The Black Sea Devours the Coast: How Climate Change is Destroying Beaches?

The Black Sea is swallowing up more and more land. Beach strips have shrunk by tens of meters, and sea erosion is destroying the rocky shores. Due to climate change, the Black Sea is rising, and sea storms are becoming increasingly devastating.

Is there a way to protect the coast, a report from our series "The Climate – the Hot Truth".

The sea advances with every storm. When tourists give up the beach to the winter winds, the water begins to change the coast. The strip in Kraymorie is an example of this.

Nikolay Dimitrov, Deputy Chairman of the Association of Concessionaires of Sea Beaches: "Bulgaria annually loses between 25 and 48 decares of coastal area, tens of thousands of cubic meters of sand, which the sea eats. The huge winter storms cause - erosion of the sand, exposure of the sandy beach to clay and stone."

For 3 years, warning signs and fences have stopped access to one of the most picturesque bicycle paths in Burgas.

Miroslav Zhekov, Head of "Construction" Department at Burgas Municipality: "This is the only connection between the city of Burgas and the Sarafovo district by a pedestrian path, which was completely cut off as a result of sea abrasion."

We ask the scientists from the Institute of Oceanology why the processes are becoming more and more aggressive.

Assoc. Prof. Bogdan Prodanov, section "Dynamics of the Coastal Zone" at the Institute of Oceanology at BAS: "The Black Sea level is slowly rising. I think that in recent years the average speed is 2 - 3 mm per year increase. There are changes in the energy of the waves. They have more force, they reach further into the beaches themselves."

In this place a year ago there was a beach strip about 15 meters wide, today there is almost no beach, and in strong winds, the water literally floods the coastal alley.

- BNT: Are these strips that are disappearing many? Assoc. Prof. Preslav Peev, Deputy Director of the Institute of Oceanology at BAS: In practice, there are many, but on the other hand, as a result of this sea erosion, material is formed and in other places accumulation is formed, the formation of new beaches. For example, the city of Varna, which never had a beach until 130 years ago.

In order to stop the advance of the sea, the owners of beaches build so-called sand dikes in winter, which cause disputes every year.

Nikolay Dimitrov, Deputy Chairman of the Association of Concessionaires of Sea Beaches: "The case, which we won on the last instance, a lot of experts, a lot of experts were questioned there, and the most interesting thing they conclude is that this activity does not violate the integrity of the shores, but on the contrary, helps to preserve the sea beaches."

Assoc. Prof. Bogdan Prodanov, section "Dynamics of the Coastal Zone" at the Institute of Oceanology at BAS: "Man has entered nature very strongly. 50% of the Bulgarian coast is strengthened, modified, there are ports on it. Such alleys are constantly being built, which play a corresponding coastal protection role." Miroslav Zhekov, Head of "Construction" Department at Burgas Municipality: "The coastal slope is being restored. A bicycle and pedestrian alley with a width of 5 m will be built, and a strengthening construction is also being built from the sea."

5 years have passed before the landslide was reinforced, due to lack of funding from the state and administrative obstacles. But the sea has no intention of stopping. It just follows its laws. It depends on us whether we will understand these processes in time or whether we will catch up with them.