Abstract

Trinidad as a Small Island Developing State (SID) has limited land resources which must be managed against the threat of coastal erosion. Columbus Bay, located on the southwestern peninsula of the island is negatively affected by high rates of coastal erosion. Erosion in this area has resulted in a reduction in beach amenity, loss of valuable agricultural land, critical mangrove habitats and damage to infrastructure. Although the erosion problem is well documented, the challenges lie in management due to the limited understanding of the interaction of coastal processes and sediment transport in the area. While other studies have identified the existence and causal link between coastal erosion and tidal currents in macro-tidal environments, this study examines the interaction of tides on coastal processes and sediment transport in a micro-tidal setting. The study combines traditional field and levelling techniques alongside numerical modelling on data from 2009-2013. It utilizes the Spectral Wave (SW), Hydrodynamic (HD) and Sediment Transport (ST) modules of MIKE 21.