Natural radioactivity of coastal sediments as tracer in dynamic sedimentology

Natural radioactivity of coastal sediments could provide interesting information on sediment dynamics. Natural radioactivity measurements were performed in two areas of the Adriatic Sea littoral of Albanian cost, in the gulfs of Durres and Vlora, where complex studies were carried out in the framework of the maintenance of existing Durres harbour and the design of a new harbour in Vlora. Dynamic mapping of the gamma total radioactivity at the sea bottom sediment was carried out using a 2" × 2" NaI probe. Radiometric data were converted to lithological map, and the sand and silt distribution configuration was interpreted in terms of sediment transport. The obtained results have shown that the natural radioactivity of sediments provides qualitative data about the sediment dynamics. This cost-effective method is recommended to be used as complementary to other tracer techniques for sediment transport in coastal engineering investigations.