PhySeaCS · Physics of Sea-level rise Contribution to Shoreline Erosion

Global warming and accelerating mean sea-level rise (SLR) arise the critical need for long-term (multi-decadal) shoreline projections to inform coastal adaptation plans. Currently, interactions among SLR and other processes driving shoreline change are poorly understood, and estimating the effects of SLR on long-term shoreline behaviour remains an open challenge. To fill this knowledge gap, this project will provide new physical insights on the combined effects of waves and SLR on sandy beaches, and develop an equilibrium-based approach for SLR-driven shoreline change. Shoreline data extracted from physical models, satellite imagery and topographic surveys at a variety of sites worldwide, allow building an unprecedented dataset of multi-decadal time series of shoreline positions. Such time series will be analysed to investigate the relations among shoreline change and its primary drivers (waves and SLR), and to validate the developed approach at a variety of selected sites worldwide. This study will characterize the role of waves in shoreline response to SLR, and provide a physics-based approach for more reliable assessment of long-term shoreline projections including the effects of SLR.