The natural causes of shoreline evolution of Capo Peloro, the northernmost point of Sicily (Italy)

ABSTRACT Randazzo, G., Cigala, C., Crupi, A., Lanza, S., 2014. The natural causes of shoreline evolution of Capo Peloro, the northernmost point of Sicily (Italy). In: Green, A.N. and Cooper, J.A.G. (eds.), Proceedings 13th International Coastal Symposium (Durban, South Africa), Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 70, pp. 199–204, ISSN 0749-0208. During recent times, the world's coastline has been constantly changing, and factors such as: the absence of sediment transport from rivers, urbanization of the coastal zone, construction of protective structures and ports, contribute to such change. An increase in frequency and intensity of storm events may also play a role. In the area of Capo Peloro (eastern Sicily) in the last 180 years, the changing coastline has been assessed using maps, aerial photographs, urban plans, historical notes, and surveys from 1824 to 2013 with the support of a long winded dataset series (1951 to 2012). The area of Capo Peloro is the northernmost headland of Sicily, dividing the Tyrrhenian from the Ionian Sea and stretching into the Strait of Messina. The four beaches which constitute the continuous coastal system of the cape show rapid evolution. Analysis of the wind records shows a decreasing trend for winds coming from the orientation range of 290°–330°, while there is an increasing trend for those coming from the range of 331°–20° and, in general, wind intensity has increased in the last 9 years. Comparison of the coastal evolution pattern and the wind data set, a direct relationship has been recognized, while urbanization has not affected this trend. The beach of Tiro a Volo lost its capability to regenerate and protect itself naturally in 2012, which was the windiest year of the series considered. Erosion in 2012 uncovered old anthropic structures, eliminating the morphological connection between the beach and the alluvial plain. The hardening of the landward limit of the beach caused a loss of beach resilience. Due to the exposed structures, an artificial redistribution of the sedimentary material in the area is now necessary.