Comparative observations of the coastal zone geomorphological evolution in Northeastern Italy and Western Greece

An important factor in the dynamic equilibrium of the coasts, is human interventions in the watershed, deltas and coastal zone. These interventions in many cases are intensive and create serious environmental impacts and dramatic geomorphological changes, related to erosional and depositional processes, controlling landscape development. Some "dynamic" coastal zones in Mediterranean Sea, such as that in northern Adriatic coast in Italy and Western Greece coast, are in a fragile equilibrium. Some segments of these coastal areas, are in a dangerous situation, mainly because of the anthropogenic influences and especially the construction and operation of large dams and reservoirs, river diversion projects, motorways and railways, sand and gravel extraction from river beds, intense construction of coastal defense works and urbanization of large coastal zones, etc.This paper, attempts to determine the individual human activities that cause the destabilization of proper geomorphologic evolution of the coastal areas under study, which are located in the Northern Adriatic coast of the Marche region (Italy) and the Western Greece coast and Epirus (Greece).