South China Sea [3]. The area of Kuala Terengganu, nearby the Sultan Mahmud
monsoon season can cause severe floods over the east coast International Airport. the study area that had been chosen is
and coastal area of Borneo states. Anthropogenic issues near divided into four significant areas along the coastal line of
the coast are another factor that increases the effect of Kampung Batu Rakit to the main campus of Universiti
coastal erosion. The major occurrence involving potential Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu. The site is
economic development in the coastal area such as also nearby the Mengabang Telipot Beach, where it is well-
residential, industrial or tourism purposes might affect the known for coastal erosion that affected the residents that live
rate of accretion and erosion of the beach morphological nearby the shoreline. Thus, the study is vital to avoid the
structure at the shoreline. impact of erosion to be spread further to another area.
Coastal beaches in Terengganu considered being heavily
affected with erosion, breaching 20 km of category 1, which
is classified as the critical condition. The state coastal
shoreline is also being the longest coastal area that affected
with critical shoreline erosion. The situation gets much
worse when the coastal area of the northern of Sultan
Mahmud Airport facing extremely high erosion rate due to
the tarmac extension project in 2010 which affect the coastal
erosion nearby the airport [4].
During monsoon season, the strong wind from the sea
and heavy rain can drive the erosion rate much faster and
become more critical. In long-term, large-scale damage on
physical features located along the shoreline might occur if Fig. 1. Location of study area
no proper measure taken to control the impact of the erosion
along the coastline. Such areas that located a few meters
away from shoreline often face the risk of coastal erosion
that causes huge loses to those who were affected.