Leveraging Laboratory Experiments of Shoreline Response to Sea‐Level Rise

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Leveraging Laboratory Experiments of Shoreline Response to Sea‐Level Rise

A Beach Disequilibrium Perspective

Journal Article (2026)

Author(s)

M. D’Anna (The University of Auckland, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya)

F. Ribas (Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya)

G. Coco (Institut de Ciències Del Mar - CSIC)

P. M. Bayle (TU Delft - Environmental Fluid Mechanics)

D. Calvete (Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya)

A. Falqués (Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya)

T. E. Baldock (University of Queensland)

A. L. Atkinson (University of Queensland)

T. Beuzen (University of New South Wales)

Laboratory experiments Sea-level rise Shoreline change Beach disequilibrium Bruun model Laboratory scaling

DOI related publication

https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL120802 Final published version

To reference this document use

https://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:dcb5ce34-b9e6-4d51-9792-5585809ab998

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Publication Year

2026

Language

English

Bibliographical Note

M. D. funded by the European Union HORIZON research and innovation program under the MSCA (101107336); F. R., D. C., and A.F. supported by PID2021-124272OB-C22 and PID2024-157818OB-C21, funded by the Spanish government MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”; G. C. funded by the “Our Changing Coast Project” (MBIE-NZ RTVU2206); T. Be by Australian Research Council Discovery (DP140101302). We thank the three anonimous reviewers for their constructive comments that improved the clarity of this work.

Journal title

Geophysical Research Letters

Issue number

4

Volume number

53

Article number

e2025GL120802

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Abstract

This study analyzes laboratory data of beach response to sea-level rise (SLR), isolating shoreline changes driven by passive flooding (PF) of the beach and consequent wave-driven processes. The disequilibrium concept relates shoreline change to instantaneous and equilibrium beach states. While PF shifts the shoreline geometrically, SLR induces disequilibrium that produces wave-driven changes due to apparent profile changes. For the first time, 24 experiments from wave flumes of different scale (including new high-low energy cyclic waves experiments) are gathered into a dimensionless data set through a scaling technique to investigate SLR-induced processes. The data indicate trends (possibly linear) between relative wave power and wave-driven shoreline changes for a given SLR, highlighting the effects of changing background wave energy. Cyclic wave experiments best represent Bruun model's behavior. Wave-energy dissipation emerges as a key variable for quantifying SLR-induced disequilibrium, offering new pathways for future improvements of equilibrium shoreline models under SLR and wave-climate change.

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