The Department of Lands and Surveys of Cyprus has compiled an extensive archive of historical coastline data for the greater Limassol area. This dataset, spanning from 1963 to the present, includes field measurements and satellite imagery. Coastline records are available for the years 1963, 1993, 2003, 2008, 2014, and 2019, along with documentation of major construction events during these periods. These datasets, are illustrated in Map 1.
Map 1: Coastlines for the area of Limassol in southern Cyprus, spanning from 1963 to 2019 (Available at: https://portal.dls.moi.gov.cy).
To assess rates of shoreline change (m/yr) across the area, data and methods from Luijendijk et al. (2018) were utilized. Transect locations were derived from freely available satellite images spanning from 1984 to 2021, following the procedure outlined in their study. For the area of interest, a total of 33 transects were analyzed, with an alongshore spacing of 500 meters, providing a detailed representation of shoreline dynamics (Map 2). These transects, form a critical dataset for understanding coastal changes and informing future coastal management strategies.
Map 2: Transect locations (top panel) along with the upstream (T63) and downstream transects (T96).
To analyze coastline dynamics and identify long-term trends, the Shoreline Change Analysis tool (QSCAT) in QGIS was utilized. This tool calculates the rate and magnitude of shoreline changes over various time periods. Key shoreline change metrics, including Net Shoreline Movement (NSM), End Point Rate (EPR), and Linear Regression Rate (LRR), were derived from a time series of shoreline vectors spanning 1963 to 2019. Additionally, changes in the coastal area were quantified by comparing the 1963 and 2019 shorelines. These calculations accounted for accuracy levels to assess erosion, accretion, and stable zones effectively (Map 3).
Map 3: Utilisation of QSCAT tool in QGIS for the coastlines of 1963 and 2019.
References: Luijendijk, A., Hagenaars, G., Ranasinghe, R. et al. (2018). The State of the World’s Beaches. Sci Rep 8, 6641 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-24630-6