Raised risk factors for the environment

Waste

Hazardous chemical substances

Environmental accidents

Radiation

Coastal geological processes
Indicators
Natural factors in coastal development
Anthropogenic factors in coastal development
Potential threats to the seacoast
Action for conservation of the seacoast

Area of residential land

The importance of the littoral and terrestrial coastal belts in the economy and for recreation is indirectly reflected by the relative surface area of residential land (including agricultural land and farms) as a proportion of the total area of the 0.3-0.5-km-wide coastal belt. This proportion differs for the Baltic Sea, Irbe Strait and Gulf of Rīga coastlines.

Surface area of residential land in the 0.3-0.5-km-wide coastal belt as a proportion of the total area, 2000 [Enlarge the picture]

Hydrotechnical construction of harbours

The total length of hydrotechnical construction of harbours is 17,371 km, and the ship route length is 54,877 km, including 37,451 km of routes behind jetties in the shallow-water belt.

Length of main ship route canals in the shallow-water belt, 2000 [Enlarge the picture]

Ship routes

The depths of ship routes (canals) indicate the extent to which transport of sediments along the coast is hindered. The ship canals to the Liepāja, Ventspils and Rīga harbours completely disrupt the longshore sediment flows, but the Mērsrags un Salacgrīva harbour canals - only partly.

Depth of ship route canals to harbours, 2000 [Enlarge the picture]

The amounts of sediments that are regularly dredged (over 2-4 million m³ yearly in recent years) from ship route canals to allow entry and exit of ships of a given tonnage, reflect the intensity of flows of the sediments that occur as a result of wave and current action.

Amounts of sediments dredged in harbour aquatories in Latvia, 1990-2000 [Enlarge the picture]

Practically no more than 5-12% of the sediments dredged from harbour aquatories and ship routes are washed up on the shore.

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