LINKING BERM ACCRETION TO ONSHORE BAR MIGRATION AND ASYMMETRIC WAVE PROPAGATION

Sandy beaches provide a multitude of services, including protection from flooding and provision of recreational space (tourism opportunities). However, sea level rise, reduced sand supply, and other global changes threaten those services. In this context, nature-based solutions and coastal restoration are becoming increasingly important to replace conventional engineering measures (Temmermann et al. 2013). While certain ecosystems dissipate wave energy, others reduce coastal erosion by stabilizing the seabed, for example (see Liquete et al. 2013 for a literature review of coastal ecosystem services). Design of measures (e.g., sand nourishments) and coastal management (including restoration planning) are subject to large uncertainties. To reduce the uncertainties, the present contribution provides novel physical insights on the processes of beach recovery and berm accretion.