Seasonal Granulometric Variability and Sediment Dynamics of Kondura and Wayangani Beaches, Sindhudurg Coast, Maharashtra India: A Comparative Pre- and Post- Monsoon Investigation

The granulometric comparison of Kondura and Wayangani beaches indicates that both beaches undergo strong seasonality in sediment redistribution, but there are differences in intensity and spatial characteristics. Medium and fine sands form the basis of sediment composition on both beaches. Wayangani always has more proportion of medium sand, while Kondura beach preserves textural variability and forms a small amount of coarse sand after the 2024 monsoon. Kondura beach displays relatively stable mean grain-size characteristics for beach scale during three surveys with Mz varying from 1.86 to 1.93 φ. The Wayangani beach displays stronger seasonality, starting from relatively coarse, moderately sorted, nearly symmetrical population before monsoon and ending with finer, well-sorted, distinctly coarse skewed population after the monsoon. Bivariate plots show that finer sediments are well sorted, while coarse sediments are poorly sorted. The presence of negative skewness, increased sorting into finer grains, and seasonal variations in textural fractions clearly demonstrate multiple episodes of hydraulic sorting, winnowing through swash/backwash, and periodic mixing of sediments. Thus, the obtained evidence proves a model that takes into account a southwest monsoon influence on the sedimentation process in the region as well as an influence of a local coastal morphology on the nature of sedimentation. A remarkable similarity in textural fractions of beaches after each monsoon implies the formation of a stable seasonal balance in the sediments of these areas. This result is important for coastal research since measurements of sediment texture performed only during one season may provide information only about partial behavior of the beach. Therefore, continuous investigation that includes not only sediment texture but also beach morphology, wave characteristics, etc. will help to understand better the connection between sedimentary processes and morphology of the Sindhudurg coast.

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