Sandy Beach Erosion and Protection: Past, Present and Future

A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Coastal Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2024 | Viewed by 7962

Special Issue Editor

Faculty of Marine Sciences, Ruppin Academic Center, Emek-Hefer 40250, Israel
Interests: coastal morphology; sedimentology; morphodynamic; paleogeography

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sandy beaches are highly dynamic morphological systems that constitute more than a third of the coastlines in the world, being particularly common in coastal areas with a wide and moderate continental shelf that feeds on a constant supply of sediment. They provide natural protection from storms and flooding to the coastal plain environment and communities and a site for local tourism activities. Unfortunately, many sandy beaches have been severely eroded or are in the process of being eroded due to natural causes and human activities, such as marine construction, which changes the local wave and current regime; sand mining; groundwater extraction; and mangrove logging. Moreover, climate change, which has provoked the worst sea level rise forecasts to date, threatens a shift from beach erosion to beach immersion.

This open access Special Issue invites the submission of high-quality and innovative scientific papers focusing on beach erosion and coastal protection works. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Beach characterization and related suitable methods;
  • Assessment of causal factors of coastal erosion;
  • Beach erosion vs. anthropization and defences of the coast;
  • Coastal hazards and their impact on coastal morphology;
  • Geological, physical and engineering-based approaches for beach erosion remediation and coastal risk assessment;
  • Ecosystem services approach for sandy beaches;
  • Socio-economic analysis of sandy beaches.

Prof. Dr. Dov Zviely
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • coast
  • littoral zone
  • littoral cell
  • longshore sediment transport
  • longshore drift
  • detached breakwater
  • groin
  • beach nourishment
  • ICZM
  • coastal engineering

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2539 KiB  
Article
A Cost–Benefit Approach to Assess the Physical and Economic Feasibility of Sand Bypassing Systems
by Márcia Lima, Ana Margarida Ferreira and Carlos Coelho
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(9), 1829; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11091829 - 19 Sep 2023
Viewed by 691
Abstract
The artificial sand bypassing systems are coastal interventions designed to transfer sediments from areas of accretion to areas where erosion is observed. The goal of these systems is to reduce the littoral drift gradients where sediment transport is interrupted (vicinity of river mouths [...] Read more.
The artificial sand bypassing systems are coastal interventions designed to transfer sediments from areas of accretion to areas where erosion is observed. The goal of these systems is to reduce the littoral drift gradients where sediment transport is interrupted (vicinity of river mouths or port structures) and maintain a balanced sediment distribution along the shoreline. However, these systems present high initial investment costs as well as ongoing expenses for operation and maintenance. To assess the feasibility of sand bypassing systems in mitigating coastal erosion from a long-term perspective (decades), a comprehensive understanding of their performance is necessary, considering both physical and economic aspects. Thus, a cost–benefit assessment numerical tool, COAST, is applied to evaluate and discuss the effectiveness of bypassing systems during their life cycle. First, a comprehensive analysis is conducted for a generic study area, and then, the feasibility of the systems is discussed for two real study areas of the Portuguese West coast (Barra-Vagueira and Figueira da Foz-Leirosa). The generic results demonstrate as the importance of systems location or transposed flow volumes. On the other hand, the analysis of the two real case studies revealed that, under similar conditions, the results of the cost–benefit analysis can be contradictory. For the Barra-Vagueira stretch, the work indicates that the bypass system is not economically viable, whereas for Figueira da Foz-Leirosa, it is cost-effective. The study shows the importance of the site-specific conditions to evaluate the best option for a medium to long-term planned coast, highlighting the relevance of the proposed approach to assess the physical and economic feasibility of sand bypassing systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sandy Beach Erosion and Protection: Past, Present and Future)
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22 pages, 19546 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Cua Lo Estuary’s Morpho-Dynamic Evolution and Its Impact on Port Planning
by Dinh Nhat Quang, Nguyen Quang Duc Anh, Ho Sy Tam, Nguyen Xuan Tinh, Hitoshi Tanaka and Nguyen Trung Viet
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(3), 611; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11030611 - 13 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1342
Abstract
Coastal erosion and accretion along the Quang Nam coast in Vietnam have been increasing in recent years, causing negative impacts on the inhabitants and local ecology. The Cua Lo estuary in Nui Thanh district has a complex hydrodynamic regime owing to its connection [...] Read more.
Coastal erosion and accretion along the Quang Nam coast in Vietnam have been increasing in recent years, causing negative impacts on the inhabitants and local ecology. The Cua Lo estuary in Nui Thanh district has a complex hydrodynamic regime owing to its connection with two estuaries and three different tributaries. Therefore, a detailed study of the mechanisms and processes of these phenomena is crucial to understand the potential impact of a proposed 50,000-ton cargo port. In this study, the Delft3D model is employed to evaluate the morpho-dynamic changes in the area of Cua Lo under monsoon wave climate, storm, and flood conditions both before and after port and navigation channel construction. Results indicate that in the absence of the port, tidal currents and waves during monsoon storms cause significant erosion on the south bank and accretion on the north bank. Furthermore, the GenCade model is utilized to predict the future shoreline changes after the construction of two jetties. The model reveals that after 50 years of operation, the shoreline modifications will extend 449 m towards the sea, in comparison to natural conditions. However, the design of the northern jetty will ensure safe and proper operation without impacting the navigation channel. This study offers valuable insights into the morphological changes in the Cua Lo area and their potential implications, which can aid in the development of sustainable coastal management strategies for the region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sandy Beach Erosion and Protection: Past, Present and Future)
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18 pages, 5900 KiB  
Article
Wave Transformation behind a Breakwater in Jukbyeon Port, Korea—A Comparison of TOMAWAC and ARTEMIS of the TELEMAC System
by Jong-Dae Do, Sang-Kwon Hyun, Jae-Youll Jin, Byunggil Lee, Weon-Mu Jeong, Kyong-Ho Ryu, Won-Dae Back, Jae-Ho Choi and Yeon S. Chang
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2022, 10(12), 2032; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10122032 - 19 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1493
Abstract
Severe shoreline erosions are commonly observed due to the side effects of breakwaters constructed to protect the habitat. These breakwaters can cause wave energy differences behind the structure due to diffraction, inducing longshore sediment transport and resulting in shoreline changes. Therefore, it is [...] Read more.
Severe shoreline erosions are commonly observed due to the side effects of breakwaters constructed to protect the habitat. These breakwaters can cause wave energy differences behind the structure due to diffraction, inducing longshore sediment transport and resulting in shoreline changes. Therefore, it is essential to correctly simulate the effect of wave transformation in the lee side of structures, but such studies reporting performance of models in the field have been relatively rare. In this study, two wave models of the TELEMAC system were used to investigate the accuracy of modeling the wave transformation effect in a lee area of a breakwater built to secure the harbor’s tranquility, near Jukbyeon Port in Korea, through comparisons with field observations. Two cases of wave conditions with different wave heights and directions were tested. In both cases, the TEL EMAC–ARTEMIS model had lower errors than TELEMAC–TOMAWAC at the onshore wave location, confirming that the phase-resolving ARTEMIS showed better performance in simulating the wave transformation than the phase-averaged TOMAWAC, as expected. However, ARTEMIS had slightly higher errors than TOMAWAC at the offshore location, probably due to the interference by reflected waves from the complex coastlines formed by the different coastal structures. The results also provide various implications learned from the numerical experiments, which can be usefully applied to engineering aspects, such as for the estimation of harbor tranquility. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sandy Beach Erosion and Protection: Past, Present and Future)
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24 pages, 3723 KiB  
Article
Beachrock Morphology along the Mediterranean Coast of Israel: Typological Classification of Erosion Features
by Amir Bar, Revital Bookman, Ehud Galili and Dov Zviely
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2022, 10(11), 1571; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10111571 - 24 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3356
Abstract
Beachrock is composed of intertidal-associated sediments, rapidly cemented by calcium carbonate, and has important implications for understanding coastal morphological processes. This study focuses on the morphodynamic erosion patterns of Late Holocene beachrock outcrops along the Mediterranean coast of Israel that have formed since [...] Read more.
Beachrock is composed of intertidal-associated sediments, rapidly cemented by calcium carbonate, and has important implications for understanding coastal morphological processes. This study focuses on the morphodynamic erosion patterns of Late Holocene beachrock outcrops along the Mediterranean coast of Israel that have formed since the sea reached its present level about 4000 years ago. Exposed beachrock is subjected to erosion, affecting its seaward and landward facing fronts and upper surface, and creating distinct morphological features due to wave pounding and coastal currents which remove unconsolidated sediment supporting layers. The current state of beachrock morphology is presented, based on field measurements and field relation interpretations of selected sites, backed by petrographic and sedimentological data. It shows and studies selected beachrock exposures along Israel’s coast, and characterizes their morphological features in various field-relation configurations. A classification is developed of the main erosion patterns of beachrock embedded on loose, hard, partly hard and partly loose substrate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sandy Beach Erosion and Protection: Past, Present and Future)
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