Advantages and disadvantages of the antropoghenic impact on the sandy coasts: Palanga study case

Abstract

An attitude to the understanding of the anthropogenic impact always has a negative connotation. Nevertheless, positive impact of the human activities is always existed as well, but usually neglected. For instance, impermeable promenade built in the end of the XIXth century at the Palanga coast is the reason of the wide sandy beach with high dunes that is attractive zone for the local and foreign tourists. At the same time, the overwhelming amount of the holidaymakers has negative consequences to the qualities of the seacoast interaction zone. The method of comparable evaluation of the historical shoreline’s evolution taking into consideration the hydrodynamic and human activities fluctuation on the Palanga sandy beach is applied. Therefore, the indication of the negative and positive results of the human impact on the coast is stated. Two kind of exposure signs of the anthropogenic impact on the coastal zone are distinguished - long term (shoreline changes due human impact) and short term (the same shoreline erosion, pollution by marine litter, etc.). It makes sense to show that short-term negative changes should be prevented or protection measures should be organised in order to reviving natural wealth and to recognise the long-term advantages. For these purposes, the Palanga coastal zone pollution is analysed. It should be noticed, that marine litter founded on the Palanga beach have both origins: coming from the sea and directly from the coastal zone. The predominant direction of the marine litter on the shore depending on the touristic season and hydrodynamic situation is determined.