Development of predictive tools and design guidance for mixed beaches - stage 2

This project increased understanding of how beaches made of mixed materials such as sand and gravel behave in order to create models to predict their future behaviour.

• From: Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Research and Development Programme and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
• Published: 12 February 2021

• Category: Understanding risks from all sources of flooding
• Topics: Coast, Coastal erosion, Flood forecasting, Flood risk assessment, Modelling, Sea level rise, Understanding physical processes
• Project status: Completed
• Project code: FD1901
• Date of completion: 31 March 2003

Documents

Development of predictive tools and design guidance for mixed beaches - Stage 2 - final report (702KB) PDF

Development of predictive tools and design guidance for mixed beaches - Stage 2 - final report appendix (982KB) PDF

Development of predictive tools and design guidance for mixed beaches - Stage 2 - summary (125KB) PDF

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Details

Objectives

This project aimed to increase understanding of the ways in which beaches made up of mixed sediment material, such as sand and gravel, respond to waves and currents. This would mean models that predict how these types of beaches will respond in the future could be developed, and provide information and guidance for people who manage the UK shoreline.

Background

Coarse grained beaches are an important feature of the UK coastline. They create barriers in front of low-lying marsh lands, toe protection along eroding cliffs and wide headlands which encourage sediment to be deposited. These beaches are sometimes made mostly of steeply inclined gravel or cobbles, but more often they include less steep upper beaches of mixed sand and gravel. This also includes a wide, lower foreshore of sand or a rock platform. Mixed beaches are particularly interesting to UK shoreline managers where they help to protect substantial urban areas and / or land used for farming, leisure and environmental purposes.

Outcomes

The research made a big step forward in understanding the key cross-shore processes involved and identified further research that would help to improve UK beach management methods. The Technical summary outlines all the R&D outputs available (the full PhD thesis is available on request).

This project followed on from the first stage ‘Scoping Study’ (1997-98) by consolidating recent work on the movement of water in the surf zone over porous beaches.

The project started in 2000 and was completed in 2003 at a cost of £400,000.

Published 12 February 2021