Coastal erosion hotspots - where and why?

The aim of this project is to understand the controlling processes of longshore variability in coastal erosion on coasts unaffected by human interventions, and to assess the coastal vulnerability under storms. Areas of anomalous erosion as compared with adjacent beaches (referred to as coastal erosion hotspots) are observed at a wide range of spatial scales from several kilometers to hundreds of meters. Understanding the mechanisms responsible for the generation of coastal erosion hotspots during extreme storms is critical for coastal zone managers and coastal safety purposes. Knowledge of the underlying causes and accurate modeling predictions are thus fundamental in for instance the design of beach nourishment projects or in the prediction of the long-term resilience of a coastline to changing storm tracks and intensity due to climate change.