摘要

The global change currently observed is deemed to generate accelerated coastal erosion and an increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Populated tropical island coasts are particularly vulnerable. Awareness of this vulnerability has prompted recourse to the construction of operational observatories on the coastal dynamics of several French tropical islands, including Mayotte. The aims of this initiative are to characterise the coastal morphology of tropical islands and to monitor their rhythms and mechanisms of evolution, adaptation and resilience in the face of extreme climate and wave events (cyclones, storms, surges, strong swellsaEuro broken vertical bar). Based on this, appropriate defence and/or adaptation strategies can be developed and implemented. Mayotte Island is a fine example of the implementation and utility of such an observatory. The island, in the southwest Indian Ocean, is characterised by a highly diversified coral reef-lagoon complex comprising pocket beaches and mangroves subject to increasing pressure from strong island demographic growth. The operational observatory set up on the island incorporates a Geographical Information System (GIS) based on a network sourced by various field measurements and observations conducted on the coastal forms on the basis of a predefined protocol and methodology. Field experiments include hydrodynamic measurements, topographic surveys, and observations, and these are coupled with the analysis of aerial photographs and regional meteorological data in order to gain a better understanding of the coastal morphology and of the evolution of the reef-lagoon complex. The results fed into the observatory and analysed through the GIS provide interactive maps of the coastal landforms and their evolution and dynamics over various timescales. Within a local framework of strong socio-economic and demographic pressures, and a more global context of environmental change, this observatory should lead to a better understanding and prediction of the morphodynamics of the coast of Mayotte, while providing data to the public at large, to researchers, and to stakeholders involved in decision-making in the face of the major and rapid environmental and socio-economic changes liable to affect the fragile reef-mangrove systems and pocket beaches.

  • 出版日期2014-10