The Dynamics of Coastal Dunes Affected by Shoreface Nourishments and Storm Events
Sierd de Vries (TU Delft - Coastal Engineering)
Theo Meijer (Student TU Delft)
Bas Hofland (TU Delft - Hydraulic Structures and Flood Risk)
Christa van IJzendoorn (Oregon State University)
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Abstract
The dynamics of coastal dunes are often affected by a combination of environmental conditions and human interventions. During storms and calm periods, marine and aeolian flows cause sediment transport that results in sedimentation and erosion. Dunes typically grow due to aeolian transport of sediment and erode due to marine forcing by waves and currents. Shoreface nourishments can increase the sediment budget in the coastal profile which may influence the marine and aeolian sediment transport. To what extent shoreface nourishments influence sediment transport and the connected dynamics of coastal dunes is yet unknown. In this paper we investigate coastal dune volume change from yearly profile measurements and relate this to a shoreface nourishment program. The measured dune growth along the entire Dutch sandy coastline is characterized at most places by a break in slope where the dune growth increases after a specific ‘breakpoint’ year. The derived breakpoint years generally correspond with the start of the nourishment program with a delay of several years (1–5 years). These results provide a starting point for further elaborating on the relationship between the dynamics of coastal dunes and nourishments. The next step would be to delineate the potential influence of nourishments on either the growth of dunes through aeolian sediment transport or the erosion due to marine events.
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