Drift and littoral transport of sediments on the costal stretch between Cumbuco and Matões, Northwest Ceará State

Abstract

The hydrodynamic study of the littoral sector between Cumbuco and Matões, NW coast of Ceará Sstate, was  carried out through an empirical method that makes use of a graph-based refraction diagram associated with  field work.  This procedure has also considered the the coastal geometry in fl uence on geomorphogenesis processes, where wind and  waves exert a fundamental role. Modelling of the intensity and direction of the longshore transport has shown that  the prevailing direction is SE-SW and its intensity is changeable in the various costal sectors. This approach led to  the development of a concept model which deals with a spiral-shaped coast geometry, mostly considering the potential  sediment littoral drift, whose empiric results could be associated with  field observations evidenced as erosive and/or  depositional processes.