Abstract:
Morphological Changes are the changes in the Shape and form of land features
over time. Thalalla Bay Beach in the southern coastal area occupies a special
place here because it has an untouched and clean coastal area. It has a specific
coastal ecosystem and landform such as the protected cove in the shape of a
crescent which is about 2km long and flanked by palm trees. The objective of
this study is to map and calculate the morphological changes in the Thalalla
Bay Beach area. These changes were mapped and integrated with GIS
environment based on Google Earth satellite images in 2005, 2015, and the
2023 respectively. Hence, used the geographically digitizing method
comparing Google Images from each year and using a field survey. During the
last 15 years, this area has changed over time with the formation of new
morphological patterns such as dramatically narrowing the estuary and
increasing the number of settlements with the increasing tourism.
Furthermore, it can be identified that the river gradually widened by 2005,
2015, and 2023. As a result, the size of the beach has increased over time. The
result revealed 3.98 ha in 2005 and 8.44 ha in 2023. This is due to the
narrowing of the river and the deposition of sediments on the shoreline. The
morphological features have changed with the effect of both natural and
human factors. The result of the present study can be used for environmental-based institutes to develop sustainable environmental plans and reduce the
negative impact caused by land erosion.
