Global Coasts: A Baroque Embarrassment of Riches

Coasts form the universal stage on which people interact with the global ocean. Our history is inextricably intertwined with the seashore, being a rich tapestry of archaeological sites that paint a vivid picture of people hunting, foraging, fishing and scavenging at the edge of the sea. Seascapes inspire diverse art forms celebrated through the...

Developing Strategies: Planning cities affected by Coastal Erosion

In the United Kingdom spatial challenges are formed due to a significant erosion rate, especially on the southeast coastline, where the soil has a weak resistance to erosion (Masselink & Russell, 2013; Hurst et al, 2016). This erosion causes the soil to be washed away until no soil remains (Dornbush et al, 2006). Ecology, society and urban...

Co-design in the coastal context

In this research, we set out to investigate the phenomenon of ‘co-design’ and explore the applicability of co-design in the complex coastal context. We have turned to investigating design-oriented, collaborative activities aimed at innovative coastal solutions (co-design) and how they strengthen the development of solutions for coastal problems....

Maintaining Tropical Beaches with Seagrass and Algae: A Promising Alternative to Engineering Solutions

Tropical beaches provide coastal flood protection, income from tourism, and habitat for flagship species. They urgently need protection from erosion, which is being exacerbated by changing climate and coastal development. Traditional coastal engineering solutions are expensive, provide unstable temporary solutions, and often disrupt natural...

The effects of climate change on coastal management in the Hondsbossche Dunes: Analysis and modeling of aeolian sediment transport and dune growth

In 2003, it was established that the sea dike between Petten and Camperduin was insufficiently safe.<br/>To ensure the safety of the hinterland against flooding, this part of the Dutch sea defence system needed to be strengthened.<br/>During the design process, the most favourable variant was to construct a dune and beach system in front of the...

Wave Climate and Coastline Response of the Dutch Coast: Investigating the effect of large-scale offshore wind farm developments in the North Sea

To counteract the effect of climate change, a global agreement was put into force in 2016, aiming to limit the increase in average global warming and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In that respect, European countries are investing in cleaner sources of energy and predominantly offshore wind, which has seen a rapid growth over the last years....

A narrative perspective on institutional work in environmental governance – insights from a beach nourishment case study in Sweden

Institutional work offers a promising lens for understanding institutional change, focusing on the efforts of actors in creating, maintaining or disrupting institutions. In this paper, we explore the capacity of a narrative approach to provide insights on institutional work, using a case study from the coast of Sweden. We identify four...

Coastal erosion and beach nourishment in Scania as issues in Swedish coastal policy

This paper discusses the dynamics of coastal policy change in Sweden, using erosion and beach nourishments as an example. The Multiple Stream Model is a theoretical model on agenda setting and policy change developed by the political scientist John Kingdon (1984, 2003). This paper applies Kingdon’s model in describing and explaining coastal...

Does deepening understanding of social-ecological systems make sense? A partial success story from the Slufter, Texel.

The Slufter is an estuary located in Texel’s North Sea dunes and protects the hinterland from flooding from the North Sea. As the multi actor environment and the diversity of values and functions associated with the Slufter are recognized, this research focuses on developing an approach for the district water board to broaden the knowledge base...

A knowledge intervention to explore stakeholders’ understanding of a dynamic coastal nature reserve

As quantitative modelling can be used to build stakeholder understanding for management decisions, and can help build consensus (Stave, 2003), a system dynamics modelling study of the abiotic dynamics of an archetypical small estuary, the Slufter in the Netherlands is formulated. The model is used in combination with an analysis of stakeholders’...

A knowledge intervention to explore stakeholders’ understanding of a dynamic coastal nature reserve

As quantitative modelling can be used to build stakeholder understanding for management decisions, and can help build consensus (Stave, 2003), a system dynamics modelling study of the abiotic dynamics of an archetypical small estuary, the Slufter in the Netherlands is formulated. The model is used in combination with an analysis of stakeholders’...

Sustainable long term coastal protection and development based on sand nourishments

The study presents an assessment of sustainable practices for applying sand nourishments aiming long term coastal protection and development. Such concepts are applied in three study cases: Sylt (Germany), S'Abanell (Spain) and Ghanaian coast.

Ecological Engineering and Civil Engineering works

This thesis provides a survey of the research results of the relationship between on the one hand the construction, management and maintenance of civil engineering works, and on the other hand the environment, nature and landscape, with the main focus on motorways and coastal protection. The growing number and increase in size of civil...

IJvlakte: Een haalbaarheidsstudie naar kustuitbreiding bij IJmuiden

Het Noordzeekanaalgebied (NZKG) is een regio die een aantal zeer diverse economische functies in zich verenigd heeft (Luchthaven Schiphol, bedrijvenconcentratie Teleport, financiele centrum Amsterdam, havengebied, brede arbeidsmarkt). Juist deze combinatie van functies zorgt ervoor dat de regio goede kansen heeft zich verder te ontwikkelen. Dat...

Analysis of beach nourishment schemes

The erosion of a nourished beach may be conveniently described as the sum of the linear coastal retreat and a surcharge which decreases exponentially in time. Application of this model to data from eight nourishment projects in north-western Europe has shown on average only 52% of nourished volume becomes a permanent part of the coastal volume....

Coastal management in the Netherlands

Historical overview of coastal management in the Netherlands, leading to the Coastal memorandum of 1990.