@article{fdi:010075108,
  title = {{R}esponse of the {B}ight of {B}enin ({G}ulf of {G}uinea, {W}est {A}frica) coastline to anthropogenic and natural forcing, {P}art 2 : sources and patterns of sediment supply, sediment cells, and recent shoreline change},
  author = {{A}nthony, {E}. {J}. and {A}lmar, {R}afa{\¨e}l and {B}esset, {M}. and {R}eyns, {J}. and {L}aibi, {R}. and {R}anasinghe, {R}. and {O}ndoa, {G}. {A}. and {V}acchi, {M}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{T}he {B}ight of {B}enin in the {G}ulf of {G}uinea, {W}est {A}frica, forms an embayment between the {V}olta {R}iver delta in the west ({G}hana) and the {N}iger {R}iver delta ({N}igeria) in the east. {T}he bight coast comprises sandy beaches backed by {H}olocene beach-ridge barriers. {I}ncident swell waves, beachface gradient and the unidirectional longshore sand transport from west to east are intimately linked, generating a classic example of a strongly wave-dominated drift-aligned coast. {T}he stability of this coast, which hosts several major cities in addition to three large international deepwater ports, has been strongly affected by human activities. {W}e analyzed shoreline mobility and coastal area change over the period 1990-2015. {O}ur results show how the stability of this coast has been strongly affected by the three ports therein, and by natural and human-altered shoreline dynamics related to the {V}olta {R}iver delta and to distributaries at the northwestern flank of the {N}iger delta. {T}he combination of these factors has impacted alongshore sediment redistribution by segmenting the previously unrestrained longshore transport of sand that prevailed along this open coast. {T}he result is a mixture of natural and artificial sediment cells increasingly dominated by shoreline stretches subject to erosion, endangering parts of the rapidly expanding port cities of {L}ome ({T}ogo), {C}otonou ({B}enin) and {L}agos ({N}igeria), coastal roads and infrastructure, and numerous villages. {P}ost-2000, the entire bight shoreline has undergone a significant decrease in accretion, which is here attributed to an overall diminution of sand supply via the longshore transport system. {W}e attribute this diminution to the progressive depletion of sand-sized bedload supplied to the coast through the main {V}olta river channel downstream of the {A}kosombo dam, built between 1961 and 1965. {S}and mining to cater for urban construction in {L}ome, {C}otonou and {L}agos has also contributed locally to beach sediment budget depletion. {A}lthough alongshore sediment supply from the {V}olta {R}iver has been the dominant source of sand for the stability or progradation of the {B}ight of {B}enin coast, potential sand supply from the shoreface, and the future impacts of sea-level rise on this increasingly vulnerable coast are also important. {T}he continued operation of the three ports and of existing river dams, and sea-level rise, will lead to sustained shoreline erosion along the {B}ight of {B}enin in the coming decades.},
  keywords = {{B}ight of {B}enin ; {C}oastal erosion ; {C}oastal sediment cells longshore ; sediment transport ; {S}horeface sand supply ; {R}iver dams ; {V}olta delta ; {N}iger delta ; {GUINEE} {GOLFE} ; {BENIN} {GOLFE} ; {VOLTA} {DELTA} ; {NIGER} {DELTA}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{C}ontinental {S}helf {R}esearch},
  volume = {173},
  numero = {},
  pages = {93--103},
  ISSN = {0278-4343},
  year = {2019},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.csr.2018.12.006},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010075108},
}