2010 IEEE/OES US/EU Baltic International Symposium

(BALTIC) August 25, 26, 27 2010 - Riga, Latvia

IEEE Catalog Number: CFP10AME-ART ISBN: 978-1-4244-9227-5/10/$26.00 ©IEEE Personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or to reuse any copyrighted component of this work in other works must be obtained from the IEEE.

WIND AND WIND WAVES REGIME CLIMATICAL CHANGES AT THE SE

BALTIC SEA COAST

Loreta Kelpšaitė1,2, Inga Dailidienė1 1Klaipėdos Universitėtas, BPATPI 2Klaipėdos Universitėtas, Geofizinių mokslų katedra H.Manto 84, LT-92294, Klaipėda. E-

mail: loreta@corpi.ku.lt, inga.dailidiene@gmail.com

Symposium Track: A; Poster presentation.

Changes of the wind and wave regime at the south eastern coast of the Baltic proper,

Lithuanian coast, during last decades can be interpreted, as one of the cause of the changes in

the sediment transport at study area. Main changes in the predominant wave direction were

noticed in the different years that clarify changes in the annual wave activities. Noticed

features estimated from field observations and geomorphic features showed that waves

approaching from the south-west direction are the major driver for the coastal processes and

cause predominant sediment transport along the Lithuanian coast from the south to north.

Wave activity is the major driver of coastal processes along the eastern coast of the Baltic

Sea and in many sections of its sub-basins. The Lithuanian sea coast is almost straight and

exposed to the wind and wave impact. Changes in the wave regime at the eastern coast of the

Baltic proper may cause considerable changes in the coastal processes. Variations in the wind

wave dynamics may occur at the main wave parameters, such as wave height and period.

Changes in the wave approaching direction also may be significant in the short time period.

In this study we analyzed changes of the wave regimes at the south-eastern part of the

Baltic proper, Lithuanian coast during last decades. Result show that this research can be

interpreted, as one of the cause of the changes in the sediment transport regime at study area.

Wave prorogation direction mainly depends on the prevalent wind direction. It should be

noted that the intensity of coastal circulation has increased during the research period.

Changes in the wind direction induce more repetitive west wave direction. The most frequent

wave approach direction was indicated as south-west. The second most frequent direction of

wind directions and wave approach directions is either from west. These directions also

correspond with the typical direction of strongest winds and have one of the longest fetches in

the South-eastern Baltic at the Lithuanian coast.

This analysis partly explains changes in the abrasion processes at the Lithuanian coast of

the Baltic proper. That allows us to continue further studies of changes in wave’s regime in

the study area, because of the important practical and economical consequences.