Coastal zone of West Bengal, characterized as a typical lowland coast under a meso-macrotidal regime, register evidence of accretion and erosion that control configuration of the coastline. At present, West Bengal coast is a hostile coastal tract in nature evidenced by severe erosion that leads to lowering of coastal plains and landward advancement of coastline as it is a cyclone prone area. The coastal zone of the state is the outcome of the combined depositional effects of Ganga-Brahmaputra River and the Bay of Bengal. Tidal fluctuations, wave parameters, longshore currents, sand flats, and beach ridges are the characteristic features of the coastal areas of the state. Major catastrophic events like cyclonic storms, tidal bores, storm surges, breaking types, high tidal range, strong littoral drift that control the coastal configuration of West Bengal are examined accordingly. Nature of beach materials and different sedimentary structures on the intertidal zones are identified.
Keywords
Coastal divisions, Coastal sectors, Coastal processes, Wave parameters, Coastal waters, Beach characters, Bedforms, Sediment texture, Breaker types
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