European Union Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR

But, should we be happy about those findings? Let’s see some facts.

The fastest rate of beach growth, no less than eight metres per year, was seen in Namibia. It is caused by a mining company that has built sand hills in the sea for diamond mining.

The Netherlands is also in the top ten of beach growth areas due to effective beach nourishment policies and the construction of the Sand Motor 2 .

Four of the seven largest eroding beaches are in the United States. Beaches in Louisiana and Texas are being hit particularly hard, sometimes receding by 15 metres a year. The Mississippi is the culprit in Louisiana where the sand supply has fallen sharply due to the damming of the river. One of the causes in Texas is groundwater extraction in response to the rapid growth of Houston.

As seen on those examples, both erosion and accretion patterns worldwide seem to be anthropogenic in their origin. Man has taken control of the coastal processes causing extensive adaptations to the natural sediment balances, something whose impact on human life is still too early to be assessed.

Figure 3: Erosion and accretion of word sandy beaches during the last 30 years. You can find more details in: http://aqua-monitor.appspot.com/?datasets=shoreline. Source: qua-monitor.appspot.com

2.6. SCENARIOS AND CHALLENGES FOR THE FUTURE

Predictions of future rises in sea level and storminess may result in increased coastal erosion rates in locations throughout the globe. Changes to storm tracks and tidal currents could also lead to alteration in the movement of coastal sediments, potentially creating new risks from coastal erosion. Coastal lowland areas and those with softer, less resistant geology will be among those most affected. The current trend towards the replacement of ‘hard’ coastal defences to softer strategies such as beach nourishment and managed realignment may in selected cases result in temporary increases in coastal erosion. The risk of coastal flooding and erosion overseas, will increase as existing man-made defences (e.g. flood embankments and seawalls) deteriorate as a result of sea level rise due to climate change. Land close to the sea is often under pressure, both from development and as a natural resource (e.g. to provide minerals and renewable energy). There are, however, constraints on public spending and a growing awareness of the need to preserve the natural coastal environment and to ensure that its management is sustainable. It is important to understand the physical processes that have so far shaped and will continue to affect the coastline before planning any engineering or management works. These processes include wave generation and propagation, the movements of the tides and the resulting disturbance and transport of sediments both over the seabed and on beaches. Predicting how the coastline will continue to change, with or without human intervention, is a fundamental requirement for planning. Coastal management requires the application of extensive, well designed and scientifically valid monitoring practices. Even though we can control erosion overall with good coastal management, problems have been identified at the regional and local levels. Local factors can also be related to construction of ports or other infrastructures, which can sometimes negatively affect the natural coastal dynamics. Sand is not always available locally to protect the coast.

The main questions for the future are:

Will there be enough sand available to maintain all beaches? How will coastal ecosystems react to artificial coastal environments? How long will it take for them to adapt?