TITLE: COASTAL EROSION AND

LANDFORMS.
AIM:

What are the factors that influence the formation of coastal features along Fishing Pond beach Trinidad?

LOCATION OF FIELD STUDY:

The study was carried out in the area of Fishing Pond which is located in the Northeast district of
Trinidad in the parish of Sangre Grande. Fishing Pond is a small village situated approximately 2km east
from the main town of Sangre Grande. The village of Fishing Pond can be accessed by travelling east of
the main town of Sangre Grande along the Glenda Main Road for approximately 2.5km. Fishing pond is
further separated into Upper Fishing Pond and Lower Fishing Pond. The study was conducted along the
coastline of Upper Fishing Pond along a 1.5km stretch.
METHODOLOGY:

Data was collected by walking along Fishing Pond coastline and recorded using the following:

- Gradient of beach slope profile

A sketch map was used to draw the beach profile. The notepad that was present was used to
measure the readings of the beach profiles. A clinometer was used to measure the angle the of
the gradient of the beach.

- Long shore drift

To calculate long shore drift a ball was used. The ball was thrown into the beach and the
distance was calculated using a meter rule. The time was taken using a stopwatch. After one
minute the distance was recorded by using a measuring tape from its point of origin to the point
of where the ball reached after one minute.

- Wave frequency

There are two types of waves. Waves can either be constructive or destructive. To measure the
wave frequency the waves per minute were counted. If the wave count was to be more than ten
per minute the waves were found to be destructive but if it was less than ten the waves were
found to be constructive. A stopwatch was used to calculate a one minute period which was
used to measure the wave frequency.
WHEN WAS DATA COLLECTED?
Data was collected on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2014 over a three hour period ranging from
11am to 2pm.

WHERE WAS DATA COLLECTED?

Data was collected along a 1.5km stretch of the coastline west of Upper Fishing Pond bounded
by the Atlantic Ocean along the North-eastern district of Trinidad. This area was selected due to
its easy access and generally safe environment. The coastline habitat is protected by the
villagers as it is a nesting site for the endangered leathered back turtles and free from human
activities that may change the physical coastline.
PRESENTATION OF DATA:
Data was collected at three different points along the coast. The slope gradient, long shore drift
and wave frequency was the main target from this experiment. The slope was calculated in
degrees while the long shore drift was calculated in one minute periods and measured in feet
(ft.). The wave frequency was obtained using a stopwatch.

SECTION 1 SHOWING THE RESULTS FROM THE 1st, 2nd and 3rd READINGS FOR THE BEACH SLOPE
GRADINET

2nd reading:
Foreshore Cliff Berm Backshore Coastline

5.3 12.6 1.7 3.2 2.2

7.2 38.0
6.8

3rd reading:
Foreshore 1st berm 2nd berm Backshore Coastline

4.2 1.1 1.0 5.8 6.5

5.4 0.8 7.1
4.9 14.8
 Some of the readings were high due to a hole in the sand.
SECTION 2 SHOWING THE RESULTS OF LONG SHORE DRIFT AT THE 1ST, 2ND AND 3RD POINTS OF
LONG SHORE DRIFT:

1st reading:
First reading

77ft.

2nd reading:
Second
reading

22ft.

3rd reading:
Third reading

13ft.
 SECTION 3 SHOWING THE RESULTS OF THE WAVE FREQUENCY AT THE 1ST, 2ND AND 3RD POINTS
ALONG THE BEACH PROFILE:

1st reading:
First reading Second
reading
13 14

2nd reading:
First reading Second
reading
11 13

3rd reading:
First reading Second
reading
11 9

ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION:

According to sketch map 4, the coastline had a bay shaped appearance running from north to south over
a distance of approximately 1.5km. Data gathered at the site indicated that there were several coastal
features that were formed either by coastal erosional or depositional factors.
Discussion and analysis

Shape of the coastline:

This bay was enclosed by 2 headlands located to the north and south.

Rock samples collected along one of the headlands indicated that the main rock type was lignite which
made the headland more resistant to erosion than the materials along the bay.

Beach:

It was observed that the entire stretch of the bay was covered in beach material. Measurements taken
along 3 sample sites indicated that the width of the beach berm which can be defined as: “a nearly flat
portion of a beach, formed of material deposited by the action of the waves” was narrower from the
north area of the coastline becoming wider towards the south. The width of the berm is directly
influenced by the wave action which determines whether its frequency upon approaching the shore can
be either erosional or depositional waves.

Analysis of the wave frequency shows that waves towards the north had an average frequency of 13.5
which indicated that these waves were erosional in nature but then gradually decreases towards the
south to approximately 10 per minute indicating waves of a depositional nature. It must be noted that a
wave frequency of above 10 waves per minute approaching the coastline are considered as erosional or
destructive waves while a wave frequency of less than 10 waves per minute approaching the coastline
belong to the category of depositional or constructive waves. The waves that were approaching the
shore towards the north were observed as being mostly plunging breakers. This gradually became less
towards the south of the coastline where there were more spilling breakers than plunging breakers.

*add in after talking about the berm: the gradient of the beach slope was steepest at site… at … degrees
becoming gentler towards the south at an average gradient of…

*Samples of beach material collected at each site were similar in size with sand particles averaging less
than 1 millimetre in diameter. The sample collected furthest north however also consisted of large disk
shaped pebbles with a diameter of 4cm in diameter. These rocks were lignite that may have been
eroded away from the headland towards the north. These rocks were smooth and rounded due to the
coastal erosional process of attrition where the rocks rob against each other by the motion of the waves
which smoothen them out into their present state.
Spit:

Towards the south, the coastline was intersected by an estuary where a river from a lagoon located to
the west of the coastline (see sketch map 4) flowed out into the bay. This created a small change in the
direction of the deposited beach material which can be identified as a depositional landform called a
spit. The spit was approximately 15 metres in length and an average width of 1.5 metres. The spit is
formed when the transportation of beach material by long shore drift became interrupted by the flow at
the river mouth. This caused deposition to take place eventually forming the narrow projecting deposit
of beach material. Long shore drift is clearly evident along the coastline as data gathered indicated that
the rate of long shore drift was highest towards the north and slowed down towards the south. This
slowing down of long shore drift may have influenced deposition at the river mouth to form the spit.
Throughout the coastline, the materials were transported in a southern direction. The spit itself was
pointed in an almost southern direction as the same general direction of the long shore drift.

Cliff:

Cliffs were found on both headlands surrounding the bay. The cliff along the southern end of the bay
was easier to access and data was gathered at this site. This cliff formed part of the headland and had an
average gradient was approximately 80 degrees. The steepness of the cliff face indicates that wave
erosion is present. At the base of the cliff there is an indentation or wave cut notch which Is formed by
the waves at high tide eroding the base of the cliff. Erosion is also evident as large boulders with
diameters off approximately 20cm can be seen at the base of the cliff which may indicate that the roof
of the notch in previous times have collapsed causing the cliff face to retreat inland.
CONCLUSION:

In conclusion it can clearly be identified that both erosional and depositional coastal factors have both
influenced the formation of various coastal erosional and depositional features along the Fishing Pond
beach in Trinidad.