Coastal Erosion Mitigation at RN90: Integral approach to Erosion Mitigation along the Caribbean Coast of Colombia

As a result of increased economic development in Colombia, the pressure on the natural system has increased. The export of natural resources through international ports at both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea causes conflicts between infrastructure and the dynamic behaviour of the coastal system. This Master Thesis focusses on the bay between Barranquilla and Santa Marta, along the Caribbean Sea. The case study combines structural erosion with an internationally recognized ecological zone and a vulnerable coastal highway (RN90) which connects the port of Barranquilla to the hinterland. The complex problem requires an integral approach, which aims at providing a most promising, long term solution to mitigate the adverse effects of coastal erosion. Relevant stakeholders were identified by means of a stakeholder analysis. No stakeholder was found who is responsible for coastal zone management in Colombia. The lack of ownership of the problem led to a late identification of the problem and resulted in the necessity to construct an emergency revetment along the RN90 at KM19. The processes driving the coastal erosion are: The natural relocation of the Rio Magdalena, the decreased supply of sediment from the Rio Magdalena and the strong gradient in alongshore sediment transport along the bay. The coastline development was predicted using different methods for several time scales. For short time scales (