Civil Engineer, Xenia Loizidou, a civil engineer, coastal engineer, and hydraulic engineer, attributes the rapid shrinkage of the sandy beach at Coral Bay in Paphos to the climate crisis and the effects of the El Niño phenomenon in the Mediterranean.

Appearing as a guest on the Alpha News program, she noted that wave patterns and ocean currents have changed drastically in recent years and, even in the middle of summer, are behaving as they normally would in November. Ms. Loizidou emphasized that human interventions are also having a serious impact, making Coral Bay a case study for the negative consequences they cause.

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Using photographs of the beach from twenty years ago and today, Ms. Loizidou demonstrated that what was once an area of sand and reed beds has been transformed into a space filled with buildings and parking lots.

BEFORE:

NOW:

Ms. Loizidou explained that the reed beds help stabilize the soil and naturally dissipate wave energy, while their removal caused enormous environmental damage. The construction of a vertical breakwater and the reinforcement of the seabed caused the same damage, as they caused waves to rebound and sand to be “swept” backward.

Ms. Loizidou noted that over the past decade, the consequences have been immense even on the seabed, as the sand is being washed backward and rocks and pebbles are appearing in its place.

“The coastline no longer has any defense, and its ‘immune system’ has been destroyed.”

He estimated that, over time, sand waves will help restore the area and pointed out to local authorities that breakwaters are not a solution to beach problems, but rather create even bigger ones.