Building Resilient Coastlines

Coastal communities and industries worldwide are increasingly vulnerable to flood and erosion risk (Nicholls et al. 2014). Climate change and associated sea-level rise & changing storm climate, urbanisation and industrial are increasing the pressure on shorelines (Hallegatte et al. 2013). There is a need for management interventions along shorelines to reduce the negative impact of beach loss, support natural habitats and maintain healthy coastal ecosystems. Long-term resilience of shorelines to withstand and adapt to changes can be built into coastal interventions schemes: soft management interventions can be employed, which are designed to adapt with the natural environment. One such ‘advance the line’ management strategy is ‘mega-recharge’ or ‘sandscaping.’ The strategy works with natural processes to redistribute sediment to create a resilient beach that evolves with changing coastal conditions.

These online resources, funded through the EPSRC Institutional Sponsorship Scheme describe the principles of mega-recharge, considerations for implementation, and the modelling and monitoring tools that can be used to scope and design the effectiveness of such interventions. Please use our Discussion Board to feedback your views on these online resources and where you believe mega-recharge can be implemented to increase coastal resilience.