MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

UKGravelBarriers

2025-09-05T15:58:35Z

Agarcia:

=== Team ===
This research project is possible thanks to the close collaboration between '''researchers''' from the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/ (BGS)], UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology [https://www.ceh.ac.uk/ (UKCEH)], and the University of Nottingham [https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ (UoN)], '''coastal engineering practitioners''' from Kenneth Pye Associates [https://www.kpal.co.uk/ (KPAL)], Moffat and Nichol [https://www.moffattnichol.com/ (M&N)], '''professional Earth Observation providers''' from [https://www.argans.co.uk/ ARGANS Ltd] and [https://www.isardsat.cat/ isardSAT], with the '''in kind support''' of professionals from the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture [https://www.cefas.co.uk/ (CEFAS)], the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds [https://www.rspb.org.uk/ (RSPB)], the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Research Group of the University of Granada [https://gdfa.ugr.es/ (GDFA)], the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute [https://www.afbini.gov.uk/ (AFBI)], the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland [https://www2.bgs.ac.uk/gsni/ (GSNI)], the Wales Coastal Monitoring Centre [https://www.wcmc.wales/ (WCMC)], and from '''government organisations''' such as Natural Resources Wales [https://naturalresourceswales.gov.uk/ (NRW)] and the Environment Agency [https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency (EA)]

=== Research approach ===
==== Hypothesis ====
To answer the [https://earthwise.bgs.ac.uk/index.php/Category:Understanding_coastal_protection_by_gravel_barriers_in_a_changing_climate#Questions research questions], we have adopted two main research hypotheses.
<blockquote>
'''H1:''' The topography and shallow-subsurface-structure of gravel barriers, including the backshore and nearshore areas control their short-term (overwash) to long-term (transgression) evolution in response to changes in sea level rise, storminess, and sediment supply.

'''H2:''' The critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures can be quantified from both field and numerical simulations under the assumptions of space-for-time substitution <ref name = "Lopez2020">Muñoz López, P., Payo, A., Ellis, M.A., Criado-Aldeanueva, F. and Owen Jenkins, G., 2020. A method to extract measurable indicators of coastal cliff erosion from topographical cliff and beach profiles: Application to North Norfolk and suffolk, East England, UK. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 8(1), p.20. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8010020].</ref> and the use of appropriate complexity modelling <ref name = "Frecnh2016">French, J., Payo, A., Murray, B., Orford, J., Eliot, M. and Cowell, P., 2016. Appropriate complexity for the prediction of coastal and estuarine geomorphic behaviour at decadal to centennial scales. Geomorphology, 256, pp.3-16. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.10.005].</ref>.

</blockquote>

==== Scope ====
The spatial-scope of this research will cover all gravel beaches in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). The temporal-scope will cover their evolution over the last 20,000 thousand years (e.g. to explore both creation of gravel barrier and evolution under different sea level rise scenarios) and will explore how they might evolve in the future to 2150.

Gravel beaches types may be categorised according to the mixture of sands and gravels present, which has a significant influence on the beach slope and the more general morphological response of the beach to wave action. Three categories are defined<ref name = "Anthony2008">Anthony, E. J. (2008). Chapter Six Gravel Beaches and Barriers. Developments in Marine Geology. E. J. Anthony, Elsevier. '''Book chapter''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/S1572-5480(08)00406-5].</ref><ref name = "GravelBeachesType">'''CoastalWiki'''' [https://www.coastalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Gravel_Beaches&oldid=80049#Beach_types Gravel Beaches Types].</ref> as pure gravel (G), mixed sand and gravel (MSG) and composite sand and gravel (CSG).

* Pure gravel beaches have steep slopes (tan β = 0.08–0.24) and gravel extending from the storm berm to below the mean low water spring tide level.
* MSG beaches have moderate slopes (tan β = 0.04–0.13), with sand and gravel entirely mixed both across shore and at depth.
* CSG beaches have a steep gravel berm fronted by a low-angle intertidal terrace, with over all beach slopes of tan β = 0.05–0.14. On composite beaches, there is distinct hydrodynamic cross-shore sorting of the sand and gravel component.

==== Objectives ====
The objectives of this project are listed below, with the research questions that they address indicated;

* '''O1''': Review the responses of gravel barriers to the relative sea level changes observed from 20,000 years to about 100 years ago, including periods when sea levels (see Fig 1) generally rose at different rates but also remained with little change over large periods (RQ#1, RQ#4).

* '''O2''': Review the performance of gravel barriers over the last two decades where the Environment Agency discontinued a policy of managing sea defences by reshaping of gravel barrier profiles and we have access to more detailed observations (RQ#1).

* '''O3''': Collect new field data to improve our understanding of sediment transport on gravel barriers, their shallow subsurface structure and effects of hydraulic conductivity on storm (individual) and decadal evolution (RQ#3, #5).

* '''O4''': Develop a broad-scale simulator of the evolution of a selected coastal barrier and backshore habitat, that account for changes in climate change, sediment supply and management interventions extending to 2150 (RQ#2, #5, #6).

* '''O5''': Quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures in representative field studies (RQ#2, RQ#6).

* '''O6''': Curate the data and models produced in this project beyond the lifetime of the project to enable further research and support decision making.

=== Program of work ===
To deliver the project objectives we have organised the work in five work packages:

[[File:GBCoast Approach WPs.png|800px|thumb|center|Diagram showing program of work of GBcoast project.]]

'''WP 0''' is where all the activities related with project management and coordination are integrated. This includes one in person meeting per year with all project partners and embedded practitioners that will act as project steering group and expert group providing data, access to networks and know-how. The main activities, milestones and deliverables of the WP1 to WP4 are summarised in the table below.

<blockquote>
Fundamental to our approach is that:
# Successful prediction of long-term barrier behaviour requires broad representation of the coastal systems of which they are a single part, and that,
# Modelling capability is improved in terms of prediction and relevance to coastal management decision making by integrating the expertise of successful and established practitioners in coastal geomorphology with numerical modellers of coastal processes.
</blockquote>

Overall, through system analysis and numerical modelling, based on four work packages, we will map and quantify gravel barrier responses to individual, ‘violent’, events such as storms in the context of longer-term ‘progressive’ impacts such as sea level rise, changes in sediment sources, and human interventions. New process understanding will be achieved by seamlessly combining innovative field observational approaches of surface and subsurface processes with advanced numerical modelling. The long-term numerical simulations will be based on predicted scenarios of sea level rise, increased wave heights and changes in coastal orientation based on UKCP18 and other recent climate change studies. The results will support improved and sustainable coastal management based on the improved understanding of how gravel barriers evolve over longer time scales under different climate conditions and human intervention scenarios. They will be a significant advance from the new comprehensive and novel, multi-scale observations of key processes that drive long-term gravel beach morphodynamic evolution.

{| class="wikitable"

|-
! Work Package !! Activities !! Milestones !! Deliverables
|-
|
'''WP1''': Spatial distribution and temporal evolution of UK gravel barriers and their back barrier ecosystems.
||
* Creation of UK gravel barrier and back barrier environments research database
* Apply state-of-the-art statistical methods to quantify joint and spatially coherent probabilities
* Optimisation of machine learning to quantify habitat structure and extent

||
* 1st sprint on geospatial platform development (Q1 2024)
* End of collecting management intervention data from local authorities (Q3 2024)
* Fast-track of statistical analysis for selected case studies (Q4 2024)
||
* Characterization of historical met-ocean drivers and topographical and shoreline metrics of change (Q1 2025)
* Geospatial platform on current and future gravel barrier habitat extent (Q4 2024)
|-
|
'''WP2''': Field data collection at selected case study sites
||
* Expanding satellite derived shoreline proxies in time and space
* Use [[:Category:Portable_streamer_traps_for_longshore_sediment_transport_measurement|DIST]] to create a unique field dataset of longshore sediment transport
* Characterisation of gravel barriers and broader context structure
* Field assessment and biophysical relationships between gravel barriers and vegetation
||
* Update requirements to produce satellite MSI and SAR historical shoreline database that will be used in this project (Q1 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for alongshore sediment transport campaigns (Q2 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for in the field hydraulic conductivity surveys (Q2 2024)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape characteristics (Q4 2026)
||
* Extended database for Northern Ireland of 38 years of historical MSI WL and MSL tideline (Q4 2024)
* New database of historical SAR derived shorelines for designated case studies (Q4 2024)
* Database of alongshore sediment transport, hydrodynamic and structure (Q3 2025)
* Database of hydraulic conductivity before, during and after storms for selected case studies (Q4 2025)
|-
|
'''WP3''': Development of a broad-scale gravel barrier simulator
||
* The Coastal Modelling Environment ([[:Category:Coastal_Modeling_Environment|CoastalME]]) will be used to represent the shore between Overstrand and Blakeney.
* Explore how groundwater flooding and hydraulic conductivity affects both the backshore physic-chemical properties and drivers of change of the habitats we will use the British Groundwater Model (BGWM) developed for the Hydro-JULES research programme.
||
* 3D model of the topography and superficial deposits of the study area (Q4 2024)
* Cley Barrier groundwater simulator (Q4 2025)
* Added groundwater module, habitats, gravel barrier module and human management interventions into CoastalME (Q4 2026)
||
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future Cley Barrier in response to changes in sea level and human interventions (Q4 2026)
|-
|
'''WP4''': Quantify interactions and management intervention thresholds
||
* Use the databases generated in WP1&2 and the new modelling capabilities described in WP3 to quantify the interactions and management interventions thresholds for both the Cley/Salthouse Barrier and a number of typologies representing gravel barriers around the UK.
* Simulate the emergence and stability of barriers under variations in shoreface slope, rate of sea level rise and sedimentology.
* Use the UKCP18, available at UK scale, and state of the art downscaling approaches and the methods used in WP1 to create an ensemble of plausible, hourly time series to force our simulations.
* Use structural equation modelling (SEM) to build an overarching conceptual model will connect climate, geophysical and biogeographic drivers with landscape structure and ecosystem functioning.
||
* Co-development of future climate and management scenarios that will be explored (Q1 2027)
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future evolutions until 2150 using hourly time series (Q1 2027)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape interactions (Q4 2027)
||
* Analysis on how interaction metrics might change in the future compared with historical evidence (Q4 2026);
|}

=== Outcomes ===
Holistic understanding of the complex interactions and feedbacks between the sediment composition of the shallow subsurface, nearshore morphodynamics in response to both storms and sea level changes.

[[File:P025917.jpg|500px|thumb|center|Coast erosion at Pakefield south of Lowestoft. The low cliffs along the coast here are composed of Glacial Sands and Gravels, a loosely-aggregated deposit that offers little resistance to the erosive action of the sea. An exceptionally high tide on November 30th 1936 enabled the waves to attack the cliffs on the north side of Beach Street, causing strips of cliff to fall and abandoned houses to collapse into the sea.]]

A new community modelling system coupled with terrestrial, marine and groundwater sectors and produce numerical simulations which can be used to support multi-hazard analyses under present and future climate change scenarios. These deliverables will be combined with an assessment of the role of coastal habitats, resulting in national maps for protective services and vulnerabilities of coastal habitats to climate-driven multi-hazards. We will also provide tools to analyse the efficacy of future coastal management schemes.

These will deliver a step change in the management of gravel coastlines in the UK.

==== Rapid Evidence Assessment ====
As part of Work Packages 1 and 4 BGS conducted a [https://cebma.org/resources/frequently-asked-questions/what-is-a-rapid-evidence-assessment-rea Rapid Evidence Assessment](REA) to inform the six research questions [[https://earthwise.bgs.ac.uk/index.php/Category:Understanding_coastal_protection_by_gravel_barriers_in_a_changing_climate '''→ View Questions''']].

BGS followed the [https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/560521/Production_of_quick_scoping_reviews_and_rapid_evidence_assessments.pdf DEFRA/NERC] guidance on the production of quick scoping reviews/REAs. The UKGravelbarriers REA is based on a protocol drafted and agreed within all Work Packages and follows the PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparator, and Outcome) method by defining keywords, platforms, and resources available.

The evidence base of the REA firstly includes a research database of UK gravel and back barrier environments including peer-reviewed papers and grey literature (PhDs and reports). Results of the literature review are available in the following sections for each document type (paper, PhD, report) and research question. In addition, a database compiling numerous datasets from previous projects found in BGS archives, BGS websites, and other government web sites has also been made available.

===== Peer-reviewed papers =====

The papers were initially gathered following the REA protocol and predefined keywords. The method limited the search to literature available in Web of Science and Scopus, with a primary focus on the UK (Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland). These included studies conducted within the UK as well as non-UK studies led by UK-based teams or laboratories. More than 4,400 papers were identified and screened using Large Language Models (LLMs) and manual review to remove duplicates and out-of-scope papers. About 300 papers were identified as pertinent and assigned to the relevant research questions.
BGS found that although interest in gravel and shingle systems has significantly increased since the 2000s, some of the research questions remain poorly studied. Research question 2 is linked to the fewest studies with only 20 in total and has only been considered since 2009. In contrast, research questions focusing on the morphological evolution of gravel and shingle systems (research question 1), their differences from more extensively studied sandy environments (research question 3), or the impacts of climate change (research question 4) have been investigated since the late 1970s and account for the highest number of studies.
[[File:Graph representing the number of studies per year for each research question.jpg|thumb|500px|thumb|center|Graph representing the number of studies per year for each research question]]

The primary focus of our literature review was limited to the UK, however, this map shows the broad geographic distribution of the studies identified by the REA worldwide.
[[File:Worldwide geographic distribution of the studies found with the REA.jpg|thumb|center|Worldwide geographic distribution of the studies found with the REA]]
As expected, the UK accounts for most of the literature found (166 studies). Countries such as the USA, Canada, France, Italy, and Spain each contribute between 20 and 50 studies.

The map displays only 258 studies, even though more than 300 were identified. The “missing” studies are laboratory-, model-, or numerical-based and do not have a specific geographic location.

===== Grey literature =====

The grey literature, including PhD theses and reports, was primarily sourced using resources available to the project, such as the BGS website and archive, as well as the websites of Steering Group members (Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Kenneth Pye Associates, Moffat & Nichol, ARGANS Ltd, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds). Additionally, we used Google Scholar and insights from the Steering Group to complete our search. As with peer-reviewed papers, the geographical scope was limited to the UK.

===== PhD theses =====

A total of 19 (17 PhD and 2 MSc) theses were identified as relevant to the UKGravelBarriers project, but only nine of these met the REA criteria: 14 were accepted by the LLM for text screening but one was embargoed until late 2025, one was on the Canadian Arctic i.e. not UK based, and out of these just nine were based on field studies. The map below shows the distribution and locations of these nine.
[[File:Spatial distribution of UK study sites from PhD theses identified through the REA.jpg|thumb|center|Spatial distribution of UK study sites from the PhD theses identified through the REA]]

===== Reports =====

Across the UK, approximately 46 reports were identified and included in the literature review. However, 6 reports were unavailable for download, 5 were only available as hard copies, and 3 were too large for LLM screening. As a result, only 32 reports were ultimately considered and screened to address the different research questions.

== History ==
This project started in response to the NERC funding opportunity called "[https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges: NERC highlight topics 2023]" (Topic F: ‘Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate’). The call was considered to be well aligned with the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/about-bgs/strategy-2023-to-2028/ science strategy plan 2023-2028] and in particular with the strategic priority on '''living with geological hazards''': ''to mitigate and adapt to risk, we will monitor, characterise and forecast earth hazard events and their likely impacts by improving harmonisation in hazard and risk analysis, as well as focusing on hazardous climate change''. The team was officially notified on the reception of this award on the 31st of January 2024 and the project started the 1st of February of 2024. Lead Grant Reference: [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_split.asp?awardref=NE%2FY503265%2F1 NE/Y503265/1]

== Media coverage ==
* [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/bgs-to-lead-new-research-project-on-barrier-systems-to-support-more-sustainable-coastal-management/ BGS news 06/12/2023]

* [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andrespayo_the-ukgravelbarriers-project-in-person-kick-activity-7167813046994739200-ppV5?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop Andres Payo LinkedIn post 26/02/2024]

== References ==
<references />

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate]]

Category:Coastal Modeling Environment

2025-08-27T10:29:41Z

Agarcia:

[[File:Lolworthcoveweb8a07.png|frame|alt=Numerical Simulation of Cove creation using the Coastal Modeling Environment|Simulated embayment creation on an initially rectilinear coastline. (a) At the start of the simulation, all the coastline of a gently sloping topography is protected by a breakwater but a short segment in the centre that is un-protected. (b) Location of the vector coastline at different time steps and final topography after three years of simulation. © The resulting embayment is bounded by a cliff similar to the Lulworth Cove bay in the south of the UK.]]

== Metadata ==
=== Summary ===
Also known as '''CoastalME''', it is a C++ package to support the creation of numerical dynamic models to simulate coastal landscape evolution on spatial scales of kms to tens of kms, over decadal to centennial timescales. It has been designed with and for coastal engineers and practitioners seeking to simulate the interaction of multiple coastal landforms and different types of human interventions (e.g. grey and nature based solutions) to better manage the compound risk of coastal flooding and erosion.

We are now working on making this an [https://www.osgeo.org/projects/coastalme/ "OSGeo Community model"].

=== Quick start ===
See [https://github.com/coastalme/coastalme/blob/main/QUICKSTART.md QUICKSTART.md]

=== Technical specs ===

=== In/Outputs ===

=== Process ===

=== Testing ===

== History ==
It was first released in 2017<ref name = "Payo2017">Payo, A., Favis-Mortlock, D., Dickson, M., Hall, J. W., Hurst, M. D., Walkden, M. J. A., . . . Ellis, M. A. (2017). Coastal Modelling Environment version 1.0: a framework for integrating landform-specific component models in order to simulate decadal to centennial morphological changes on complex coasts. Geosci. Model Dev., 10(7), 2715-2740. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-2715-2017].</ref> as a proof of concept under the NERC funded iCoast project. The initial core team of developers<ref name="Payo2017"/> described in detail the rationale behind CoastalME and demonstrated how it can be used to integrate; the Soft Cliff and Platform Erosion model SCAPE<ref name="Walkden2011">M. J. Walkden and J. W. Hall "A Mesoscale Predictive Model of the Evolution and Management of a Soft-Rock Coast," Journal of Coastal Research 27(3), 529-543, (1 May 2011). [https://doi.org/10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-10-00099.1]</ref>, the Coastal Vector Evolution Model COVE<ref>Hurst, M. D., Barkwith, A., Ellis, M. A., Thomas, C. W., and Murray, A. B. (2015), Exploring the sensitivities of crenulate bay shorelines to wave climates using a new vector-based one-line model, J. Geophys. Res. Earth Surf., 120, 2586– 2608, [https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003704].</ref> and the Cross Shore model CSHORE<ref>Kobayashi, Nobuhisa. "Coastal sediment transport modeling for engineering applications." Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering 142.6 (2016): 03116001.[https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/(ASCE)WW.1943-5460.0000347]</ref>.

== References ==
<references />

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Coastal Modeling Environment

2025-02-13T09:43:02Z

Agarcia:

[[File:Lolworthcoveweb8a07.png|frame|alt=Numerical Simulation of Cove creation using the Coastal Modeling Environment|Simulated embayment creation on an initially rectilinear coastline. (a) At the start of the simulation, all the coastline of a gently sloping topography is protected by a breakwater but a short segment in the centre that is un-protected. (b) Location of the vector coastline at different time steps and final topography after three years of simulation. © The resulting embayment is bounded by a cliff similar to the Lulworth Cove bay in the south of the UK.]]

== Metadata ==
=== Summary ===
Also known as '''CoastalME''', it is a C++ package to support the creation of numerical dynamic models to simulate coastal landscape evolution on spatial scales of kms to tens of kms, over decadal to centennial timescales. It has been designed with and for coastal engineers and practitioners seeking to simulate the interaction of multiple coastal landforms and different types of human interventions (e.g. grey and nature based solutions) to better manage the compound risk of coastal flooding and erosion.

We are now working on making this an [https://www.osgeo.org/projects/coastalme/ "OSGeo Community model"].

=== Technical specs ===

=== In/Outputs ===

=== Process ===

=== Testing ===

== History ==
It was first released in 2017<ref name = "Payo2017">Payo, A., Favis-Mortlock, D., Dickson, M., Hall, J. W., Hurst, M. D., Walkden, M. J. A., . . . Ellis, M. A. (2017). Coastal Modelling Environment version 1.0: a framework for integrating landform-specific component models in order to simulate decadal to centennial morphological changes on complex coasts. Geosci. Model Dev., 10(7), 2715-2740. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-2715-2017].</ref> as a proof of concept under the NERC funded iCoast project. The initial core team of developers<ref name="Payo2017"/> described in detail the rationale behind CoastalME and demonstrated how it can be used to integrate; the Soft Cliff and Platform Erosion model SCAPE<ref name="Walkden2011">M. J. Walkden and J. W. Hall "A Mesoscale Predictive Model of the Evolution and Management of a Soft-Rock Coast," Journal of Coastal Research 27(3), 529-543, (1 May 2011). [https://doi.org/10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-10-00099.1]</ref>, the Coastal Vector Evolution Model COVE<ref>Hurst, M. D., Barkwith, A., Ellis, M. A., Thomas, C. W., and Murray, A. B. (2015), Exploring the sensitivities of crenulate bay shorelines to wave climates using a new vector-based one-line model, J. Geophys. Res. Earth Surf., 120, 2586– 2608, [https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003704].</ref> and the Cross Shore model CSHORE<ref>Kobayashi, Nobuhisa. "Coastal sediment transport modeling for engineering applications." Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering 142.6 (2016): 03116001.[https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/(ASCE)WW.1943-5460.0000347]</ref>.

== References ==
<references />

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Coastal Modeling Environment

2025-02-13T09:42:21Z

Agarcia:

[[File:Lolworthcoveweb8a07.png|frame|alt=Numerical Simulation of Cove creation using the Coastal Modeling Environment|Simulated embayment creation on an initially rectilinear coastline. (a) At the start of the simulation, all the coastline of a gently sloping topography is protected by a breakwater but a short segment in the centre that is un-protected. (b) Location of the vector coastline at different time steps and final topography after three years of simulation. © The resulting embayment is bounded by a cliff similar to the Lulworth Cove bay in the south of the UK.]]

== Metadata ==
=== Summary ===
Also known as '''CoastalME''', it is a C++ package to support the creation of numerical dynamic models to simulate coastal landscape evolution on spatial scales of kms to tens of kms, over decadal to centennial timescales. It has been designed with and for coastal engineers and practitioners seeking to simulate the interaction of multiple coastal landforms and different types of human interventions (e.g. grey and nature based solutions) to better manage the compound risk of coastal flooding and erosion.

We are now working on making this an OSGeo Community model. For most up to date info, visit [https://www.osgeo.org/projects/coastalme/ "OSGeo Community model"]

=== Technical specs ===

=== In/Outputs ===

=== Process ===

=== Testing ===

== History ==
It was first released in 2017<ref name = "Payo2017">Payo, A., Favis-Mortlock, D., Dickson, M., Hall, J. W., Hurst, M. D., Walkden, M. J. A., . . . Ellis, M. A. (2017). Coastal Modelling Environment version 1.0: a framework for integrating landform-specific component models in order to simulate decadal to centennial morphological changes on complex coasts. Geosci. Model Dev., 10(7), 2715-2740. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-2715-2017].</ref> as a proof of concept under the NERC funded iCoast project. The initial core team of developers<ref name="Payo2017"/> described in detail the rationale behind CoastalME and demonstrated how it can be used to integrate; the Soft Cliff and Platform Erosion model SCAPE<ref name="Walkden2011">M. J. Walkden and J. W. Hall "A Mesoscale Predictive Model of the Evolution and Management of a Soft-Rock Coast," Journal of Coastal Research 27(3), 529-543, (1 May 2011). [https://doi.org/10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-10-00099.1]</ref>, the Coastal Vector Evolution Model COVE<ref>Hurst, M. D., Barkwith, A., Ellis, M. A., Thomas, C. W., and Murray, A. B. (2015), Exploring the sensitivities of crenulate bay shorelines to wave climates using a new vector-based one-line model, J. Geophys. Res. Earth Surf., 120, 2586– 2608, [https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003704].</ref> and the Cross Shore model CSHORE<ref>Kobayashi, Nobuhisa. "Coastal sediment transport modeling for engineering applications." Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering 142.6 (2016): 03116001.[https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/(ASCE)WW.1943-5460.0000347]</ref>.

== References ==
<references />

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Coastal Modeling Environment

2025-02-13T09:40:48Z

Agarcia:

[[File:Lolworthcoveweb8a07.png|frame|alt=Numerical Simulation of Cove creation using the Coastal Modeling Environment|Simulated embayment creation on an initially rectilinear coastline. (a) At the start of the simulation, all the coastline of a gently sloping topography is protected by a breakwater but a short segment in the centre that is un-protected. (b) Location of the vector coastline at different time steps and final topography after three years of simulation. © The resulting embayment is bounded by a cliff similar to the Lulworth Cove bay in the south of the UK.]]

== Metadata ==
=== Summary ===
Also known as '''CoastalME''', it is a C++ package to support the creation of numerical dynamic models to simulate coastal landscape evolution on spatial scales of kms to tens of kms, over decadal to centennial timescales. It has been designed with and for coastal engineers and practitioners seeking to simulate the interaction of multiple coastal landforms and different types of human interventions (e.g. grey and nature based solutions) to better manage the compound risk of coastal flooding and erosion.

We are now working on making this an OSGeo Community model. For most up to date info, visit [[https://www.osgeo.org/projects/coastalme/]]

=== Technical specs ===

=== In/Outputs ===

=== Process ===

=== Testing ===

== History ==
It was first released in 2017<ref name = "Payo2017">Payo, A., Favis-Mortlock, D., Dickson, M., Hall, J. W., Hurst, M. D., Walkden, M. J. A., . . . Ellis, M. A. (2017). Coastal Modelling Environment version 1.0: a framework for integrating landform-specific component models in order to simulate decadal to centennial morphological changes on complex coasts. Geosci. Model Dev., 10(7), 2715-2740. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-2715-2017].</ref> as a proof of concept under the NERC funded iCoast project. The initial core team of developers<ref name="Payo2017"/> described in detail the rationale behind CoastalME and demonstrated how it can be used to integrate; the Soft Cliff and Platform Erosion model SCAPE<ref name="Walkden2011">M. J. Walkden and J. W. Hall "A Mesoscale Predictive Model of the Evolution and Management of a Soft-Rock Coast," Journal of Coastal Research 27(3), 529-543, (1 May 2011). [https://doi.org/10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-10-00099.1]</ref>, the Coastal Vector Evolution Model COVE<ref>Hurst, M. D., Barkwith, A., Ellis, M. A., Thomas, C. W., and Murray, A. B. (2015), Exploring the sensitivities of crenulate bay shorelines to wave climates using a new vector-based one-line model, J. Geophys. Res. Earth Surf., 120, 2586– 2608, [https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003704].</ref> and the Cross Shore model CSHORE<ref>Kobayashi, Nobuhisa. "Coastal sediment transport modeling for engineering applications." Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering 142.6 (2016): 03116001.[https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/(ASCE)WW.1943-5460.0000347]</ref>.

== References ==
<references />

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Coastal Modeling Environment

2025-02-13T09:38:23Z

Agarcia:

[[File:Lolworthcoveweb8a07.png|frame|alt=Numerical Simulation of Cove creation using the Coastal Modeling Environment|Simulated embayment creation on an initially rectilinear coastline. (a) At the start of the simulation, all the coastline of a gently sloping topography is protected by a breakwater but a short segment in the centre that is un-protected. (b) Location of the vector coastline at different time steps and final topography after three years of simulation. © The resulting embayment is bounded by a cliff similar to the Lulworth Cove bay in the south of the UK.]]

== Metadata ==
=== Summary ===
Also known as '''CoastalME''', it is a C++ package to support the creation of numerical dynamic models to simulate coastal landscape evolution on spatial scales of kms to tens of kms, over decadal to centennial timescales. It has been designed with and for coastal engineers and practitioners seeking to simulate the interaction of multiple coastal landforms and different types of human interventions (e.g. grey and nature based solutions) to better manage the compound risk of coastal flooding and erosion.

We are now working on making this an OSGeo Community model: [https://www.osgeo.org/projects/coastalme/]

=== Technical specs ===

=== In/Outputs ===

=== Process ===

=== Testing ===

== History ==
It was first released in 2017<ref name = "Payo2017">Payo, A., Favis-Mortlock, D., Dickson, M., Hall, J. W., Hurst, M. D., Walkden, M. J. A., . . . Ellis, M. A. (2017). Coastal Modelling Environment version 1.0: a framework for integrating landform-specific component models in order to simulate decadal to centennial morphological changes on complex coasts. Geosci. Model Dev., 10(7), 2715-2740. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-2715-2017].</ref> as a proof of concept under the NERC funded iCoast project. The initial core team of developers<ref name="Payo2017"/> described in detail the rationale behind CoastalME and demonstrated how it can be used to integrate; the Soft Cliff and Platform Erosion model SCAPE<ref name="Walkden2011">M. J. Walkden and J. W. Hall "A Mesoscale Predictive Model of the Evolution and Management of a Soft-Rock Coast," Journal of Coastal Research 27(3), 529-543, (1 May 2011). [https://doi.org/10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-10-00099.1]</ref>, the Coastal Vector Evolution Model COVE<ref>Hurst, M. D., Barkwith, A., Ellis, M. A., Thomas, C. W., and Murray, A. B. (2015), Exploring the sensitivities of crenulate bay shorelines to wave climates using a new vector-based one-line model, J. Geophys. Res. Earth Surf., 120, 2586– 2608, [https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003704].</ref> and the Cross Shore model CSHORE<ref>Kobayashi, Nobuhisa. "Coastal sediment transport modeling for engineering applications." Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering 142.6 (2016): 03116001.[https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/(ASCE)WW.1943-5460.0000347]</ref>.

== References ==
<references />

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate

2024-09-26T07:52:01Z

Agarcia:

== Background ==
Beach and barrier systems characterized by a predominant gravel fraction, encompassing 'pure,' 'compound,' and 'mixed sand-gravel' configurations, collectively referred to as 'gravel barriers,' are prevalent across the UK and worldwide.

<gallery widths=300px heights=200px mode=packed-overlay caption="Gravel beaches types">
File:P638726.jpg|Pure Gravel (G)
File:Picture1_150ppi.jpg|Mixed Sand and Gravel (MSG)
File:P210742.jpg|Composite Sand and Gravel (CSG)
</gallery>

It is widely acknowledged that gravel barrier shorelines provide crucial natural flood protection to numerous coastal communities. Furthermore, their establishment and enhancement are increasingly recognized as sustainable, nature-based adaptation measures that enhance natural capital. However, effective management is imperative to ensure their continued efficacy in mitigating coastal erosion and flooding risks. Currently, our understanding and modeling capabilities of gravel beach and barrier dynamics significantly trail those of sandy counterparts.

The objective of this Wiki site is twofold: to disseminate the findings of BGS research and to facilitate the open exchange of information within the broader geological community.

Specifically, this platform offers research methodologies that tackle pivotal research questions as outlined below, accompanied by references to the primary research outputs generated to date.

== Questions ==
[[Future response and ecosystems impacts|'''RQ#1''']]| How do decadal-scale morphodynamics of gravel barriers respond to changes in sea level, storminess and sediment supply, and influence coastal evolution? How will this impact the ecosystems they support?

[[Potential triggering management interventions|'''RQ#2''']]| Under future climate change, will the coastal protection role of gravel barriers be compromised, potentially triggering management interventions?

[[Differences with sand cases|'''RQ#3''']]| When and how does sediment transport on gravel barriers differ from more well studied sand cases?

[[Role of internal structure|'''RQ#4''']]| What is the internal structure and composition of gravel beaches and how do variations in composition influence beach morphology and dynamics?

[[Role of hydraulic conductivity|'''RQ#5''']]| What is the role of hydraulic conductivity in influencing barrier behaviour?

[[Interactions natural and built environment|'''RQ#6''']]| Can we quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment (marsh, lagoon, estuary), as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures?

== Approaches ==
* [https://web-dr.tis.plymouth.ac.uk/research/coastal-processes/gravel-beach #gravelbeach] project led by [https://noc.ac.uk/n/Jennifer+Brown Dr Jenny Brown] at the National Oceanographic Centre (NOC)
* [[UKGravelBarriers]] project led by [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/ Dr Andres Payo]at the British Geological Survey (BGS)

== Outputs ==
The different outputs of these research projects can be found via:
* New [https://coastalmonitoring.org/ccoresources/gravel_coasts/ "Gravel Resource"] at the National Network of Regional Coastal Monitoring Programmes website
* Dedicated wiki site for the BGS led [[UKGravelBarriers]] project

== History ==
These research questions were included in the NERC highlight topics 2023 [https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges Topic F] ‘'''Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate'''’. The Award details for the two selected projects can be found at the UKRI-NERC Grants of the Web dedicated site [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/ https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/], and found by using the Lead Grant Reference NE/Y503265/1 and NE/Y50323X/1 for the UKGravelBarriers and the #gravelbeaches projects, respectively.

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate

2024-09-26T07:51:19Z

Agarcia:

== Background ==
Beach and barrier systems characterized by a predominant gravel fraction, encompassing 'pure,' 'compound,' and 'mixed sand-gravel' configurations, collectively referred to as 'gravel barriers,' are prevalent across the UK and worldwide.

<gallery widths=300px heights=200px mode=packed-overlay caption="Gravel beaches types">
File:P638726.jpg|Pure Gravel (G)
File:Picture1_150ppi.jpg|Mixed Sand and Gravel (MSG)
File:P210742.jpg|Composite Sand and Gravel (CSG)
</gallery>

It is widely acknowledged that gravel barrier shorelines provide crucial natural flood protection to numerous coastal communities. Furthermore, their establishment and enhancement are increasingly recognized as sustainable, nature-based adaptation measures that enhance natural capital. However, effective management is imperative to ensure their continued efficacy in mitigating coastal erosion and flooding risks. Currently, our understanding and modeling capabilities of gravel beach and barrier dynamics significantly trail those of sandy counterparts.

The objective of this Wiki site is twofold: to disseminate the findings of BGS research and to facilitate the open exchange of information within the broader geological community.

Specifically, this platform offers research methodologies that tackle pivotal research questions as outlined below, accompanied by references to the primary research outputs generated to date.

== Questions ==
[[Future response and ecosystems impacts|'''RQ#1''']]| How do decadal-scale morphodynamics of gravel barriers respond to changes in sea level, storminess and sediment supply, and influence coastal evolution? How will this impact the ecosystems they support?

[[Potential triggering management interventions|'''RQ#2''']]| Under future climate change, will the coastal protection role of gravel barriers be compromised, potentially triggering management interventions?

[[Differences with sand cases|'''RQ#3''']]| When and how does sediment transport on gravel barriers differ from more well studied sand cases?

[[Role of internal structure|'''RQ#4''']]| What is the internal structure and composition of gravel beaches and how do variations in composition influence beach morphology and dynamics?

[[Role of hydraulic conductivity|'''RQ#5''']]| What is the role of hydraulic conductivity in influencing barrier behaviour?

[[Interactions natural and built environment|'''RQ#6''']]| Can we quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment (marsh, lagoon, estuary), as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures?

== Approaches ==
* [https://web-dr.tis.plymouth.ac.uk/research/coastal-processes/gravel-beach #gravelbeach] project led by [https://noc.ac.uk/n/Jennifer+Brown Dr Jenny Brown] at the National Oceanographic Centre (NOC)
* [[UKGravelBarriers]] project led by [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/ Dr Andres Payo]at the British Geological Survey (BGS)

== Outputs ==
The different outputs of these research projects can be found via:
* New [[https://coastalmonitoring.org/ccoresources/gravel_coasts/ "Gravel Resource"]] at the National Network of Regional Coastal Monitoring Programmes website
* Dedicated wiki site for the BGS led [[UKGravelBarriers]] project

== History ==
These research questions were included in the NERC highlight topics 2023 [https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges Topic F] ‘'''Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate'''’. The Award details for the two selected projects can be found at the UKRI-NERC Grants of the Web dedicated site [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/ https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/], and found by using the Lead Grant Reference NE/Y503265/1 and NE/Y50323X/1 for the UKGravelBarriers and the #gravelbeaches projects, respectively.

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

UKGravelBarriers

2024-08-01T15:29:04Z

Agarcia:

=== Team ===
This research project is possible thanks to the close collaboration between '''researchers''' from the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/ (BGS)], UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology [https://www.ceh.ac.uk/ (UKCEH)], and the University of Nottingham [https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ (UoN)], '''coastal engineering practitioners''' from Kenneth Pye Associates [https://www.kpal.co.uk/ (KPAL)], Moffat and Nichol [https://www.moffattnichol.com/ (M&N)], '''professional Earth Observation providers''' from [https://www.argans.co.uk/ ARGANS Ltd] and [https://www.isardsat.cat/ isardSAT], with the '''in kind support''' of professionals from the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture [https://www.cefas.co.uk/ (CEFAS)], the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds [https://www.rspb.org.uk/ (RSPB)], the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Research Group of the University of Granada [https://gdfa.ugr.es/ (GDFA)], the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute [https://www.afbini.gov.uk/ (AFBI)], the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland [https://www2.bgs.ac.uk/gsni/ (GSNI)], the Wales Coastal Monitoring Centre [https://www.wcmc.wales/ (WCMC)], and from '''government organizations''' such as Natural Resources Wales [https://naturalresourceswales.gov.uk/ (NRW)] and the Environment Agency [https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency (EA)]

=== Research approach ===
==== Hypothesis ====
To answer the research questions, we have adopted two main research hypotheses.
<blockquote>
'''H1:''' The topography and shallow-subsurface-structure of gravel barriers, including the backshore and nearshore areas control their short-term (overwash) to long-term (transgression) evolution in response to changes in sea level rise, storminess, and sediment supply.

'''H2:''' The critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures can be quantified from both field and numerical simulations under the assumptions of space-for-time substitution <ref name = "Lopez2020">Muñoz López, P., Payo, A., Ellis, M.A., Criado-Aldeanueva, F. and Owen Jenkins, G., 2020. A method to extract measurable indicators of coastal cliff erosion from topographical cliff and beach profiles: Application to North Norfolk and suffolk, East England, UK. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 8(1), p.20. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8010020].</ref> and the use of appropriate complexity modelling <ref name = "Frecnh2016">French, J., Payo, A., Murray, B., Orford, J., Eliot, M. and Cowell, P., 2016. Appropriate complexity for the prediction of coastal and estuarine geomorphic behaviour at decadal to centennial scales. Geomorphology, 256, pp.3-16. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.10.005].</ref>.

</blockquote>
==== Scope ====
The spatial-scope of this research will cover all gravel beaches in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). The temporal-scope will cover their evolution over the last 20,000 thousand years (e.g. to explore both creation of gravel barrier and evolution under different sea level rise scenarios) and will explore how they might evolve in the future to 2150.

Gravel beaches types may be categorised according to the mixture of sands and gravels present, which has a significant influence on the beach slope and the more general morphological response of the beach to wave action. Three categories are defined<ref name = "Anthony2008">Anthony, E. J. (2008). Chapter Six Gravel Beaches and Barriers. Developments in Marine Geology. E. J. Anthony, Elsevier. '''Book chapter''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/S1572-5480(08)00406-5].</ref><ref name = "GravelBeachesType">'''CoastalWiki'''' [https://www.coastalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Gravel_Beaches&oldid=80049#Beach_types Gravel Beaches Types].</ref> as pure gravel (G), mixed sand and gravel (MSG) and composite sand and gravel (CSG).

* Pure gravel beaches have steep slopes (tan β = 0.08–0.24) and gravel extending from the storm berm to below the mean low water spring tide level.
* MSG beaches have moderate slopes (tan β = 0.04–0.13), with sand and gravel entirely mixed both across shore and at depth.
* CSG beaches have a steep gravel berm fronted by a low-angle intertidal terrace, with over all beach slopes of tan β = 0.05–0.14. On composite beaches, there is distinct hydrodynamic cross-shore sorting of the sand and gravel component.

==== Objectives ====
The objectives of this project are listed below, with the research questions that they address indicated;

* '''O1''': Review the responses of gravel barriers to the relative sea level changes observed from 20,000 years to about 100 years ago, including periods when sea levels (see Fig 1) generally rose at different rates but also remained with little change over large periods (RQ#1, RQ#4).

* '''O2''': Review the performance of gravel barriers over the last two decades where the Environment Agency discontinued a policy of managing sea defences by reshaping of gravel barrier profiles and we have access to more detailed observations (RQ#1).

* '''O3''': Collect new field data to improve our understanding of sediment transport on gravel barriers, their shallow subsurface structure and effects of hydraulic conductivity on storm (individual) and decadal evolution (RQ#3, #5).

* '''O4''': Develop a broad-scale simulator of the evolution of a selected coastal barrier and backshore habitat, that account for changes in climate change, sediment supply and management interventions extending to 2150 (RQ#2, #5, #6).

* '''O5''': Quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures in representative field studies (RQ#2, RQ#6).

* '''O6''': Curate the data and models produced in this project beyond the lifetime of the project to enable further research and support decision making.

=== Program of work ===
To deliver the project objectives we have organised the work in five work packages:

[[File:GBCoast Approach WPs.png|800px|thumb|center|Diagram showing program of work of GBcoast project.]]

'''WP 0''' is where all the activities related with project management and coordination are integrated. This includes one in person meeting per year with all project partners and embedded practitioners that will act as project steering group and expert group providing data, access to networks and know-how. The main activities, milestones and deliverables of the WP1 to WP4 are summarised in the table below.

<blockquote>
Fundamental to our approach is that:
# Successful prediction of long-term barrier behaviour requires broad representation of the coastal systems of which they are a single part, and that,
# Modelling capability is improved in terms of prediction and relevance to coastal management decision making by integrating the expertise of successful and established practitioners in coastal geomorphology with numerical modellers of coastal processes.
</blockquote>

Overall, through system analysis and numerical modelling, based on four work packages, we will map and quantify gravel barrier responses to individual, ‘violent’, events such as storms in the context of longer-term ‘progressive’ impacts such as sea level rise, changes in sediment sources, and human interventions. New process understanding will be achieved by seamlessly combining innovative field observational approaches of surface and subsurface processes with advanced numerical modelling. The long-term numerical simulations will be based on predicted scenarios of sea level rise, increased wave heights and changes in coastal orientation based on UKCP18 and other recent climate change studies. The results will support improved and sustainable coastal management based on the improved understanding of how gravel barriers evolve over longer time scales under different climate conditions and human intervention scenarios. They will be a significant advance from the new comprehensive and novel, multi-scale observations of key processes that drive long-term gravel beach morphodynamic evolution.

{| class="wikitable"

|-
! Work Package !! Activities !! Milestones !! Deliverables
|-
|
'''WP1''': Spatial distribution and temporal evolution of UK gravel barriers and their back barrier ecosystems.
||
* Creation of UK gravel barrier and back barrier environments research database
* Apply state-of-the-art statistical methods to quantify joint and spatially coherent probabilities
* Optimisation of machine learning to quantify habitat structure and extent

||
* 1st sprint on geospatial platform development (Q1 2024)
* End of collecting management intervention data from local authorities (Q3 2024)
* Fast-track of statistical analysis for selected case studies (Q4 2024)
||
* Characterization of historical met-ocean drivers and topographical and shoreline metrics of change (Q1 2025)
* Geospatial platform on current and future gravel barrier habitat extent (Q4 2024)
|-
|
'''WP2''': Field data collection at selected case study sites
||
* Expanding satellite derived shoreline proxies in time and space
* Use [[:Category:Portable_streamer_traps_for_longshore_sediment_transport_measurement|DIST]] to create a unique field dataset of longshore sediment transport
* Characterisation of gravel barriers and broader context structure
* Field assessment and biophysical relationships between gravel barriers and vegetation
||
* Update requirements to produce satellite MSI and SAR historical shoreline database that will be used in this project (Q1 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for alongshore sediment transport campaigns (Q2 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for in the field hydraulic conductivity surveys (Q2 2024)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape characteristics (Q4 2026)
||
* Extended database for Northern Ireland of 38 years of historical MSI WL and MSL tideline (Q4 2024)
* New database of historical SAR derived shorelines for designated case studies (Q4 2024)
* Database of alongshore sediment transport, hydrodynamic and structure (Q3 2025)
* Database of hydraulic conductivity before, during and after storms for selected case studies (Q4 2025)
|-
|
'''WP3''': Development of a broad-scale gravel barrier simulator
||
* The Coastal Modelling Environment ([[:Category:Coastal_Modeling_Environment|CoastalME]]) will be used to represent the shore between Overstrand and Blakeney.
* Explore how groundwater flooding and hydraulic conductivity affects both the backshore physic-chemical properties and drivers of change of the habitats we will use the British Groundwater Model (BGWM) developed for the Hydro-JULES research programme.
||
* 3D model of the topography and superficial deposits of the study area (Q4 2024)
* Cley Barrier groundwater simulator (Q4 2025)
* Added groundwater module, habitats, gravel barrier module and human management interventions into CoastalME (Q4 2026)
||
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future Cley Barrier in response to changes in sea level and human interventions (Q4 2026)
|-
|
'''WP4''': Quantify interactions and management intervention thresholds
||
* Use the databases generated in WP1&2 and the new modelling capabilities described in WP3 to quantify the interactions and management interventions thresholds for both the Cley/Salthouse Barrier and a number of typologies representing gravel barriers around the UK.
* Simulate the emergence and stability of barriers under variations in shoreface slope, rate of sea level rise and sedimentology.
* Use the UKCP18, available at UK scale, and state of the art downscaling approaches and the methods used in WP1 to create an ensemble of plausible, hourly time series to force our simulations.
* Use structural equation modelling (SEM) to build an overarching conceptual model will connect climate, geophysical and biogeographic drivers with landscape structure and ecosystem functioning.
||
* Co-development of future climate and management scenarios that will be explored (Q1 2027)
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future evolutions until 2150 using hourly time series (Q1 2027)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape interactions (Q4 2027)
||
* Analysis on how interaction metrics might change in the future compared with historical evidence (Q4 2026);
|}

=== Outcomes ===
Holistic understanding of the complex interactions and feedbacks between the sediment composition of the shallow subsurface, nearshore morphodynamics in response to both storms and sea level changes.

[[File:P025917.jpg|500px|thumb|center|Coast erosion at Pakefield south of Lowestoft. The low cliffs along the coast here are composed of Glacial Sands and Gravels, a loosely-aggregated deposit that offers little resistance to the erosive action of the sea. An exceptionally high tide on November 30th 1936 enabled the waves to attack the cliffs on the north side of Beach Street, causing strips of cliff to fall and abandoned houses to collapse into the sea.]]

A new community modelling system coupled with terrestrial, marine and groundwater sectors and produce numerical simulations which can be used to support multi-hazard analyses under present and future climate change scenarios. These deliverables will be combined with an assessment of the role of coastal habitats, resulting in national maps for protective services and vulnerabilities of coastal habitats to climate-driven multi-hazards. We will also provide tools to analyse the efficacy of future coastal management schemes.

These will deliver a step change in the management of gravel coastlines in the UK.

== History ==
This project started in response to the NERC funding opportunity called "[https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges: NERC highlight topics 2023]" (Topic F: ‘Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate’). The call was considered to be well aligned with the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/about-bgs/strategy-2023-to-2028/ science strategy plan 2023-2028] and in particular with the strategic priority on '''living with geological hazards''': ''to mitigate and adapt to risk, we will monitor, characterise and forecast earth hazard events and their likely impacts by improving harmonisation in hazard and risk analysis, as well as focusing on hazardous climate change''. The team was officially notified on the reception of this award on the 31st of January 2024 and the project started the 1st of February of 2024. Lead Grant Reference: [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_split.asp?awardref=NE%2FY503265%2F1 NE/Y503265/1]

== Media coverage ==
* [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/bgs-to-lead-new-research-project-on-barrier-systems-to-support-more-sustainable-coastal-management/ BGS news 06/12/2023]

* [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andrespayo_the-ukgravelbarriers-project-in-person-kick-activity-7167813046994739200-ppV5?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop Andres Payo LinkedIn post 26/02/2024]

== References ==
<references />

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate]]

Category:CliffMetrics

2024-04-16T13:55:13Z

Agarcia:

[[Category:SAGA toolbox]]
== CliffMetrics ==
CliffMetrics is an advanced software tool crafted to precisely determine the positions of cliff tops and toes along highly irregular coastlines using nothing but a Digital Elevation Model (DEM). Its innovative functionality includes an automated coastline delineation feature, which can be fine-tuned with various smoothing options to generate a streamlined coastline points layer. This layer serves as the foundation for customizable transects of variable lengths, while leveraging coastline orientation to accurately portray the coastline's normal direction. For users seeking to constrain specific locations, the tool seamlessly integrates input coastline points layers.
In CliffMetrics, the concepts of cliff top and toe are rigorously defined in purely geometric terms, denoting a sharp transition in elevation along the coastaline. This definition is established through an initial detrended elevation process, followed by the specification of an input threshold, as illustrated in '''Fig. 1'''. In addition, the tool operates under the assumption that the cliff represents the predominant feature along the elevation transect.
At present, CliffMetrics can be used within a GIS environment (via SAGA GIS software) or programmatically via the Linux version.

''Fig. 1. CliffMetrics extracts the profile elevations and detects the locations at the cliff top and toe (left) from Detrended elevation (right)''

== Getting Started ==
=== SAGA WINDOWS INTEGRATION ===
CliffMetrics has been seamlessly integrated into the System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses (SAGA), a robust and open-source Geographic Information System (GIS) software. As of August 2019, it became an official component of the SAGA Repository, featuring firstly in version v7.3.0.
CliffMetrics can be accessed in two ways:
* in Geoprocessing menu, go to “Terrain Analysis” >> “Coastal Morphology” >> “CliffMetrics”,
* in the Tools pane as it is shown in '''Fig. 2''', “Tools”>> “Terrain Analysis” >> “CliffMetrics”.

''Fig.2. Integration of CliffMetrics into SAGA software''
==== INPUTS ====
The SAGA-CliffMetrics-input window is divided into the “Data Objects” and the “Options” inputs sections. Data-Objects-values are indicated by the symbol “>>” before the name and by <not set> or <create> in value box. '''Fig. 3''' shows the default Options-values, and all inputs are explained below.

''Fig. 3. The CliffMetrics input data window''

The “Data Objects” section is composed by the '''“Elevation”''' (bellow “Grids”>> “Grids System”) in “Grid System” subsection and the '''“User Defined Coastline Points”''' in “Shapes” subsection. Optional parameters need to be defined in “Options” section. In more detail: 

- Grid System:
*'''Elevation''': Define the Grid System used in SAGA, and it is the primary elevation source. All types of DEM files supported in SAGA can be used. IMPORTANT! For the automatic coastline delineation option (no '''User Defined Coastline Points''' as input), the user-defined DEM must NOT have non-data values around the edges. CliffMetrics starts searching for the coastline by traversing the edges of the DEM.
- Shapes:
*'''User Defined coastline points''': This layer sets the starting points of transect positions on the coastline if you include it. All vector file types supported in SAGA can be used. CliffMetrics only read the coordinates of the point and the ordinal (sequential order of saving to the file). Ordinals identify the Start (n=1) and End (n=last) points of User Defined Coastline Points, so the points must have been stored along the coastline. If the starting point is outside of the DEM domain, the first user-defined shoreline point within the DEM boundaries is automatically selected as the starting point. The User Defined Coastline Points are used as an initial reference to find the centre of the raster DEM cell closest to them. This center will be the starting point for the transects. In addition, it is necessary to define three aspects in advance:
#'''Sea handiness''': This parameter establishes which DEM side of the coastline is the sea if a person is imagined walking from the starting point to the end of the user defined coastline, see '''Fig.4'''.
#'''Start edge coastline''': Defines which DEM edge (North, East, South, West) the user defined coastline starts at, see '''Fig. 4'''.
#'''End edge coastline''': This parameter identifies which DEM edge (North, East, South, West) the user defined coastline ends at, see '''Fig. 4'''.
- Options:
*'''Still Water Level''': the user-defined vertical elevation for the automatically delineated coastline. Default is 1 m above the datum used for the DEM. This will likely be different for your DEM.
*'''Coastline Smoothing Algorithm''': Smoothing algorithm to apply. There are three options: “None”, “running mean” or “Savitsky-Golay”, see '''Fig. 4'''. The default is “running mean” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moving_average).
*'''Coastline Smoothing Window Size''': The number of selected points to smooth the coastline. Smoothing the coastline produces normals that are more parallel to each other, see '''Fig. 4.''' The default value is “30” points.

''Fig.4. Examples of three options of the shoreline smoothing algorithm with the size of the 30-point shoreline smoothing window and the effect on transects. The User Defined Coastline Points parameters in this example are Sea handiness= “Left”, Start edge coastline = “North” and End edge coastline = “South”''

*'''Scale Raster Output Values''': If necessary, GIS raster output values are scaled to the Coordinate Reference System used, in this case select “Active”.
*'''Random Edge for Coastline Search''': Select “Active” if the first edge used to search for the coastline is randomly selected each time the tool is run.
*'''Length of Coastline Normal''': The default length is 500 m. The minimum recommended length is three times the planimetric resolutions. For example, if the raster cell size is 10 meters, the minimum length of normal is 30 meters.
*'''Vertical Tolerance''': Minimum abrupt change in elevation on the coast to detect a toe or top cliff. The default value is 0.5 m.
*'''Main Output File Directory''': Output folder for saving the results.

==== OUTPUTS ====
The outputs use the symbol "<<" before the name and the value <create> in the CliffMetrics “Data Objects” box, see '''Fig. 3'''. After clicking "Okay", some of the outputs are uploaded by default to the SAGA workspace as virtual layers (see the "Data" label window in “Manager” pane), and others are saved directly in the user-defined output folder. Virtual layers are particularly useful in case you want to fine-tune user-defined parameters.
To facilitate the screening of model results, CliffMetrics produces a set of shapefiles and ASCII files in a format readable by most GIS and spreadsheet software. More in detail:
*'''coast.shp''': A line shapefile contains a smoothed coastline resulting from applying the user defined smoothing. The “coast” field is the identifier for each continuous line in the study.
*'''coast_point.shp''': A point shapefile with the location of raster DEM cells closest to user defined “Still Water Level”. These points are used as the start of the transect and the coastline orientation is used to draw the coastline normal. The “ncoast” field is linked to “coast” field as the identifier value in “coast.shp”, the “nProf” field is linked to the field with the same name in the “normal.shp” layer, the “bisOK” field is a Boolean variable to indicate whether the point is within the DEM spatial scope (1) or outside (0), the “CoastEl” field is the value of the DEM elevation point and the “Chainage” field is the horizontal distance from the start of the transect.
*'''normals.shp''': A line shapefile that including the transects. The number of normal/transects will vary with the resolution of the DEM and the number of defined or calculated coast points. Transects should not be crossed, the longer they are, the more the number of transects will be reduced to avoid this. The “Normal” field is the unique identifier and is linked to the “nProf” field value in “coast_point.shp”, the “StartCoast” field is true (1) if the profile is at the start point of the coastline and false (0) otherwise, the “EndCoast” field is true (1) if the profile is at the end point of the coastline and false (0) otherwise, “HitLand” is 1 if the transect hit the dry land (e.g. land at higher elevation than the Still Water Level), “HitCoast” is true (1) if the transect cross the coastline in more than the start point and false (0) otherwise, “HitNormal” is 1 is the transect cross with another transect and “nCoast” is linked to “coast” field in “coast.shp”.
*'''cliff_toe.shp''': a point shapefile with the planimetric position of the cliff toes. The “nCoast” field is linked to “nCoast” in “coast_point.shp” and the “coast” field in “coast.shp”. “nProf” field is the same in “normal.shp” and in “coast_point.shp”. The “bisOk” field is a Boolean variable to indicate whether the point is within the DEM spatial scope (1) or outside (0), “nPoint” is the number of points along this transect, “CliffToeEl” is the DEM elevation at the toe of the cliff.
*'''cliff_top.shp''': a point shapefile with the planimetric position of the cliff tops. The fields are the same as for Cliff_toe.shp but refer to the cliff top location.
*'''coast_0_profile_XX.csv''': The group of transect/normal/elevation profiles are saved as CSV files. The filename includes the coastline identifier after “coast” and ends with a number equal to “nProf” after “profile” with the value linked to “nProf” field in “coast_point.shp” or the “normal” field in “normal.shp”. For example, the file “coast_2_profile_523.csv” is the profile num. 523 in coastline num. 2. These CSV files contain 5 fields: a “Dist” field such as the horizontal distance from their point in “coast_point.shp”, the positive landward, the “X”, “Y,” and “Z” coordinates in the DEM reference and the elevation value “detrendZ” after removing the linear trend, see '''Fig. 1'''. In addition, the first line is also including a string at the end of the line with the profile number and coastline identifier, e. g. “For profile 4 from coastline 0”.
*'''Data.mtab''': Input data used in the SAGA application.
*'''Data.txt''': All profile data in a single file with “COASTLINE”, “PROFILE”, “DISTANCE”, “X”, “Y”, “Z” and “Z_DETREND”.
*'''Sediments Top elevation.sg-grd-z''': A copy of the DEM input in SAGA format.

You can test the different options with the top and toe locations until your results are satisfactory and fine tune the user-defined parameters. The order of importance for the delineation results is as follows:
#'''Digital Elevation Model (DEM)''': Its resolution directly affects to coastline definition.
#'''Length of Coastline Normal (transect)''': Transects should not intersect, the longer they are, the more the number of transects will be reduced.
#'''Coastline Smoothing Window Size''': The degree of smoothing of the coastline defined as a number of points used for that purpose.
#'''Still Water level''': Elevation for coastline delineation.
#'''User defined Coastline point''': with a constrained location, the initial number of transects is predefined.
When finished, save the project (“File”>>” Project”>>”Save project”), a window will appear with the unsaved data. Check “Save all” and the project folder will be selected to save the output data for CliffMetrics ('''Fig. 5''').

''Fig. 5. The window to save unsaved or modified data in SAGA software.''

=== LINUX VERSION ===
==== GitHub repository ====
The Linux version is available via the dedicated GitHub repository here:
https://github.com/apayo/CliffMetrics/ 

==== INPUTS ====

The SAGA Linux version 1.0 requires 18 inputs, as shown below. The format of the input file is an ASCII file, with comments preceded by a semi-colon as the following file:

''; SIMPLE TEST DATA ''
''Run information ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ''
''1 Main output/log file names [omit path and extension]: simple ''

''2 DTM file (DTM MUST BE PRESENT) [path and name]: in/simple_fast/two_bays.asc ''

''3 Still water level (m) used to find the shoreline : 75 ''

''4 Coastline smoothing [0=none, 1=running mean, 2=Savitsky-Golay]: 1 ''

''5 Coastline smoothing window size [must be odd]: 55 ''

''6 Polynomial order for Savitsky-Golay coastline smoothing [2 or 4]: 4 ''

''If user wants to use a given shoreline vector instead of extracting it from the DTM ''

''7 Shoreline shape file (OPTIONAL GIS FILES) [path and name]: in/simple_fast/chain_coastline.shp ''

''8 Sea handiness (which side of shoreline the sea is? )[right = 0 or left = 1]: 0 ''

''9 On which Edge is the start of user shoreline? [N = 1, E = 2, S = 3, W = 4]: 1 ''

''10 On which Edge is the end of user shoreline? [N = 1, E = 2, S = 3, W = 4]: 3 ''

''Advance Run information ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ''

11 GIS raster output format [blank=same as DEM input]: gtiff ;
gdal-config --formats for others 

12 If needed, also output GIS raster world file? [y/n]: y 

13 If needed, scale GIS raster output values? [y/n]: y 

14 GIS vector output format : ESRI Shapefile ; ogrinfo --formats for others 

15 Random edge for coastline search? [y/n]: n 

16 Random number seed(s) : 280761 

17 Length of coastline normals (m) : 50 

18 Vertical tolerance to consider to elevation different (m) : 0.5 

END OF FILE ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------'' 

To run the software, follow instruction at GitHub website.

==== OUTPUTS ====
The Linux version of CliffMetrics produces the same results as the SAGA GIS version. Outputs are saved in the user defined folder, as explained in the README file in the dedicated GitHub repository.

== Example SAGA WINDOWS ==
Download input data from '''https://bgs.sharefile.eu/share/getinfo/s9001cf5659546359''' '''change url'''

The study area is ''St Bees head (3.6252W; 54.5128N'') in Cumbria County in northwest England (UK) and defined in EPSG 27700 (OSGB36 / British National Grid). The '''Inputs.zip''' file contains: 

- a 5 m resolution DEM model in geotiff format ('''DEM.tif''') from NEXTMap dataset, (https://catalogue.ceda.ac.uk/uuid/8f6e1598372c058f07b0aeac2442366d) derived by airborne radar technology, 
- a coastline as a line shapefile ('''coastline.shp'''), 
- a user defined coastline points in shapefile format ('''coastline_points.shp''') obtained from the previous file ('''coastline.shp''').

Follow these '''steps''':

- Open SAGA software 
- Load the data in SAGA:
* DEM: “File”>>” Grid”>>”Load”, browse the folder and select the “DEM.tif” file and click on “Open”
* Load the Shapefiles: “File”>>”Shapes”>>”Load”, navigate to the folder and select the coastline_points.shp (not necessary in the case of automatic delineation) and then, the coastline.shp (remember, this last line shape is for a better coastal representation of the coast and is included as auxiliary information). The Shapefile format is composed by several files, but the main file to load is *.shp
'''''NOTE''': Another load option could be to use the “Data Sources” panel. Find the folder in this panel and right click button on each file and select “Open”.'' 

- View the data: you can now select the “Data” window tab in the “Manager” box and view the data by double-clicking on the names. When choosing the second layer, be sure to select the same map window as the first layer. SAGA will probably show you a warning about a different coordinate system and the option to turn on projection On-the-fly, in this case click “Yes” ('''Fig. 6'''). You can change the symbol and color by opening “Object Properties” window. 
- Save the project in this step with an arbitrary name: “File”>>”Project”>>”Save Project”.

''Fig. 6. Visualize the example data. This DEM shows the lowest elevation in blue and the highest elevations in red. Sea cells have been assigned as 0 m (dark blue)''

- Open CliffMetrics tool (“Geoprocessing”>> “Terrain Analysis” >> “Coastal Morphology” >> “CliffMetrics”). From this step, we explain the two different input options in Cliffmetrics: an automatic delineation of the coastline or using a layer of coastline points.

=== WITH AUTOMATIC COASTLINE DELINATION ===
From the previous step:
- Define only the DEM as input data in “Data Objects”: 

*'''Elevation''': “Data Objects”>> “Grid System” click (<not set>) to configurate the spatial environment and select the number of pixels and the coordinate origin of “2001x 8001y; 289997.5x 500002.4998y” corresponding to the DEM file environment. Now, you can select the file “1.DEM” in “Elevation” section.
- Define the CliffMetrics options in “Options”:
*'''Still Water Level''': elevation of coastline automatically delineated by 1 m to avoid some protective infrastructure.
*'''Coastline Smoothing Algorithm''': Select “running mean” as value. The shoreline point layer and its DEM have detailed geometry and resolution, so a smoothing algorithm is recommended to avoid a large number of crossings between profiles. You can try with “Savitsky-Golay” if the results are not satisfactory for the final purpose.
*'''Coastline Smoothing Window Size''': The coastline is abrupt, so the default “30” points might be a good starting value for the smoothing algorithm.
*'''Scale Raster Output Values''': Default “Active”.
*'''Random Edge for Coastline Search''': Default “Active”.
*'''Length of Coastline Normal''': Set 100 m.
*'''Vertical tolerance''': Set 0.5 m. Although the DEM has a spatial resolution of 5 m, the vertical accuracy of this altimetry radar is 0.5 m, so this is the minimum value to detect an altimetric change accurately.
*'''Main Output File directory''': Define the output folder.
- Review these values as in Fig. 7 and press “Okay”.

''Fig. 7. CliffMetrics input for the option “with automatic coastline delineation”''

- In “Messages” window you can follow the started and succeeded execution with the time processing in brackets: 
''[CliffMetrics] Execution started...''
''[CliffMetrics] Execution succeeded (12s)''

CliffMetrics preload geographical information into “Data” tab in “Manager” window. These are the “Sediment Top Elevation” (Grid), “coast” and “normals” as line layers, “cliff_top”, “clip_toe” and “coast_points” as points and “Data” as a table, see Fig. 8. Fig.9 shows a SAGA visualisation of these results. The rest of the information is saved in the output folder (the CSV and LOG files).

''Fig. 8. Preloaded CliffMetrics output for the option “With automatic coastline delineation”''

''Fig.9. Map view of some preloaded outputs from CliffMetrics into SAGA.''

- Save the project (“File”>>”Project”>>”Save Project” ) and the unsaved layers with “Select all” and press “Okay”.

=== WITH A COASTLINE POINT LAYER ===
This option requires as additional input data the coastline_points.shp file. This layer and the line coastline layers have already loaded previously before the processing “WITH AUTOMATIC COASTLINE DELINATION”. You can display them on a new SAGA map.

To run this example, follow the “WITH AUTOMATIC COASTLINE DELINATION” input data process and add the definition of the coastline_points.shp in the input data under “Data Objects”: 

-'''Coastline''': click (<not set>) and select coastline_points. It is also necessary to define three related aspects:
*'''Sea handiness''': indicates that sea is to the right/left of the user defined coastline as a person traverse it from the beginning (East boundary, up) to end (East boundary, bottom). In this example, sea is on the right.
*'''Start edge coastline''': at which DEM edge (North, East, South, West) the user defined coastline begins. In this example, it starts at the East edge.
*'''End edge coastline''': at which DEM edge (North, East, South, West) the user defined coastline end. In this example, it ends at the same edge (East) where it started.
- Once you have defined the rest of the parameters as in '''Fig. 10''', press “Okay”.

''Fig.10. CliffMetrics input for the option “With a Coastline Point layer”''

- In “Messages” window you can follow the started and succeeded execution with the time processing in brackets: 

''[CliffMetrics] Execution started...''
''[CliffMetrics] Execution succeeded (12s)''
- Save the project (“File”>>”Project”>>”Save Project”) and the unsaved layers with “Select all” and press “Okay”.

The CliffMetrics preload geographical information is the same as “WITH AUTOMATIC COASTLINE DELINATION” option “Data” tab in “Manager” window. '''Fig.11''' shows a SAGA visualisation of these results. Other information is saved in the output folder (the csv and log files).

''Fig.11. Map view of some CliffMetrics outputs preload in SAGA, including the resulting cliff toe and top positions.''

== Version history ==
- 2018 October: CliffMetrics v1.0 published in Geosci. Model Dev. [https://DOI https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-4317-2018]

- 2019 August: Included in the official SAGA Repository (v7.3.0) https://sourceforge.net/p/saga-gis/code/ci/master/tree/

- 2020 September: Added option of using a user defined input coastline https://ci.appveyor.com/project/johanvdw/saga-gis-git-mirror/build/artifacts

- 2020 November: SAGA SAGA v7.8.0 https://sourceforge.net/p/saga-gis/code/ci/master/tree/ . An always up-to-date SAGA development version from the automated AppVeyor build system by SAGA developers. Go to SourceForge to download the latest version of SAGA.

- 2024 January: Included in previous versions from SAGA v7.8.0 and lastest SAGA v9.3.1 Library CliffMetrics / SAGA-GIS Tool Library Documentation (v9.0.0) (sourceforge.io)

== References ==
- ClifMetricsv1.0 Geosci. Model Dev., 11, 4317–4337, 2018 (https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-4317-2018)

- SAGA software https://sourceforge.net/projects/saga-gis/

- SAGA CliffMetrics library: Library CliffMetrics / SAGA-GIS Tool Library Documentation (v9.0.0) (sourceforge.io)

Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate

2024-03-22T08:35:11Z

Agarcia:

== Background ==
Beach and barrier systems characterized by a predominant gravel fraction, encompassing 'pure,' 'compound,' and 'mixed sand-gravel' configurations, collectively referred to as 'gravel barriers,' are prevalent across the UK and worldwide.

<gallery widths=300px heights=200px mode=packed-overlay caption="Gravel beaches types">
File:P638726.jpg|Pure Gravel (G)
File:Picture1_150ppi.jpg|Mixed Sand and Gravel (MSG)
File:P210742.jpg|Composite Sand and Gravel (CSG)
</gallery>

It is widely acknowledged that gravel barrier shorelines provide crucial natural flood protection to numerous coastal communities. Furthermore, their establishment and enhancement are increasingly recognized as sustainable, nature-based adaptation measures that enhance natural capital. However, effective management is imperative to ensure their continued efficacy in mitigating coastal erosion and flooding risks. Currently, our understanding and modeling capabilities of gravel beach and barrier dynamics significantly trail those of sandy counterparts.

The objective of this Wiki site is twofold: to disseminate the findings of BGS research and to facilitate the open exchange of information within the broader geological community.

Specifically, this platform offers research methodologies that tackle pivotal research questions as outlined below, accompanied by references to the primary research outputs generated to date.

== Questions ==
[[Future response and ecosystems impacts|'''RQ#1''']]| How do decadal-scale morphodynamics of gravel barriers respond to changes in sea level, storminess and sediment supply, and influence coastal evolution? How will this impact the ecosystems they support?

[[Potential triggering management interventions|'''RQ#2''']]| Under future climate change, will the coastal protection role of gravel barriers be compromised, potentially triggering management interventions?

[[Differences with sand cases|'''RQ#3''']]| When and how does sediment transport on gravel barriers differ from more well studied sand cases?

[[Role of internal structure|'''RQ#4''']]| What is the internal structure and composition of gravel beaches and how do variations in composition influence beach morphology and dynamics?

[[Role of hydraulic conductivity|'''RQ#5''']]| What is the role of hydraulic conductivity in influencing barrier behaviour?

[[Interactions natural and built environment|'''RQ#6''']]| Can we quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment (marsh, lagoon, estuary), as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures?

== Approaches ==
* [https://web-dr.tis.plymouth.ac.uk/research/coastal-processes/gravel-beach #gravelbeach] project led by [https://noc.ac.uk/n/Jennifer+Brown Dr Jenny Brown] at the National Oceanographic Centre (NOC)
* [[UKGravelBarriers]] project led by [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/ Dr Andres Payo]at the British Geological Survey (BGS)

== Outputs ==
The different outputs of these research projects can be found via:
* New "Gravel Resource" at the National Network of Regional Coastal Monitoring Programmes website
* Dedicated wiki site for the BGS led [[UKGravelBarriers]] project

== History ==
These research questions were included in the NERC highlight topics 2023 [https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges Topic F] ‘'''Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate'''’. The Award details for the two selected projects can be found at the UKRI-NERC Grants of the Web dedicated site [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/ https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/], and found by using the Lead Grant Reference NE/Y503265/1 and NE/Y50323X/1 for the UKGravelBarriers and the #gravelbeaches projects, respectively.

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate

2024-03-22T08:34:36Z

Agarcia:

== Background ==
Beach and barrier systems characterized by a predominant gravel fraction, encompassing 'pure,' 'compound,' and 'mixed sand-gravel' configurations, collectively referred to as 'gravel barriers,' are prevalent across the UK and worldwide.

<gallery widths=300px heights=200px mode=packed-overlay caption="Gravel beaches types">
File:P638726.jpg|Pure Gravel (G)
File:Picture1_150ppi.jpg|Mixed Sand and Gravel (MSG)
File:P210742.jpg|Composite Sand and Gravel (CSG)
</gallery>

It is widely acknowledged that gravel barrier shorelines provide crucial natural flood protection to numerous coastal communities. Furthermore, their establishment and enhancement are increasingly recognized as sustainable, nature-based adaptation measures that enhance natural capital. However, effective management is imperative to ensure their continued efficacy in mitigating coastal erosion and flooding risks. Currently, our understanding and modeling capabilities of gravel beach and barrier dynamics significantly trail those of sandy counterparts.

The objective of this Wiki site is twofold: to disseminate the findings of BGS research and to facilitate the open exchange of information within the broader geological community.

Specifically, this platform offers research methodologies that tackle pivotal research questions as outlined below, accompanied by references to the primary research outputs generated to date.

== Questions ==
[[Future response and ecosystems impacts|'''RQ#1''']]| How do decadal-scale morphodynamics of gravel barriers respond to changes in sea level, storminess and sediment supply, and influence coastal evolution? How will this impact the ecosystems they support?

[[Potential triggering management interventions|'''RQ#2''']]| Under future climate change, will the coastal protection role of gravel barriers be compromised, potentially triggering management interventions?

[[Differences with sand cases|'''RQ#3''']]| When and how does sediment transport on gravel barriers differ from more well studied sand cases?

[[Role of internal structure|'''RQ#4''']]| What is the internal structure and composition of gravel beaches and how do variations in composition influence beach morphology and dynamics?

[[Role of hydraulic conductivity|'''RQ#5''']]| What is the role of hydraulic conductivity in influencing barrier behaviour?

[[Interactions natural and built environment|'''RQ#6''']]| Can we quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment (marsh, lagoon, estuary), as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures?

== Approaches ==
* [https://web-dr.tis.plymouth.ac.uk/research/coastal-processes/gravel-beach #gravelbeach] project led by [https://noc.ac.uk/n/Jennifer+Brown Dr Jenny Brown] at the National Oceanographic Centre (NOC)
* [[UKGravelBarriers]] project led by [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/ Dr Andres Payo]at the British Geological Survey (BGS)

== Outputs ==
The different outputs of these research projects can be found via:
* New "Gravel Resource" at the National Network of Regional Coastal Monitoring Programmes website
* Dedicated wiki site for the BGS led [[UKGravelBarriers]]project

== History ==
These research questions were included in the NERC highlight topics 2023 [https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges Topic F] ‘'''Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate'''’. The Award details for the two selected projects can be found at the UKRI-NERC Grants of the Web dedicated site [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/ https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/], and found by using the Lead Grant Reference NE/Y503265/1 and NE/Y50323X/1 for the UKGravelBarriers and the #gravelbeaches projects, respectively.

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate

2024-03-21T15:24:22Z

Agarcia:

== Background ==
Beach and barrier systems characterized by a predominant gravel fraction, encompassing 'pure,' 'compound,' and 'mixed sand-gravel' configurations, collectively referred to as 'gravel barriers,' are prevalent across the UK and worldwide.

<gallery widths=300px heights=200px mode=packed-overlay caption="Gravel beaches types">
File:P638726.jpg|Pure Gravel (G)
File:Picture1_150ppi.jpg|Mixed Sand and Gravel (MSG)
File:P210742.jpg|Composite Sand and Gravel (CSG)
</gallery>

It is widely acknowledged that gravel barrier shorelines provide crucial natural flood protection to numerous coastal communities. Furthermore, their establishment and enhancement are increasingly recognized as sustainable, nature-based adaptation measures that enhance natural capital. However, effective management is imperative to ensure their continued efficacy in mitigating coastal erosion and flooding risks. Currently, our understanding and modeling capabilities of gravel beach and barrier dynamics significantly trail those of sandy counterparts.

The objective of this Wiki site is twofold: to disseminate the findings of BGS research and to facilitate the open exchange of information within the broader geological community.

Specifically, this platform offers research methodologies that tackle pivotal research questions as outlined below, accompanied by references to the primary research outputs generated to date.

== Questions ==
[[Future response and ecosystems impacts|'''RQ#1''']]| How do decadal-scale morphodynamics of gravel barriers respond to changes in sea level, storminess and sediment supply, and influence coastal evolution? How will this impact the ecosystems they support?

[[Potential triggering management interventions|'''RQ#2''']]| Under future climate change, will the coastal protection role of gravel barriers be compromised, potentially triggering management interventions?

[[Differences with sand cases|'''RQ#3''']]| When and how does sediment transport on gravel barriers differ from more well studied sand cases?

[[Role of internal structure|'''RQ#4''']]| What is the internal structure and composition of gravel beaches and how do variations in composition influence beach morphology and dynamics?

[[Role of hydraulic conductivity|'''RQ#5''']]| What is the role of hydraulic conductivity in influencing barrier behaviour?

[[Interactions natural and built environment|'''RQ#6''']]| Can we quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment (marsh, lagoon, estuary), as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures?

== Approaches ==
* [https://web-dr.tis.plymouth.ac.uk/research/coastal-processes/gravel-beach #gravelbeach] project led by [https://noc.ac.uk/n/Jennifer+Brown Dr Jenny Brown] at the National Oceanographic Centre (NOC)
* [[UKGravelBarriers]] project led by [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/ Dr Andres Payo]at the British Geological Survey (BGS)

== Outputs ==
The different outputs of these research projects can be found via:
* New "Gravel Resource" at the National Network of Regional Coastal Monitoring Programmes website
* Dedicated wiki site for the BGS led [[Categories:UKGravelBarriers|UKGravelBarriers]] project

== History ==
These research questions were included in the NERC highlight topics 2023 [https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges Topic F] ‘'''Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate'''’. The Award details for the two selected projects can be found at the UKRI-NERC Grants of the Web dedicated site [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/ https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/], and found by using the Lead Grant Reference NE/Y503265/1 and NE/Y50323X/1 for the UKGravelBarriers and the #gravelbeaches projects, respectively.

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Interactions natural and built environment

2024-03-21T15:24:09Z

Agarcia: Created page with "== Background == Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate"

== Background ==

[[Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate]]

Role of hydraulic conductivity

2024-03-21T15:23:59Z

Agarcia: Created page with "== Background == Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate"

== Background ==

[[Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate]]

Role of internal structure

2024-03-21T15:23:48Z

Agarcia: Created page with "== Background == Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate"

== Background ==

[[Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate]]

Differences with sand cases

2024-03-21T15:23:23Z

Agarcia: Created page with "== Background == Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate"

== Background ==

[[Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate]]

Future response and ecosystems impacts

2024-03-21T15:23:07Z

Agarcia: Created page with "== Background == Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate"

== Background ==

[[Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate]]

Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate

2024-03-21T15:14:49Z

Agarcia:

== Background ==
Beach and barrier systems characterized by a predominant gravel fraction, encompassing 'pure,' 'compound,' and 'mixed sand-gravel' configurations, collectively referred to as 'gravel barriers,' are prevalent across the UK and worldwide.

<gallery widths=300px heights=200px mode=packed-overlay caption="Gravel beaches types">
File:P638726.jpg|Pure Gravel (G)
File:Picture1_150ppi.jpg|Mixed Sand and Gravel (MSG)
File:P210742.jpg|Composite Sand and Gravel (CSG)
</gallery>

It is widely acknowledged that gravel barrier shorelines provide crucial natural flood protection to numerous coastal communities. Furthermore, their establishment and enhancement are increasingly recognized as sustainable, nature-based adaptation measures that enhance natural capital. However, effective management is imperative to ensure their continued efficacy in mitigating coastal erosion and flooding risks. Currently, our understanding and modeling capabilities of gravel beach and barrier dynamics significantly trail those of sandy counterparts.

The objective of this Wiki site is twofold: to disseminate the findings of BGS research and to facilitate the open exchange of information within the broader geological community.

Specifically, this platform offers research methodologies that tackle pivotal research questions as outlined below, accompanied by references to the primary research outputs generated to date.

== Questions ==
|'''RQ#1''': How do decadal-scale morphodynamics of gravel barriers respond to changes in sea level, storminess and sediment supply, and influence coastal evolution? How will this impact the ecosystems they support?

'''RQ#2''': Under future climate change, will the coastal protection role of gravel barriers be compromised, potentially triggering management interventions?

'''RQ#3''': When and how does sediment transport on gravel barriers differ from more well studied sand cases?

'''RQ#4''': What is the internal structure and composition of gravel beaches and how do variations in composition influence beach morphology and dynamics?

'''RQ#5''': What is the role of hydraulic conductivity in influencing barrier behaviour?

'''RQ#6''': Can we quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment (marsh, lagoon, estuary), as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures?

== Approaches ==
* [https://web-dr.tis.plymouth.ac.uk/research/coastal-processes/gravel-beach #gravelbeach] project led by [https://noc.ac.uk/n/Jennifer+Brown Dr Jenny Brown] at the National Oceanographic Centre (NOC)
* [[UKGravelBarriers]] project led by [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/ Dr Andres Payo]at the British Geological Survey (BGS)

== Outputs ==
The different outputs of these research projects can be found via:
* New "Gravel Resource" at the National Network of Regional Coastal Monitoring Programmes website
* Dedicated wiki site for the BGS led [[Categories:UKGravelBarriers|UKGravelBarriers]] project

== History ==
These research questions were included in the NERC highlight topics 2023 [https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges Topic F] ‘'''Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate'''’. The Award details for the two selected projects can be found at the UKRI-NERC Grants of the Web dedicated site [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/ https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/], and found by using the Lead Grant Reference NE/Y503265/1 and NE/Y50323X/1 for the UKGravelBarriers and the #gravelbeaches projects, respectively.

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

UKGravelBarriers

2024-03-21T15:13:33Z

Agarcia: Created page with "=== Team === This research project is possible thanks to the close collaboration between '''researchers''' from the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/ (BGS)], UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology [https://www.ceh.ac.uk/ (UKCEH)], and the University of Nottingham [https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ (UoN)], '''coastal engineering practitioners''' from Kenneth Pye Associates [https://www.kpal.co.uk/ (KPAL)], Moffat and Nichols [https://www.moffattnichol.com/ (M&N)]..."

=== Team ===
This research project is possible thanks to the close collaboration between '''researchers''' from the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/ (BGS)], UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology [https://www.ceh.ac.uk/ (UKCEH)], and the University of Nottingham [https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ (UoN)], '''coastal engineering practitioners''' from Kenneth Pye Associates [https://www.kpal.co.uk/ (KPAL)], Moffat and Nichols [https://www.moffattnichol.com/ (M&N)], '''professional Earth Observation providers''' from [https://www.argans.co.uk/ ARGANS Ltd] and [https://www.isardsat.cat/ isardSAT], with the '''in kind support''' of professionals from the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture [https://www.cefas.co.uk/ (CEFAS)], the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds [https://www.rspb.org.uk/ (RSPB)], the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Research Group of the University of Granada [https://gdfa.ugr.es/ (GDFA)], the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute [https://www.afbini.gov.uk/ (AFBI)], the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland [https://www2.bgs.ac.uk/gsni/ (GSNI)], the Wales Coastal Monitoring Centre [https://www.wcmc.wales/ (WCMC)], and from '''government organizations''' such as Natural Resources Wales [https://naturalresourceswales.gov.uk/ (NRW)] and the Environment Agency [https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency (EA)]

=== Research approach ===
==== Hypothesis ====
To answer the research questions, we have adopted two main research hypotheses.
<blockquote>
'''H1:''' The topography and shallow-subsurface-structure of gravel barriers, including the backshore and nearshore areas control their short-term (overwash) to long-term (transgression) evolution in response to changes in sea level rise, storminess, and sediment supply.

'''H2:''' The critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures can be quantified from both field and numerical simulations under the assumptions of space-for-time substitution <ref name = "Lopez2020">Muñoz López, P., Payo, A., Ellis, M.A., Criado-Aldeanueva, F. and Owen Jenkins, G., 2020. A method to extract measurable indicators of coastal cliff erosion from topographical cliff and beach profiles: Application to North Norfolk and suffolk, East England, UK. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 8(1), p.20. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8010020].</ref> and the use of appropriate complexity modelling <ref name = "Frecnh2016">French, J., Payo, A., Murray, B., Orford, J., Eliot, M. and Cowell, P., 2016. Appropriate complexity for the prediction of coastal and estuarine geomorphic behaviour at decadal to centennial scales. Geomorphology, 256, pp.3-16. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.10.005].</ref>.

</blockquote>
==== Scope ====
The spatial-scope of this research will cover all gravel beaches in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). The temporal-scope will cover their evolution over the last 20,000 thousand years (e.g. to explore both creation of gravel barrier and evolution under different sea level rise scenarios) and will explore how they might evolve in the future to 2150.

Gravel beaches types may be categorised according to the mixture of sands and gravels present, which has a significant influence on the beach slope and the more general morphological response of the beach to wave action. Three categories are defined<ref name = "Anthony2008">Anthony, E. J. (2008). Chapter Six Gravel Beaches and Barriers. Developments in Marine Geology. E. J. Anthony, Elsevier. '''Book chapter''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/S1572-5480(08)00406-5].</ref><ref name = "GravelBeachesType">'''CoastalWiki'''' [https://www.coastalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Gravel_Beaches&oldid=80049#Beach_types Gravel Beaches Types].</ref> as pure gravel (G), mixed sand and gravel (MSG) and composite sand and gravel (CSG).

* Pure gravel beaches have steep slopes (tan β = 0.08–0.24) and gravel extending from the storm berm to below the mean low water spring tide level.
* MSG beaches have moderate slopes (tan β = 0.04–0.13), with sand and gravel entirely mixed both across shore and at depth.
* CSG beaches have a steep gravel berm fronted by a low-angle intertidal terrace, with over all beach slopes of tan β = 0.05–0.14. On composite beaches, there is distinct hydrodynamic cross-shore sorting of the sand and gravel component.

==== Objectives ====
The objectives of this project are listed below, with the research questions that they address indicated;

* '''O1''': Review the responses of gravel barriers to the relative sea level changes observed from 20,000 years to about 100 years ago, including periods when sea levels (see Fig 1) generally rose at different rates but also remained with little change over large periods (RQ#1, RQ#4).

* '''O2''': Review the performance of gravel barriers over the last two decades where the Environment Agency discontinued a policy of managing sea defences by reshaping of gravel barrier profiles and we have access to more detailed observations (RQ#1).

* '''O3''': Collect new field data to improve our understanding of sediment transport on gravel barriers, their shallow subsurface structure and effects of hydraulic conductivity on storm (individual) and decadal evolution (RQ#3, #5).

* '''O4''': Develop a broad-scale simulator of the evolution of a selected coastal barrier and backshore habitat, that account for changes in climate change, sediment supply and management interventions extending to 2150 (RQ#2, #5, #6).

* '''O5''': Quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures in representative field studies (RQ#2, RQ#6).

* '''O6''': Curate the data and models produced in this project beyond the lifetime of the project to enable further research and support decision making.

=== Program of work ===
To deliver the project objectives we have organised the work in five work packages:

[[File:GBCoast Approach WPs.png|800px|thumb|center|Diagram showing program of work of GBcoast project.]]

'''WP 0''' is where all the activities related with project management and coordination are integrated. This includes one in person meeting per year with all project partners and embedded practitioners that will act as project steering group and expert group providing data, access to networks and know-how. The main activities, milestones and deliverables of the WP1 to WP4 are summarised in the table below.

<blockquote>
Fundamental to our approach is that:
# Successful prediction of long-term barrier behaviour requires broad representation of the coastal systems of which they are a single part, and that,
# Modelling capability is improved in terms of prediction and relevance to coastal management decision making by integrating the expertise of successful and established practitioners in coastal geomorphology with numerical modellers of coastal processes.
</blockquote>

Overall, through system analysis and numerical modelling, based on four work packages, we will map and quantify gravel barrier responses to individual, ‘violent’, events such as storms in the context of longer-term ‘progressive’ impacts such as sea level rise, changes in sediment sources, and human interventions. New process understanding will be achieved by seamlessly combining innovative field observational approaches of surface and subsurface processes with advanced numerical modelling. The long-term numerical simulations will be based on predicted scenarios of sea level rise, increased wave heights and changes in coastal orientation based on UKCP18 and other recent climate change studies. The results will support improved and sustainable coastal management based on the improved understanding of how gravel barriers evolve over longer time scales under different climate conditions and human intervention scenarios. They will be a significant advance from the new comprehensive and novel, multi-scale observations of key processes that drive long-term gravel beach morphodynamic evolution.

{| class="wikitable"

|-
! Work Package !! Activities !! Milestones !! Deliverables
|-
|
'''WP1''': Spatial distribution and temporal evolution of UK gravel barriers and their back barrier ecosystems.
||
* Creation of UK gravel barrier and back barrier environments research database
* Apply state-of-the-art statistical methods to quantify joint and spatially coherent probabilities
* Optimisation of machine learning to quantify habitat structure and extent

||
* 1st sprint on geospatial platform development (Q1 2024)
* End of collecting management intervention data from local authorities (Q3 2024)
* Fast-track of statistical analysis for selected case studies (Q4 2024)
||
* Characterization of historical met-ocean drivers and topographical and shoreline metrics of change (Q1 2025)
* Geospatial platform on current and future gravel barrier habitat extent (Q4 2024)
|-
|
'''WP2''': Field data collection at selected case study sites
||
* Expanding satellite derived shoreline proxies in time and space
* Use [[:Category:Portable_streamer_traps_for_longshore_sediment_transport_measurement|DIST]] to create a unique field dataset of longshore sediment transport
* Characterisation of gravel barriers and broader context structure
* Field assessment and biophysical relationships between gravel barriers and vegetation
||
* Update requirements to produce satellite MSI and SAR historical shoreline database that will be used in this project (Q1 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for alongshore sediment transport campaigns (Q2 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for in the field hydraulic conductivity surveys (Q2 2024)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape characteristics (Q4 2026)
||
* Extended database for Northern Ireland of 38 years of historical MSI WL and MSL tideline (Q4 2024)
* New database of historical SAR derived shorelines for designated case studies (Q4 2024)
* Database of alongshore sediment transport, hydrodynamic and structure (Q3 2025)
* Database of hydraulic conductivity before, during and after storms for selected case studies (Q4 2025)
|-
|
'''WP3''': Development of a broad-scale gravel barrier simulator
||
* The Coastal Modelling Environment ([[:Category:Coastal_Modeling_Environment|CoastalME]]) will be used to represent the shore between Overstrand and Blakeney.
* Explore how groundwater flooding and hydraulic conductivity affects both the backshore physic-chemical properties and drivers of change of the habitats we will use the British Groundwater Model (BGWM) developed for the Hydro-JULES research programme.
||
* 3D model of the topography and superficial deposits of the study area (Q4 2024)
* Cley Barrier groundwater simulator (Q4 2025)
* Added groundwater module, habitats, gravel barrier module and human management interventions into CoastalME (Q4 2026)
||
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future Cley Barrier in response to changes in sea level and human interventions (Q4 2026)
|-
|
'''WP4''': Quantify interactions and management intervention thresholds
||
* Use the databases generated in WP1&2 and the new modelling capabilities described in WP3 to quantify the interactions and management interventions thresholds for both the Cley/Salthouse Barrier and a number of typologies representing gravel barriers around the UK.
* Simulate the emergence and stability of barriers under variations in shoreface slope, rate of sea level rise and sedimentology.
* Use the UKCP18, available at UK scale, and state of the art downscaling approaches and the methods used in WP1 to create an ensemble of plausible, hourly time series to force our simulations.
* Use structural equation modelling (SEM) to build an overarching conceptual model will connect climate, geophysical and biogeographic drivers with landscape structure and ecosystem functioning.
||
* Co-development of future climate and management scenarios that will be explored (Q1 2027)
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future evolutions until 2150 using hourly time series (Q1 2027)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape interactions (Q4 2027)
||
* Analysis on how interaction metrics might change in the future compared with historical evidence (Q4 2026);
|}

=== Outcomes ===
Holistic understanding of the complex interactions and feedbacks between the sediment composition of the shallow subsurface, nearshore morphodynamics in response to both storms and sea level changes.

[[File:P025917.jpg|500px|thumb|center|Coast erosion at Pakefield south of Lowestoft. The low cliffs along the coast here are composed of Glacial Sands and Gravels, a loosely-aggregated deposit that offers little resistance to the erosive action of the sea. An exceptionally high tide on November 30th 1936 enabled the waves to attack the cliffs on the north side of Beach Street, causing strips of cliff to fall and abandoned houses to collapse into the sea.]]

A new community modelling system coupled with terrestrial, marine and groundwater sectors and produce numerical simulations which can be used to support multi-hazard analyses under present and future climate change scenarios. These deliverables will be combined with an assessment of the role of coastal habitats, resulting in national maps for protective services and vulnerabilities of coastal habitats to climate-driven multi-hazards. We will also provide tools to analyse the efficacy of future coastal management schemes.

These will deliver a step change in the management of gravel coastlines in the UK.

== History ==
This project started in response to the NERC funding opportunity called "[https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges: NERC highlight topics 2023]" (Topic F: ‘Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate’). The call was considered to be well aligned with the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/about-bgs/strategy-2023-to-2028/ science strategy plan 2023-2028] and in particular with the strategic priority on '''living with geological hazards''': ''to mitigate and adapt to risk, we will monitor, characterise and forecast earth hazard events and their likely impacts by improving harmonisation in hazard and risk analysis, as well as focusing on hazardous climate change''. The team was officially notified on the reception of this award on the 31st of January 2024 and the project started the 1st of February of 2024. Lead Grant Reference: [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_split.asp?awardref=NE%2FY503265%2F1 NE/Y503265/1]

== Media coverage ==
* [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/bgs-to-lead-new-research-project-on-barrier-systems-to-support-more-sustainable-coastal-management/ BGS news 06/12/2023]

* [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andrespayo_the-ukgravelbarriers-project-in-person-kick-activity-7167813046994739200-ppV5?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop Andres Payo LinkedIn post 26/02/2024]

== References ==
<references />

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate]]

Potential triggering management interventions

2024-03-21T15:04:53Z

Agarcia: Created page with "== Background == Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate"

== Background ==

[[Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate]]

Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate

2024-03-21T14:48:54Z

Agarcia:

== Background ==
Beach and barrier systems characterized by a predominant gravel fraction, encompassing 'pure,' 'compound,' and 'mixed sand-gravel' configurations, collectively referred to as 'gravel barriers,' are prevalent across the UK and worldwide.

<gallery widths=300px heights=200px mode=packed-overlay caption="Gravel beaches types">
File:P638726.jpg|Pure Gravel (G)
File:Picture1_150ppi.jpg|Mixed Sand and Gravel (MSG)
File:P210742.jpg|Composite Sand and Gravel (CSG)
</gallery>

It is widely acknowledged that gravel barrier shorelines provide crucial natural flood protection to numerous coastal communities. Furthermore, their establishment and enhancement are increasingly recognized as sustainable, nature-based adaptation measures that enhance natural capital. However, effective management is imperative to ensure their continued efficacy in mitigating coastal erosion and flooding risks. Currently, our understanding and modeling capabilities of gravel beach and barrier dynamics significantly trail those of sandy counterparts.

The objective of this Wiki site is twofold: to disseminate the findings of BGS research and to facilitate the open exchange of information within the broader geological community.

Specifically, this platform offers research methodologies that tackle pivotal research questions as outlined below, accompanied by references to the primary research outputs generated to date.

== Questions ==
'''RQ#1''': How do decadal-scale morphodynamics of gravel barriers respond to changes in sea level, storminess and sediment supply, and influence coastal evolution? How will this impact the ecosystems they support?

'''RQ#2''': Under future climate change, will the coastal protection role of gravel barriers be compromised, potentially triggering management interventions?

'''RQ#3''': When and how does sediment transport on gravel barriers differ from more well studied sand cases?

'''RQ#4''': What is the internal structure and composition of gravel beaches and how do variations in composition influence beach morphology and dynamics?

'''RQ#5''': What is the role of hydraulic conductivity in influencing barrier behaviour?

'''RQ#6''': Can we quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment (marsh, lagoon, estuary), as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures?

== Approaches ==
* [https://web-dr.tis.plymouth.ac.uk/research/coastal-processes/gravel-beach #gravelbeach] project led by [https://noc.ac.uk/n/Jennifer+Brown Dr Jenny Brown] at the National Oceanographic Centre (NOC)
* [[:Categories:UKGravelBarriers|UKGravelBarriers]] project led by [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/ Dr Andres Payo]at the British Geological Survey (BGS)

== Outputs ==
The different outputs of these research projects can be found via:
* New "Gravel Resource" at the National Network of Regional Coastal Monitoring Programmes website
* Dedicated wiki site for the BGS led [[Categories:UKGravelBarriers|UKGravelBarriers]] project

== History ==
These research questions were included in the NERC highlight topics 2023 [https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges Topic F] ‘'''Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate'''’. The Award details for the two selected projects can be found at the UKRI-NERC Grants of the Web dedicated site [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/ https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/], and found by using the Lead Grant Reference NE/Y503265/1 and NE/Y50323X/1 for the UKGravelBarriers and the #gravelbeaches projects, respectively.

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate

2024-03-21T14:47:44Z

Agarcia:

== Background ==
Beach and barrier systems characterized by a predominant gravel fraction, encompassing 'pure,' 'compound,' and 'mixed sand-gravel' configurations, collectively referred to as 'gravel barriers,' are prevalent across the UK and worldwide.

<gallery widths=300px heights=200px mode=packed-overlay caption="Gravel beaches types">
File:P638726.jpg|Pure Gravel (G)
File:Picture1_150ppi.jpg|Mixed Sand and Gravel (MSG)
File:P210742.jpg|Composite Sand and Gravel (CSG)
</gallery>

It is widely acknowledged that gravel barrier shorelines provide crucial natural flood protection to numerous coastal communities. Furthermore, their establishment and enhancement are increasingly recognized as sustainable, nature-based adaptation measures that enhance natural capital. However, effective management is imperative to ensure their continued efficacy in mitigating coastal erosion and flooding risks. Currently, our understanding and modeling capabilities of gravel beach and barrier dynamics significantly trail those of sandy counterparts.

The objective of this Wiki site is twofold: to disseminate the findings of BGS research and to facilitate the open exchange of information within the broader geological community. Specifically, this platform offers research methodologies that tackle pivotal research questions as outlined below, accompanied by references to the primary research outputs generated to date.

== Questions ==
'''RQ#1''': How do decadal-scale morphodynamics of gravel barriers respond to changes in sea level, storminess and sediment supply, and influence coastal evolution? How will this impact the ecosystems they support?

'''RQ#2''': Under future climate change, will the coastal protection role of gravel barriers be compromised, potentially triggering management interventions?

'''RQ#3''': When and how does sediment transport on gravel barriers differ from more well studied sand cases?

'''RQ#4''': What is the internal structure and composition of gravel beaches and how do variations in composition influence beach morphology and dynamics?

'''RQ#5''': What is the role of hydraulic conductivity in influencing barrier behaviour?

'''RQ#6''': Can we quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment (marsh, lagoon, estuary), as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures?

== Approaches ==
* [https://web-dr.tis.plymouth.ac.uk/research/coastal-processes/gravel-beach #gravelbeach] project led by [https://noc.ac.uk/n/Jennifer+Brown Dr Jenny Brown] at the National Oceanographic Centre (NOC)
* [[:Categories:UKGravelBarriers|UKGravelBarriers]] project led by [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/ Dr Andres Payo]at the British Geological Survey (BGS)

== Outputs ==
The different outputs of these research projects can be found via:
* New "Gravel Resource" at the National Network of Regional Coastal Monitoring Programmes website
* Dedicated wiki site for the BGS led [[Categories:UKGravelBarriers|UKGravelBarriers]] project

== History ==
These research questions were included in the NERC highlight topics 2023 [https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges Topic F] ‘'''Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate'''’. The Award details for the two selected projects can be found at the UKRI-NERC Grants of the Web dedicated site [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/ https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/], and found by using the Lead Grant Reference NE/Y503265/1 and NE/Y50323X/1 for the UKGravelBarriers and the #gravelbeaches projects, respectively.

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate

2024-03-21T14:44:57Z

Agarcia:

== Background ==
Beach and barrier systems characterized by a predominant gravel fraction, encompassing 'pure,' 'compound,' and 'mixed sand-gravel' configurations, collectively referred to as 'gravel barriers,' are prevalent across the UK and worldwide.

It is widely acknowledged that gravel barrier shorelines provide crucial natural flood protection to numerous coastal communities. Furthermore, their establishment and enhancement are increasingly recognized as sustainable, nature-based adaptation measures that enhance natural capital. However, effective management is imperative to ensure their continued efficacy in mitigating coastal erosion and flooding risks. Currently, our understanding and modeling capabilities of gravel beach and barrier dynamics significantly trail those of sandy counterparts.

The objective of this Wiki site is twofold: to disseminate the findings of BGS research and to facilitate the open exchange of information within the broader geological community. Specifically, this platform offers research methodologies that tackle pivotal research questions as outlined below, accompanied by references to the primary research outputs generated to date.

== Questions ==
'''RQ#1''': How do decadal-scale morphodynamics of gravel barriers respond to changes in sea level, storminess and sediment supply, and influence coastal evolution? How will this impact the ecosystems they support?

'''RQ#2''': Under future climate change, will the coastal protection role of gravel barriers be compromised, potentially triggering management interventions?

'''RQ#3''': When and how does sediment transport on gravel barriers differ from more well studied sand cases?

'''RQ#4''': What is the internal structure and composition of gravel beaches and how do variations in composition influence beach morphology and dynamics?

'''RQ#5''': What is the role of hydraulic conductivity in influencing barrier behaviour?

'''RQ#6''': Can we quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment (marsh, lagoon, estuary), as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures?

== Approaches ==
* [https://web-dr.tis.plymouth.ac.uk/research/coastal-processes/gravel-beach #gravelbeach] project led by [https://noc.ac.uk/n/Jennifer+Brown Dr Jenny Brown] at the National Oceanographic Centre (NOC)
* [[:Categories:UKGravelBarriers|UKGravelBarriers]] project led by [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/ Dr Andres Payo]at the British Geological Survey (BGS)

== Outputs ==
The different outputs of these research projects can be found via:
* New "Gravel Resource" at the National Network of Regional Coastal Monitoring Programmes website
* Dedicated wiki site for the BGS led [[Categories:UKGravelBarriers|UKGravelBarriers]] project

== History ==
These research questions were included in the NERC highlight topics 2023 [https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges Topic F] ‘'''Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate'''’. The Award details for the two selected projects can be found at the UKRI-NERC Grants of the Web dedicated site [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/ https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/], and found by using the Lead Grant Reference NE/Y503265/1 and NE/Y50323X/1 for the UKGravelBarriers and the #gravelbeaches projects, respectively.

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate

2024-03-21T14:29:34Z

Agarcia:

== Background ==
Beach and barrier systems characterized by a predominant gravel fraction, encompassing 'pure,' 'compound,' and 'mixed sand-gravel' configurations, collectively referred to as 'gravel barriers,' are prevalent across the UK and worldwide.

It is widely acknowledged that gravel barrier shorelines provide crucial natural flood protection to numerous coastal communities. Furthermore, their establishment and enhancement are increasingly recognized as sustainable, nature-based adaptation measures that enhance natural capital. However, effective management is imperative to ensure their continued efficacy in mitigating coastal erosion and flooding risks. Currently, our understanding and modeling capabilities of gravel beach and barrier dynamics significantly trail those of sandy counterparts.

The objective of this Wiki site is twofold: to disseminate the findings of BGS research and to facilitate the open exchange of information within the broader geological community.

In particular, this site presents research methodologies and addresses key research questions as outlined below.

== Research questions ==
'''RQ#1''': How do decadal-scale morphodynamics of gravel barriers respond to changes in sea level, storminess and sediment supply, and influence coastal evolution? How will this impact the ecosystems they support?

'''RQ#2''': Under future climate change, will the coastal protection role of gravel barriers be compromised, potentially triggering management interventions?

'''RQ#3''': When and how does sediment transport on gravel barriers differ from more well studied sand cases?

'''RQ#4''': What is the internal structure and composition of gravel beaches and how do variations in composition influence beach morphology and dynamics?

'''RQ#5''': What is the role of hydraulic conductivity in influencing barrier behaviour?

'''RQ#6''': Can we quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment (marsh, lagoon, estuary), as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures?

== Research approaches ==
* [https://web-dr.tis.plymouth.ac.uk/research/coastal-processes/gravel-beach #gravelbeach] project led by [https://noc.ac.uk/n/Jennifer+Brown Dr Jenny Brown] at the National Oceanographic Centre NOC)
* [[:Categories:UKGravelBarriers|UKGravelBarriers]] project led by [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/ Dr Andres Payo]at the British Geological Survey BGS)

== History ==
These research questions were included in the NERC highlight topics 2023 [https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges Topic F] ‘'''Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate'''’. The Award details for the two selected projects can be found at the UKRI-NERC Grants of the Web dedicated site [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/ https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/], and found by using the Lead Grant Reference NE/Y503265/1 and NE/Y50323X/1 for the UKGravelBarriers and the #gravelbeaches projects, respectively.

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate

2024-03-21T14:19:42Z

Agarcia:

== Background ==
Beach and barrier systems characterized by a predominant gravel fraction, encompassing 'pure,' 'compound,' and 'mixed sand-gravel' configurations, collectively referred to as 'gravel barriers,' are prevalent across the UK and worldwide.

It is widely acknowledged that gravel barrier shorelines provide crucial natural flood protection to numerous coastal communities. Furthermore, their establishment and enhancement are increasingly recognized as sustainable, nature-based adaptation measures that enhance natural capital. However, effective management is imperative to ensure their continued efficacy in mitigating coastal erosion and flooding risks. Currently, our understanding and modeling capabilities of gravel beach and barrier dynamics significantly trail those of sandy counterparts.

The objective of this Wiki site is twofold: to disseminate the findings of BGS research and to facilitate the open exchange of information within the broader geological community.

In particular, this site presents research methodologies and addresses key research questions as outlined below.

== Research questions ==
'''RQ#1''': How do decadal-scale morphodynamics of gravel barriers respond to changes in sea level, storminess and sediment supply, and influence coastal evolution? How will this impact the ecosystems they support?

'''RQ#2''': Under future climate change, will the coastal protection role of gravel barriers be compromised, potentially triggering management interventions?

'''RQ#3''': When and how does sediment transport on gravel barriers differ from more well studied sand cases?

'''RQ#4''': What is the internal structure and composition of gravel beaches and how do variations in composition influence beach morphology and dynamics?

'''RQ#5''': What is the role of hydraulic conductivity in influencing barrier behaviour?

'''RQ#6''': Can we quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment (marsh, lagoon, estuary), as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures?

== Research approaches ==
[https://web-dr.tis.plymouth.ac.uk/research/coastal-processes/gravel-beach #gravelbeach]
[[:Categories:UKGravelBarriers|UKGravelBarriers]]

== History ==
These research questions were included in the NERC highlight topics 2023 [https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges Topic F] ‘'''Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate'''’. The Award details for the two selected projects can be found at the UKRI-NERC Grants of the Web dedicated site [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/ https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/], and found by using the Lead Grant Reference NE/Y503265/1 and NE/Y50323X/1 for the UKGravelBarriers and the #gravelbeaches projects, respectively.

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate

2024-03-21T14:03:23Z

Agarcia:

== Background ==
Beach and barrier systems with a dominant gravel fraction, including ‘pure’, ‘compound’ and ‘mixed sand-gravel’ systems (hereafter collectively referred to as ‘gravel barriers’), are common in the UK and throughout the world.

It is generally accepted that gravel barrier shorelines offer widespread, critically important natural flood protection to many coastal communities. Moreover, their creation and enhancement are increasingly seen as sustainable and nature-based adaptation options that boost natural capital. But these assets must be well managed to ensure they continue serving such functions in the face of increased risk of coastal erosion and flooding. At present our understanding and modelling capability of gravel beach and barrier dynamics significantly lags behind that of their sandy counterparts.

This wiki site projects responding to the [https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 NERC highlight topics 2023 Topic F:Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate], where selected to address the following research questions.

== Research questions ==
'''RQ#1''': How do decadal-scale morphodynamics of gravel barriers respond to changes in sea level, storminess and sediment supply, and influence coastal evolution? How will this impact the ecosystems they support?

'''RQ#2''': Under future climate change, will the coastal protection role of gravel barriers be compromised, potentially triggering management interventions?

'''RQ#3''': When and how does sediment transport on gravel barriers differ from more well studied sand cases?

'''RQ#4''': What is the internal structure and composition of gravel beaches and how do variations in composition influence beach morphology and dynamics?

'''RQ#5''': What is the role of hydraulic conductivity in influencing barrier behaviour?

'''RQ#6''': Can we quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment (marsh, lagoon, estuary), as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures?

== Research approaches ==
[https://web-dr.tis.plymouth.ac.uk/research/coastal-processes/gravel-beach #gravelbeach]
[[:Categories:UKGravelBarriers|UKGravelBarriers]]

== History ==
These research questions were included in the NERC highlight topics 2023 [https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges Topic F] ‘'''Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate'''’. The Award details for the two selected projects can be found at the UKRI-NERC Grants of the Web dedicated site [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/ https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/], and found by using the Lead Grant Reference NE/Y503265/1 and NE/Y50323X/1 for the UKGravelBarriers and the #gravelbeaches projects, respectively.

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate

2024-03-21T13:57:01Z

Agarcia:

== Background ==
Beach and barrier systems with a dominant gravel fraction, including ‘pure’, ‘compound’ and ‘mixed sand-gravel’ systems (hereafter collectively referred to as ‘gravel barriers’), are common in the UK and throughout the world.

It is generally accepted that gravel barrier shorelines offer widespread, critically important natural flood protection to many coastal communities. Moreover, their creation and enhancement are increasingly seen as sustainable and nature-based adaptation options that boost natural capital. But these assets must be well managed to ensure they continue serving such functions in the face of increased risk of coastal erosion and flooding. At present our understanding and modelling capability of gravel beach and barrier dynamics significantly lags behind that of their sandy counterparts.

[[File:P025917.jpg|500px|thumb|center|Coast erosion at Pakefield south of Lowestoft. The low cliffs along the coast here are composed of Glacial Sands and Gravels, a loosely-aggregated deposit that offers little resistance to the erosive action of the sea. An exceptionally high tide on November 30th 1936 enabled the waves to attack the cliffs on the north side of Beach Street, causing strips of cliff to fall and abandoned houses to collapse into the sea.]]

Two projects responding to the [https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 NERC highlight topics 2023 Topic F:Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate], where selected to address the following research questions.

== Research questions ==
'''RQ#1''': How do decadal-scale morphodynamics of gravel barriers respond to changes in sea level, storminess and sediment supply, and influence coastal evolution? How will this impact the ecosystems they support?

'''RQ#2''': Under future climate change, will the coastal protection role of gravel barriers be compromised, potentially triggering management interventions?

'''RQ#3''': When and how does sediment transport on gravel barriers differ from more well studied sand cases?

'''RQ#4''': What is the internal structure and composition of gravel beaches and how do variations in composition influence beach morphology and dynamics?

'''RQ#5''': What is the role of hydraulic conductivity in influencing barrier behaviour?

'''RQ#6''': Can we quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment (marsh, lagoon, estuary), as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures?

== Research approaches ==
[https://web-dr.tis.plymouth.ac.uk/research/coastal-processes/gravel-beach #gravelbeach]
[[:Categories:UKGravelBarriers|UKGravelBarriers]]

== History ==
These research questions were included in the NERC highlight topics 2023 [https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges Topic F] ‘'''Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate'''’. The Award details for the two selected projects can be found at the UKRI-NERC Grants of the Web dedicated site [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/ https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/], and found by using the Lead Grant Reference NE/Y503265/1 and NE/Y50323X/1 for the UKGravelBarriers and the #gravelbeaches projects, respectively.

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate

2024-03-21T13:12:00Z

Agarcia:

== Research project ==
=== Background ===
Gravel-dominated beach and barrier systems are common around the UK and provide important coastal defences, especially in low-lying regions. A new, four-year research project, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and entitled [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_split.asp?awardref=NE%2FY503265%2F1 UKGravelBarriers], will deliver enhanced understanding and modelling of gravel barrier systems. The project aims to support more sustainable coastal management by increasing resilience and reducing the vulnerability of coasts to climate change.

[[File:P025917.jpg|500px|thumb|center|Coast erosion at Pakefield south of Lowestoft. The low cliffs along the coast here are composed of Glacial Sands and Gravels, a loosely-aggregated deposit that offers little resistance to the erosive action of the sea. An exceptionally high tide on November 30th 1936 enabled the waves to attack the cliffs on the north side of Beach Street, causing strips of cliff to fall and abandoned houses to collapse into the sea.]]

=== Research questions ===
'''RQ#1''': How do decadal-scale morphodynamics of gravel barriers respond to changes in sea level, storminess and sediment supply, and influence coastal evolution? How will this impact the ecosystems they support?

'''RQ#2''': Under future climate change, will the coastal protection role of gravel barriers be compromised, potentially triggering management interventions?

'''RQ#3''': When and how does sediment transport on gravel barriers differ from more well studied sand cases?

'''RQ#4''': What is the internal structure and composition of gravel beaches and how do variations in composition influence beach morphology and dynamics?

'''RQ#5''': What is the role of hydraulic conductivity in influencing barrier behaviour?

'''RQ#6''': Can we quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment (marsh, lagoon, estuary), as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures?

=== Research approach ===

[[:Categories:UKGravelBarriers|UKGravelBarriers]]

==== Hypothesis ====
To answer the research questions, we have adopted two main research hypotheses.
<blockquote>
'''H1:''' The topography and shallow-subsurface-structure of gravel barriers, including the backshore and nearshore areas control their short-term (overwash) to long-term (transgression) evolution in response to changes in sea level rise, storminess, and sediment supply.

'''H2:''' The critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures can be quantified from both field and numerical simulations under the assumptions of space-for-time substitution <ref name = "Lopez2020">Muñoz López, P., Payo, A., Ellis, M.A., Criado-Aldeanueva, F. and Owen Jenkins, G., 2020. A method to extract measurable indicators of coastal cliff erosion from topographical cliff and beach profiles: Application to North Norfolk and suffolk, East England, UK. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 8(1), p.20. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8010020].</ref> and the use of appropriate complexity modelling <ref name = "Frecnh2016">French, J., Payo, A., Murray, B., Orford, J., Eliot, M. and Cowell, P., 2016. Appropriate complexity for the prediction of coastal and estuarine geomorphic behaviour at decadal to centennial scales. Geomorphology, 256, pp.3-16. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.10.005].</ref>.

</blockquote>
==== Scope ====
The spatial-scope of this research will cover all gravel beaches in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). The temporal-scope will cover their evolution over the last 20,000 thousand years (e.g. to explore both creation of gravel barrier and evolution under different sea level rise scenarios) and will explore how they might evolve in the future to 2150.

<gallery widths=300px heights=200px mode=packed-overlay caption="Gravel beaches types">
File:P638726.jpg|Pure Gravel (G)
File:Picture1_150ppi.jpg|Mixed Sand and Gravel (MSG)
File:P210742.jpg|Composite Sand and Gravel (CSG)
</gallery>

Gravel beaches types may be categorised according to the mixture of sands and gravels present, which has a significant influence on the beach slope and the more general morphological response of the beach to wave action. Three categories are defined<ref name = "Anthony2008">Anthony, E. J. (2008). Chapter Six Gravel Beaches and Barriers. Developments in Marine Geology. E. J. Anthony, Elsevier. '''Book chapter''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/S1572-5480(08)00406-5].</ref><ref name = "GravelBeachesType">'''CoastalWiki'''' [https://www.coastalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Gravel_Beaches&oldid=80049#Beach_types Gravel Beaches Types].</ref> as pure gravel (G), mixed sand and gravel (MSG) and composite sand and gravel (CSG).

* Pure gravel beaches have steep slopes (tan β = 0.08–0.24) and gravel extending from the storm berm to below the mean low water spring tide level.
* MSG beaches have moderate slopes (tan β = 0.04–0.13), with sand and gravel entirely mixed both across shore and at depth.
* CSG beaches have a steep gravel berm fronted by a low-angle intertidal terrace, with over all beach slopes of tan β = 0.05–0.14. On composite beaches, there is distinct hydrodynamic cross-shore sorting of the sand and gravel component.

==== Objectives ====
The objectives of this project are listed below, with the research questions that they address indicated;

* '''O1''': Review the responses of gravel barriers to the relative sea level changes observed from 20,000 years to about 100 years ago, including periods when sea levels (see Fig 1) generally rose at different rates but also remained with little change over large periods (RQ#1, RQ#4).

* '''O2''': Review the performance of gravel barriers over the last two decades where the Environment Agency discontinued a policy of managing sea defences by reshaping of gravel barrier profiles and we have access to more detailed observations (RQ#1).

* '''O3''': Collect new field data to improve our understanding of sediment transport on gravel barriers, their shallow subsurface structure and effects of hydraulic conductivity on storm (individual) and decadal evolution (RQ#3, #5).

* '''O4''': Develop a broad-scale simulator of the evolution of a selected coastal barrier and backshore habitat, that account for changes in climate change, sediment supply and management interventions extending to 2150 (RQ#2, #5, #6).

* '''O5''': Quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures in representative field studies (RQ#2, RQ#6).

* '''O6''': Curate the data and models produced in this project beyond the lifetime of the project to enable further research and support decision making.

=== Program of work ===
To deliver the project objectives we have organised the work in five work packages:

[[File:GBCoast Approach WPs.png|800px|thumb|center|Diagram showing program of work of GBcoast project.]]

'''WP 0''' is where all the activities related with project management and coordination are integrated. This includes one in person meeting per year with all project partners and embedded practitioners that will act as project steering group and expert group providing data, access to networks and know-how. The main activities, milestones and deliverables of the WP1 to WP4 are summarised in the table below.

<blockquote>
Fundamental to our approach is that:
# Successful prediction of long-term barrier behaviour requires broad representation of the coastal systems of which they are a single part, and that,
# Modelling capability is improved in terms of prediction and relevance to coastal management decision making by integrating the expertise of successful and established practitioners in coastal geomorphology with numerical modellers of coastal processes.
</blockquote>

Overall, through system analysis and numerical modelling, based on four work packages, we will map and quantify gravel barrier responses to individual, ‘violent’, events such as storms in the context of longer-term ‘progressive’ impacts such as sea level rise, changes in sediment sources, and human interventions. New process understanding will be achieved by seamlessly combining innovative field observational approaches of surface and subsurface processes with advanced numerical modelling. The long-term numerical simulations will be based on predicted scenarios of sea level rise, increased wave heights and changes in coastal orientation based on UKCP18 and other recent climate change studies. The results will support improved and sustainable coastal management based on the improved understanding of how gravel barriers evolve over longer time scales under different climate conditions and human intervention scenarios. They will be a significant advance from the new comprehensive and novel, multi-scale observations of key processes that drive long-term gravel beach morphodynamic evolution.

{| class="wikitable"

|-
! Work Package !! Activities !! Milestones !! Deliverables
|-
|
'''WP1''': Spatial distribution and temporal evolution of UK gravel barriers and their back barrier ecosystems.
||
* Creation of UK gravel barrier and back barrier environments research database
* Apply state-of-the-art statistical methods to quantify joint and spatially coherent probabilities
* Optimisation of machine learning to quantify habitat structure and extent

||
* 1st sprint on geospatial platform development (Q1 2024)
* End of collecting management intervention data from local authorities (Q3 2024)
* Fast-track of statistical analysis for selected case studies (Q4 2024)
||
* Characterization of historical met-ocean drivers and topographical and shoreline metrics of change (Q1 2025)
* Geospatial platform on current and future gravel barrier habitat extent (Q4 2024)
|-
|
'''WP2''': Field data collection at selected case study sites
||
* Expanding satellite derived shoreline proxies in time and space
* Use [[:Category:Portable_streamer_traps_for_longshore_sediment_transport_measurement|DIST]] to create a unique field dataset of longshore sediment transport
* Characterisation of gravel barriers and broader context structure
* Field assessment and biophysical relationships between gravel barriers and vegetation
||
* Update requirements to produce satellite MSI and SAR historical shoreline database that will be used in this project (Q1 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for alongshore sediment transport campaigns (Q2 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for in the field hydraulic conductivity surveys (Q2 2024)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape characteristics (Q4 2026)
||
* Extended database for Northern Ireland of 38 years of historical MSI WL and MSL tideline (Q4 2024)
* New database of historical SAR derived shorelines for designated case studies (Q4 2024)
* Database of alongshore sediment transport, hydrodynamic and structure (Q3 2025)
* Database of hydraulic conductivity before, during and after storms for selected case studies (Q4 2025)
|-
|
'''WP3''': Development of a broad-scale gravel barrier simulator
||
* The Coastal Modelling Environment ([[:Category:Coastal_Modeling_Environment|CoastalME]]) will be used to represent the shore between Overstrand and Blakeney.
* Explore how groundwater flooding and hydraulic conductivity affects both the backshore physic-chemical properties and drivers of change of the habitats we will use the British Groundwater Model (BGWM) developed for the Hydro-JULES research programme.
||
* 3D model of the topography and superficial deposits of the study area (Q4 2024)
* Cley Barrier groundwater simulator (Q4 2025)
* Added groundwater module, habitats, gravel barrier module and human management interventions into CoastalME (Q4 2026)
||
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future Cley Barrier in response to changes in sea level and human interventions (Q4 2026)
|-
|
'''WP4''': Quantify interactions and management intervention thresholds
||
* Use the databases generated in WP1&2 and the new modelling capabilities described in WP3 to quantify the interactions and management interventions thresholds for both the Cley/Salthouse Barrier and a number of typologies representing gravel barriers around the UK.
* Simulate the emergence and stability of barriers under variations in shoreface slope, rate of sea level rise and sedimentology.
* Use the UKCP18, available at UK scale, and state of the art downscaling approaches and the methods used in WP1 to create an ensemble of plausible, hourly time series to force our simulations.
* Use structural equation modelling (SEM) to build an overarching conceptual model will connect climate, geophysical and biogeographic drivers with landscape structure and ecosystem functioning.
||
* Co-development of future climate and management scenarios that will be explored (Q1 2027)
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future evolutions until 2150 using hourly time series (Q1 2027)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape interactions (Q4 2027)
||
* Analysis on how interaction metrics might change in the future compared with historical evidence (Q4 2026);
|}

=== Outcomes ===
Holistic understanding of the complex interactions and feedbacks between the sediment composition of the shallow subsurface, nearshore morphodynamics in response to both storms and sea level changes.

A new community modelling system coupled with terrestrial, marine and groundwater sectors and produce numerical simulations which can be used to support multi-hazard analyses under present and future climate change scenarios. These deliverables will be combined with an assessment of the role of coastal habitats, resulting in national maps for protective services and vulnerabilities of coastal habitats to climate-driven multi-hazards. We will also provide tools to analyse the efficacy of future coastal management schemes.

These will deliver a step change in the management of gravel coastlines in the UK.

== History ==
This project started in response to the NERC funding opportunity called "[https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges: NERC highlight topics 2023]" (Topic F: ‘Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate’). The call was considered to be well aligned with the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/about-bgs/strategy-2023-to-2028/ science strategy plan 2023-2028] and in particular with the strategic priority on '''living with geological hazards''': ''to mitigate and adapt to risk, we will monitor, characterise and forecast earth hazard events and their likely impacts by improving harmonisation in hazard and risk analysis, as well as focusing on hazardous climate change''. The team was officially notified on the reception of this award on the 31st of January 2024 and the project started the 1st of February of 2024. Lead Grant Reference: [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_split.asp?awardref=NE%2FY503265%2F1 NE/Y503265/1]

== Media coverage ==
* [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/bgs-to-lead-new-research-project-on-barrier-systems-to-support-more-sustainable-coastal-management/ BGS news 06/12/2023]

* [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andrespayo_the-ukgravelbarriers-project-in-person-kick-activity-7167813046994739200-ppV5?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop Andres Payo LinkedIn post 26/02/2024]

== References ==
<references />

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate

2024-03-21T13:04:38Z

Agarcia:

== Research project ==
=== Background ===
Gravel-dominated beach and barrier systems are common around the UK and provide important coastal defences, especially in low-lying regions. A new, four-year research project, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and entitled [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_split.asp?awardref=NE%2FY503265%2F1 UKGravelBarriers], will deliver enhanced understanding and modelling of gravel barrier systems. The project aims to support more sustainable coastal management by increasing resilience and reducing the vulnerability of coasts to climate change.

[[File:P025917.jpg|500px|thumb|center|Coast erosion at Pakefield south of Lowestoft. The low cliffs along the coast here are composed of Glacial Sands and Gravels, a loosely-aggregated deposit that offers little resistance to the erosive action of the sea. An exceptionally high tide on November 30th 1936 enabled the waves to attack the cliffs on the north side of Beach Street, causing strips of cliff to fall and abandoned houses to collapse into the sea.]]

This research project is possible thanks to the close collaboration between '''researchers''' from the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/ (BGS)], UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology [https://www.ceh.ac.uk/ (UKCEH)], and the University of Nottingham [https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ (UoN)], '''coastal engineering practitioners''' from Kenneth Pye Associates [https://www.kpal.co.uk/ (KPAL)], Moffat and Nichols [https://www.moffattnichol.com/ (M&N)], '''professional Earth Observation providers''' from [https://www.argans.co.uk/ ARGANS Ltd] and [https://www.isardsat.cat/ isardSAT], with the '''in kind support''' of professionals from the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture [https://www.cefas.co.uk/ (CEFAS)], the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds [https://www.rspb.org.uk/ (RSPB)], the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Research Group of the University of Granada [https://gdfa.ugr.es/ (GDFA)], the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute [https://www.afbini.gov.uk/ (AFBI)], the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland [https://www2.bgs.ac.uk/gsni/ (GSNI)], the Wales Coastal Monitoring Centre [https://www.wcmc.wales/ (WCMC)], and from '''government organizations''' such as Natural Resources Wales [https://naturalresourceswales.gov.uk/ (NRW)] and the Environment Agency [https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency (EA)]

=== Research questions ===
'''RQ#1''': How do decadal-scale morphodynamics of gravel barriers respond to changes in sea level, storminess and sediment supply, and influence coastal evolution? How will this impact the ecosystems they support?

'''RQ#2''': Under future climate change, will the coastal protection role of gravel barriers be compromised, potentially triggering management interventions?

'''RQ#3''': When and how does sediment transport on gravel barriers differ from more well studied sand cases?

'''RQ#4''': What is the internal structure and composition of gravel beaches and how do variations in composition influence beach morphology and dynamics?

'''RQ#5''': What is the role of hydraulic conductivity in influencing barrier behaviour?

'''RQ#6''': Can we quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment (marsh, lagoon, estuary), as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures?

=== Research approach ===

[[:Categories:UKGravelBarriers|UKGravelBarriers]]

==== Hypothesis ====
To answer the research questions, we have adopted two main research hypotheses.
<blockquote>
'''H1:''' The topography and shallow-subsurface-structure of gravel barriers, including the backshore and nearshore areas control their short-term (overwash) to long-term (transgression) evolution in response to changes in sea level rise, storminess, and sediment supply.

'''H2:''' The critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures can be quantified from both field and numerical simulations under the assumptions of space-for-time substitution <ref name = "Lopez2020">Muñoz López, P., Payo, A., Ellis, M.A., Criado-Aldeanueva, F. and Owen Jenkins, G., 2020. A method to extract measurable indicators of coastal cliff erosion from topographical cliff and beach profiles: Application to North Norfolk and suffolk, East England, UK. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 8(1), p.20. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8010020].</ref> and the use of appropriate complexity modelling <ref name = "Frecnh2016">French, J., Payo, A., Murray, B., Orford, J., Eliot, M. and Cowell, P., 2016. Appropriate complexity for the prediction of coastal and estuarine geomorphic behaviour at decadal to centennial scales. Geomorphology, 256, pp.3-16. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.10.005].</ref>.

</blockquote>
==== Scope ====
The spatial-scope of this research will cover all gravel beaches in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). The temporal-scope will cover their evolution over the last 20,000 thousand years (e.g. to explore both creation of gravel barrier and evolution under different sea level rise scenarios) and will explore how they might evolve in the future to 2150.

<gallery widths=300px heights=200px mode=packed-overlay caption="Gravel beaches types">
File:P638726.jpg|Pure Gravel (G)
File:Picture1_150ppi.jpg|Mixed Sand and Gravel (MSG)
File:P210742.jpg|Composite Sand and Gravel (CSG)
</gallery>

Gravel beaches types may be categorised according to the mixture of sands and gravels present, which has a significant influence on the beach slope and the more general morphological response of the beach to wave action. Three categories are defined<ref name = "Anthony2008">Anthony, E. J. (2008). Chapter Six Gravel Beaches and Barriers. Developments in Marine Geology. E. J. Anthony, Elsevier. '''Book chapter''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/S1572-5480(08)00406-5].</ref><ref name = "GravelBeachesType">'''CoastalWiki'''' [https://www.coastalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Gravel_Beaches&oldid=80049#Beach_types Gravel Beaches Types].</ref> as pure gravel (G), mixed sand and gravel (MSG) and composite sand and gravel (CSG).

* Pure gravel beaches have steep slopes (tan β = 0.08–0.24) and gravel extending from the storm berm to below the mean low water spring tide level.
* MSG beaches have moderate slopes (tan β = 0.04–0.13), with sand and gravel entirely mixed both across shore and at depth.
* CSG beaches have a steep gravel berm fronted by a low-angle intertidal terrace, with over all beach slopes of tan β = 0.05–0.14. On composite beaches, there is distinct hydrodynamic cross-shore sorting of the sand and gravel component.

==== Objectives ====
The objectives of this project are listed below, with the research questions that they address indicated;

* '''O1''': Review the responses of gravel barriers to the relative sea level changes observed from 20,000 years to about 100 years ago, including periods when sea levels (see Fig 1) generally rose at different rates but also remained with little change over large periods (RQ#1, RQ#4).

* '''O2''': Review the performance of gravel barriers over the last two decades where the Environment Agency discontinued a policy of managing sea defences by reshaping of gravel barrier profiles and we have access to more detailed observations (RQ#1).

* '''O3''': Collect new field data to improve our understanding of sediment transport on gravel barriers, their shallow subsurface structure and effects of hydraulic conductivity on storm (individual) and decadal evolution (RQ#3, #5).

* '''O4''': Develop a broad-scale simulator of the evolution of a selected coastal barrier and backshore habitat, that account for changes in climate change, sediment supply and management interventions extending to 2150 (RQ#2, #5, #6).

* '''O5''': Quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures in representative field studies (RQ#2, RQ#6).

* '''O6''': Curate the data and models produced in this project beyond the lifetime of the project to enable further research and support decision making.

=== Program of work ===
To deliver the project objectives we have organised the work in five work packages:

[[File:GBCoast Approach WPs.png|800px|thumb|center|Diagram showing program of work of GBcoast project.]]

'''WP 0''' is where all the activities related with project management and coordination are integrated. This includes one in person meeting per year with all project partners and embedded practitioners that will act as project steering group and expert group providing data, access to networks and know-how. The main activities, milestones and deliverables of the WP1 to WP4 are summarised in the table below.

<blockquote>
Fundamental to our approach is that:
# Successful prediction of long-term barrier behaviour requires broad representation of the coastal systems of which they are a single part, and that,
# Modelling capability is improved in terms of prediction and relevance to coastal management decision making by integrating the expertise of successful and established practitioners in coastal geomorphology with numerical modellers of coastal processes.
</blockquote>

Overall, through system analysis and numerical modelling, based on four work packages, we will map and quantify gravel barrier responses to individual, ‘violent’, events such as storms in the context of longer-term ‘progressive’ impacts such as sea level rise, changes in sediment sources, and human interventions. New process understanding will be achieved by seamlessly combining innovative field observational approaches of surface and subsurface processes with advanced numerical modelling. The long-term numerical simulations will be based on predicted scenarios of sea level rise, increased wave heights and changes in coastal orientation based on UKCP18 and other recent climate change studies. The results will support improved and sustainable coastal management based on the improved understanding of how gravel barriers evolve over longer time scales under different climate conditions and human intervention scenarios. They will be a significant advance from the new comprehensive and novel, multi-scale observations of key processes that drive long-term gravel beach morphodynamic evolution.

{| class="wikitable"

|-
! Work Package !! Activities !! Milestones !! Deliverables
|-
|
'''WP1''': Spatial distribution and temporal evolution of UK gravel barriers and their back barrier ecosystems.
||
* Creation of UK gravel barrier and back barrier environments research database
* Apply state-of-the-art statistical methods to quantify joint and spatially coherent probabilities
* Optimisation of machine learning to quantify habitat structure and extent

||
* 1st sprint on geospatial platform development (Q1 2024)
* End of collecting management intervention data from local authorities (Q3 2024)
* Fast-track of statistical analysis for selected case studies (Q4 2024)
||
* Characterization of historical met-ocean drivers and topographical and shoreline metrics of change (Q1 2025)
* Geospatial platform on current and future gravel barrier habitat extent (Q4 2024)
|-
|
'''WP2''': Field data collection at selected case study sites
||
* Expanding satellite derived shoreline proxies in time and space
* Use [[:Category:Portable_streamer_traps_for_longshore_sediment_transport_measurement|DIST]] to create a unique field dataset of longshore sediment transport
* Characterisation of gravel barriers and broader context structure
* Field assessment and biophysical relationships between gravel barriers and vegetation
||
* Update requirements to produce satellite MSI and SAR historical shoreline database that will be used in this project (Q1 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for alongshore sediment transport campaigns (Q2 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for in the field hydraulic conductivity surveys (Q2 2024)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape characteristics (Q4 2026)
||
* Extended database for Northern Ireland of 38 years of historical MSI WL and MSL tideline (Q4 2024)
* New database of historical SAR derived shorelines for designated case studies (Q4 2024)
* Database of alongshore sediment transport, hydrodynamic and structure (Q3 2025)
* Database of hydraulic conductivity before, during and after storms for selected case studies (Q4 2025)
|-
|
'''WP3''': Development of a broad-scale gravel barrier simulator
||
* The Coastal Modelling Environment ([[:Category:Coastal_Modeling_Environment|CoastalME]]) will be used to represent the shore between Overstrand and Blakeney.
* Explore how groundwater flooding and hydraulic conductivity affects both the backshore physic-chemical properties and drivers of change of the habitats we will use the British Groundwater Model (BGWM) developed for the Hydro-JULES research programme.
||
* 3D model of the topography and superficial deposits of the study area (Q4 2024)
* Cley Barrier groundwater simulator (Q4 2025)
* Added groundwater module, habitats, gravel barrier module and human management interventions into CoastalME (Q4 2026)
||
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future Cley Barrier in response to changes in sea level and human interventions (Q4 2026)
|-
|
'''WP4''': Quantify interactions and management intervention thresholds
||
* Use the databases generated in WP1&2 and the new modelling capabilities described in WP3 to quantify the interactions and management interventions thresholds for both the Cley/Salthouse Barrier and a number of typologies representing gravel barriers around the UK.
* Simulate the emergence and stability of barriers under variations in shoreface slope, rate of sea level rise and sedimentology.
* Use the UKCP18, available at UK scale, and state of the art downscaling approaches and the methods used in WP1 to create an ensemble of plausible, hourly time series to force our simulations.
* Use structural equation modelling (SEM) to build an overarching conceptual model will connect climate, geophysical and biogeographic drivers with landscape structure and ecosystem functioning.
||
* Co-development of future climate and management scenarios that will be explored (Q1 2027)
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future evolutions until 2150 using hourly time series (Q1 2027)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape interactions (Q4 2027)
||
* Analysis on how interaction metrics might change in the future compared with historical evidence (Q4 2026);
|}

=== Outcomes ===
Holistic understanding of the complex interactions and feedbacks between the sediment composition of the shallow subsurface, nearshore morphodynamics in response to both storms and sea level changes.

A new community modelling system coupled with terrestrial, marine and groundwater sectors and produce numerical simulations which can be used to support multi-hazard analyses under present and future climate change scenarios. These deliverables will be combined with an assessment of the role of coastal habitats, resulting in national maps for protective services and vulnerabilities of coastal habitats to climate-driven multi-hazards. We will also provide tools to analyse the efficacy of future coastal management schemes.

These will deliver a step change in the management of gravel coastlines in the UK.

== History ==
This project started in response to the NERC funding opportunity called "[https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges: NERC highlight topics 2023]" (Topic F: ‘Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate’). The call was considered to be well aligned with the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/about-bgs/strategy-2023-to-2028/ science strategy plan 2023-2028] and in particular with the strategic priority on '''living with geological hazards''': ''to mitigate and adapt to risk, we will monitor, characterise and forecast earth hazard events and their likely impacts by improving harmonisation in hazard and risk analysis, as well as focusing on hazardous climate change''. The team was officially notified on the reception of this award on the 31st of January 2024 and the project started the 1st of February of 2024. Lead Grant Reference: [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_split.asp?awardref=NE%2FY503265%2F1 NE/Y503265/1]

== Media coverage ==
* [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/bgs-to-lead-new-research-project-on-barrier-systems-to-support-more-sustainable-coastal-management/ BGS news 06/12/2023]

* [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andrespayo_the-ukgravelbarriers-project-in-person-kick-activity-7167813046994739200-ppV5?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop Andres Payo LinkedIn post 26/02/2024]

== References ==
<references />

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate

2024-02-26T09:33:42Z

Agarcia: /* Media coverage */

== Research project ==
=== Background ===
Gravel-dominated beach and barrier systems are common around the UK and provide important coastal defences, especially in low-lying regions. A new, four-year research project, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and entitled [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_split.asp?awardref=NE%2FY503265%2F1 UKGravelBarriers], will deliver enhanced understanding and modelling of gravel barrier systems. The project aims to support more sustainable coastal management by increasing resilience and reducing the vulnerability of coasts to climate change.

[[File:P025917.jpg|500px|thumb|center|Coast erosion at Pakefield south of Lowestoft. The low cliffs along the coast here are composed of Glacial Sands and Gravels, a loosely-aggregated deposit that offers little resistance to the erosive action of the sea. An exceptionally high tide on November 30th 1936 enabled the waves to attack the cliffs on the north side of Beach Street, causing strips of cliff to fall and abandoned houses to collapse into the sea.]]

This research project is possible thanks to the close collaboration between '''researchers''' from the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/ (BGS)], UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology [https://www.ceh.ac.uk/ (UKCEH)], and the University of Nottingham [https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ (UoN)], '''coastal engineering practitioners''' from Kenneth Pye Associates [https://www.kpal.co.uk/ (KPAL)], Moffat and Nichols [https://www.moffattnichol.com/ (M&N)], '''professional Earth Observation providers''' from [https://www.argans.co.uk/ ARGANS Ltd] and [https://www.isardsat.cat/ isardSAT], with the '''in kind support''' of professionals from the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture [https://www.cefas.co.uk/ (CEFAS)], the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds [https://www.rspb.org.uk/ (RSPB)], the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Research Group of the University of Granada [https://gdfa.ugr.es/ (GDFA)], the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute [https://www.afbini.gov.uk/ (AFBI)], the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland [https://www2.bgs.ac.uk/gsni/ (GSNI)], the Wales Coastal Monitoring Centre [https://www.wcmc.wales/ (WCMC)], and from '''government organizations''' such as Natural Resources Wales [https://naturalresourceswales.gov.uk/ (NRW)] and the Environment Agency [https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency (EA)]

=== Research questions ===
'''RQ#1''': How do decadal-scale morphodynamics of gravel barriers respond to changes in sea level, storminess and sediment supply, and influence coastal evolution? How will this impact the ecosystems they support?

'''RQ#2''': Under future climate change, will the coastal protection role of gravel barriers be compromised, potentially triggering management interventions?

'''RQ#3''': When and how does sediment transport on gravel barriers differ from more well studied sand cases?

'''RQ#4''': What is the internal structure and composition of gravel beaches and how do variations in composition influence beach morphology and dynamics?

'''RQ#5''': What is the role of hydraulic conductivity in influencing barrier behaviour?

'''RQ#6''': Can we quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment (marsh, lagoon, estuary), as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures?

=== Research approach ===
==== Hypothesis ====
To answer the research questions, we have adopted two main research hypotheses.
<blockquote>
'''H1:''' The topography and shallow-subsurface-structure of gravel barriers, including the backshore and nearshore areas control their short-term (overwash) to long-term (transgression) evolution in response to changes in sea level rise, storminess, and sediment supply.

'''H2:''' The critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures can be quantified from both field and numerical simulations under the assumptions of space-for-time substitution <ref name = "Lopez2020">Muñoz López, P., Payo, A., Ellis, M.A., Criado-Aldeanueva, F. and Owen Jenkins, G., 2020. A method to extract measurable indicators of coastal cliff erosion from topographical cliff and beach profiles: Application to North Norfolk and suffolk, East England, UK. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 8(1), p.20. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8010020].</ref> and the use of appropriate complexity modelling <ref name = "Frecnh2016">French, J., Payo, A., Murray, B., Orford, J., Eliot, M. and Cowell, P., 2016. Appropriate complexity for the prediction of coastal and estuarine geomorphic behaviour at decadal to centennial scales. Geomorphology, 256, pp.3-16. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.10.005].</ref>.

</blockquote>
==== Scope ====
The spatial-scope of this research will cover all gravel beaches in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). The temporal-scope will cover their evolution over the last 20,000 thousand years (e.g. to explore both creation of gravel barrier and evolution under different sea level rise scenarios) and will explore how they might evolve in the future to 2150.

<gallery widths=300px heights=200px mode=packed-overlay caption="Gravel beaches types">
File:P638726.jpg|Pure Gravel (G)
File:Picture1_150ppi.jpg|Mixed Sand and Gravel (MSG)
File:P210742.jpg|Composite Sand and Gravel (CSG)
</gallery>

Gravel beaches types may be categorised according to the mixture of sands and gravels present, which has a significant influence on the beach slope and the more general morphological response of the beach to wave action. Three categories are defined<ref name = "Anthony2008">Anthony, E. J. (2008). Chapter Six Gravel Beaches and Barriers. Developments in Marine Geology. E. J. Anthony, Elsevier. '''Book chapter''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/S1572-5480(08)00406-5].</ref><ref name = "GravelBeachesType">'''CoastalWiki'''' [https://www.coastalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Gravel_Beaches&oldid=80049#Beach_types Gravel Beaches Types].</ref> as pure gravel (G), mixed sand and gravel (MSG) and composite sand and gravel (CSG).

* Pure gravel beaches have steep slopes (tan β = 0.08–0.24) and gravel extending from the storm berm to below the mean low water spring tide level.
* MSG beaches have moderate slopes (tan β = 0.04–0.13), with sand and gravel entirely mixed both across shore and at depth.
* CSG beaches have a steep gravel berm fronted by a low-angle intertidal terrace, with over all beach slopes of tan β = 0.05–0.14. On composite beaches, there is distinct hydrodynamic cross-shore sorting of the sand and gravel component.

==== Objectives ====
The objectives of this project are listed below, with the research questions that they address indicated;

* '''O1''': Review the responses of gravel barriers to the relative sea level changes observed from 20,000 years to about 100 years ago, including periods when sea levels (see Fig 1) generally rose at different rates but also remained with little change over large periods (RQ#1, RQ#4).

* '''O2''': Review the performance of gravel barriers over the last two decades where the Environment Agency discontinued a policy of managing sea defences by reshaping of gravel barrier profiles and we have access to more detailed observations (RQ#1).

* '''O3''': Collect new field data to improve our understanding of sediment transport on gravel barriers, their shallow subsurface structure and effects of hydraulic conductivity on storm (individual) and decadal evolution (RQ#3, #5).

* '''O4''': Develop a broad-scale simulator of the evolution of a selected coastal barrier and backshore habitat, that account for changes in climate change, sediment supply and management interventions extending to 2150 (RQ#2, #5, #6).

* '''O5''': Quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures in representative field studies (RQ#2, RQ#6).

* '''O6''': Curate the data and models produced in this project beyond the lifetime of the project to enable further research and support decision making.

=== Program of work ===
To deliver the project objectives we have organised the work in five work packages:

[[File:GBCoast Approach WPs.png|800px|thumb|center|Diagram showing program of work of GBcoast project.]]

'''WP 0''' is where all the activities related with project management and coordination are integrated. This includes one in person meeting per year with all project partners and embedded practitioners that will act as project steering group and expert group providing data, access to networks and know-how. The main activities, milestones and deliverables of the WP1 to WP4 are summarised in the table below.

<blockquote>
Fundamental to our approach is that:
# Successful prediction of long-term barrier behaviour requires broad representation of the coastal systems of which they are a single part, and that,
# Modelling capability is improved in terms of prediction and relevance to coastal management decision making by integrating the expertise of successful and established practitioners in coastal geomorphology with numerical modellers of coastal processes.
</blockquote>

Overall, through system analysis and numerical modelling, based on four work packages, we will map and quantify gravel barrier responses to individual, ‘violent’, events such as storms in the context of longer-term ‘progressive’ impacts such as sea level rise, changes in sediment sources, and human interventions. New process understanding will be achieved by seamlessly combining innovative field observational approaches of surface and subsurface processes with advanced numerical modelling. The long-term numerical simulations will be based on predicted scenarios of sea level rise, increased wave heights and changes in coastal orientation based on UKCP18 and other recent climate change studies. The results will support improved and sustainable coastal management based on the improved understanding of how gravel barriers evolve over longer time scales under different climate conditions and human intervention scenarios. They will be a significant advance from the new comprehensive and novel, multi-scale observations of key processes that drive long-term gravel beach morphodynamic evolution.

{| class="wikitable"

|-
! Work Package !! Activities !! Milestones !! Deliverables
|-
|
'''WP1''': Spatial distribution and temporal evolution of UK gravel barriers and their back barrier ecosystems.
||
* Creation of UK gravel barrier and back barrier environments research database
* Apply state-of-the-art statistical methods to quantify joint and spatially coherent probabilities
* Optimisation of machine learning to quantify habitat structure and extent

||
* 1st sprint on geospatial platform development (Q1 2024)
* End of collecting management intervention data from local authorities (Q3 2024)
* Fast-track of statistical analysis for selected case studies (Q4 2024)
||
* Characterization of historical met-ocean drivers and topographical and shoreline metrics of change (Q1 2025)
* Geospatial platform on current and future gravel barrier habitat extent (Q4 2024)
|-
|
'''WP2''': Field data collection at selected case study sites
||
* Expanding satellite derived shoreline proxies in time and space
* Use [[:Category:Portable_streamer_traps_for_longshore_sediment_transport_measurement|DIST]] to create a unique field dataset of longshore sediment transport
* Characterisation of gravel barriers and broader context structure
* Field assessment and biophysical relationships between gravel barriers and vegetation
||
* Update requirements to produce satellite MSI and SAR historical shoreline database that will be used in this project (Q1 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for alongshore sediment transport campaigns (Q2 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for in the field hydraulic conductivity surveys (Q2 2024)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape characteristics (Q4 2026)
||
* Extended database for Northern Ireland of 38 years of historical MSI WL and MSL tideline (Q4 2024)
* New database of historical SAR derived shorelines for designated case studies (Q4 2024)
* Database of alongshore sediment transport, hydrodynamic and structure (Q3 2025)
* Database of hydraulic conductivity before, during and after storms for selected case studies (Q4 2025)
|-
|
'''WP3''': Development of a broad-scale gravel barrier simulator
||
* The Coastal Modelling Environment ([[:Category:Coastal_Modeling_Environment|CoastalME]]) will be used to represent the shore between Overstrand and Blakeney.
* Explore how groundwater flooding and hydraulic conductivity affects both the backshore physic-chemical properties and drivers of change of the habitats we will use the British Groundwater Model (BGWM) developed for the Hydro-JULES research programme.
||
* 3D model of the topography and superficial deposits of the study area (Q4 2024)
* Cley Barrier groundwater simulator (Q4 2025)
* Added groundwater module, habitats, gravel barrier module and human management interventions into CoastalME (Q4 2026)
||
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future Cley Barrier in response to changes in sea level and human interventions (Q4 2026)
|-
|
'''WP4''': Quantify interactions and management intervention thresholds
||
* Use the databases generated in WP1&2 and the new modelling capabilities described in WP3 to quantify the interactions and management interventions thresholds for both the Cley/Salthouse Barrier and a number of typologies representing gravel barriers around the UK.
* Simulate the emergence and stability of barriers under variations in shoreface slope, rate of sea level rise and sedimentology.
* Use the UKCP18, available at UK scale, and state of the art downscaling approaches and the methods used in WP1 to create an ensemble of plausible, hourly time series to force our simulations.
* Use structural equation modelling (SEM) to build an overarching conceptual model will connect climate, geophysical and biogeographic drivers with landscape structure and ecosystem functioning.
||
* Co-development of future climate and management scenarios that will be explored (Q1 2027)
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future evolutions until 2150 using hourly time series (Q1 2027)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape interactions (Q4 2027)
||
* Analysis on how interaction metrics might change in the future compared with historical evidence (Q4 2026);
|}

=== Outcomes ===
Holistic understanding of the complex interactions and feedbacks between the sediment composition of the shallow subsurface, nearshore morphodynamics in response to both storms and sea level changes.

A new community modelling system coupled with terrestrial, marine and groundwater sectors and produce numerical simulations which can be used to support multi-hazard analyses under present and future climate change scenarios. These deliverables will be combined with an assessment of the role of coastal habitats, resulting in national maps for protective services and vulnerabilities of coastal habitats to climate-driven multi-hazards. We will also provide tools to analyse the efficacy of future coastal management schemes.

These will deliver a step change in the management of gravel coastlines in the UK.

== History ==
This project started in response to the NERC funding opportunity called "[https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges: NERC highlight topics 2023]" (Topic F: ‘Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate’). The call was considered to be well aligned with the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/about-bgs/strategy-2023-to-2028/ science strategy plan 2023-2028] and in particular with the strategic priority on '''living with geological hazards''': ''to mitigate and adapt to risk, we will monitor, characterise and forecast earth hazard events and their likely impacts by improving harmonisation in hazard and risk analysis, as well as focusing on hazardous climate change''. The team was officially notified on the reception of this award on the 31st of January 2024 and the project started the 1st of February of 2024. Lead Grant Reference: [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_split.asp?awardref=NE%2FY503265%2F1 NE/Y503265/1]

== Media coverage ==
* [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/bgs-to-lead-new-research-project-on-barrier-systems-to-support-more-sustainable-coastal-management/ BGS news 06/12/2023]

* [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andrespayo_the-ukgravelbarriers-project-in-person-kick-activity-7167813046994739200-ppV5?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop Andres Payo LinkedIn post 26/02/2024]

== References ==
<references />

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate

2024-02-26T09:32:35Z

Agarcia:

== Research project ==
=== Background ===
Gravel-dominated beach and barrier systems are common around the UK and provide important coastal defences, especially in low-lying regions. A new, four-year research project, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and entitled [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_split.asp?awardref=NE%2FY503265%2F1 UKGravelBarriers], will deliver enhanced understanding and modelling of gravel barrier systems. The project aims to support more sustainable coastal management by increasing resilience and reducing the vulnerability of coasts to climate change.

[[File:P025917.jpg|500px|thumb|center|Coast erosion at Pakefield south of Lowestoft. The low cliffs along the coast here are composed of Glacial Sands and Gravels, a loosely-aggregated deposit that offers little resistance to the erosive action of the sea. An exceptionally high tide on November 30th 1936 enabled the waves to attack the cliffs on the north side of Beach Street, causing strips of cliff to fall and abandoned houses to collapse into the sea.]]

This research project is possible thanks to the close collaboration between '''researchers''' from the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/ (BGS)], UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology [https://www.ceh.ac.uk/ (UKCEH)], and the University of Nottingham [https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ (UoN)], '''coastal engineering practitioners''' from Kenneth Pye Associates [https://www.kpal.co.uk/ (KPAL)], Moffat and Nichols [https://www.moffattnichol.com/ (M&N)], '''professional Earth Observation providers''' from [https://www.argans.co.uk/ ARGANS Ltd] and [https://www.isardsat.cat/ isardSAT], with the '''in kind support''' of professionals from the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture [https://www.cefas.co.uk/ (CEFAS)], the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds [https://www.rspb.org.uk/ (RSPB)], the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Research Group of the University of Granada [https://gdfa.ugr.es/ (GDFA)], the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute [https://www.afbini.gov.uk/ (AFBI)], the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland [https://www2.bgs.ac.uk/gsni/ (GSNI)], the Wales Coastal Monitoring Centre [https://www.wcmc.wales/ (WCMC)], and from '''government organizations''' such as Natural Resources Wales [https://naturalresourceswales.gov.uk/ (NRW)] and the Environment Agency [https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency (EA)]

=== Research questions ===
'''RQ#1''': How do decadal-scale morphodynamics of gravel barriers respond to changes in sea level, storminess and sediment supply, and influence coastal evolution? How will this impact the ecosystems they support?

'''RQ#2''': Under future climate change, will the coastal protection role of gravel barriers be compromised, potentially triggering management interventions?

'''RQ#3''': When and how does sediment transport on gravel barriers differ from more well studied sand cases?

'''RQ#4''': What is the internal structure and composition of gravel beaches and how do variations in composition influence beach morphology and dynamics?

'''RQ#5''': What is the role of hydraulic conductivity in influencing barrier behaviour?

'''RQ#6''': Can we quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment (marsh, lagoon, estuary), as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures?

=== Research approach ===
==== Hypothesis ====
To answer the research questions, we have adopted two main research hypotheses.
<blockquote>
'''H1:''' The topography and shallow-subsurface-structure of gravel barriers, including the backshore and nearshore areas control their short-term (overwash) to long-term (transgression) evolution in response to changes in sea level rise, storminess, and sediment supply.

'''H2:''' The critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures can be quantified from both field and numerical simulations under the assumptions of space-for-time substitution <ref name = "Lopez2020">Muñoz López, P., Payo, A., Ellis, M.A., Criado-Aldeanueva, F. and Owen Jenkins, G., 2020. A method to extract measurable indicators of coastal cliff erosion from topographical cliff and beach profiles: Application to North Norfolk and suffolk, East England, UK. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 8(1), p.20. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8010020].</ref> and the use of appropriate complexity modelling <ref name = "Frecnh2016">French, J., Payo, A., Murray, B., Orford, J., Eliot, M. and Cowell, P., 2016. Appropriate complexity for the prediction of coastal and estuarine geomorphic behaviour at decadal to centennial scales. Geomorphology, 256, pp.3-16. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.10.005].</ref>.

</blockquote>
==== Scope ====
The spatial-scope of this research will cover all gravel beaches in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). The temporal-scope will cover their evolution over the last 20,000 thousand years (e.g. to explore both creation of gravel barrier and evolution under different sea level rise scenarios) and will explore how they might evolve in the future to 2150.

<gallery widths=300px heights=200px mode=packed-overlay caption="Gravel beaches types">
File:P638726.jpg|Pure Gravel (G)
File:Picture1_150ppi.jpg|Mixed Sand and Gravel (MSG)
File:P210742.jpg|Composite Sand and Gravel (CSG)
</gallery>

Gravel beaches types may be categorised according to the mixture of sands and gravels present, which has a significant influence on the beach slope and the more general morphological response of the beach to wave action. Three categories are defined<ref name = "Anthony2008">Anthony, E. J. (2008). Chapter Six Gravel Beaches and Barriers. Developments in Marine Geology. E. J. Anthony, Elsevier. '''Book chapter''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/S1572-5480(08)00406-5].</ref><ref name = "GravelBeachesType">'''CoastalWiki'''' [https://www.coastalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Gravel_Beaches&oldid=80049#Beach_types Gravel Beaches Types].</ref> as pure gravel (G), mixed sand and gravel (MSG) and composite sand and gravel (CSG).

* Pure gravel beaches have steep slopes (tan β = 0.08–0.24) and gravel extending from the storm berm to below the mean low water spring tide level.
* MSG beaches have moderate slopes (tan β = 0.04–0.13), with sand and gravel entirely mixed both across shore and at depth.
* CSG beaches have a steep gravel berm fronted by a low-angle intertidal terrace, with over all beach slopes of tan β = 0.05–0.14. On composite beaches, there is distinct hydrodynamic cross-shore sorting of the sand and gravel component.

==== Objectives ====
The objectives of this project are listed below, with the research questions that they address indicated;

* '''O1''': Review the responses of gravel barriers to the relative sea level changes observed from 20,000 years to about 100 years ago, including periods when sea levels (see Fig 1) generally rose at different rates but also remained with little change over large periods (RQ#1, RQ#4).

* '''O2''': Review the performance of gravel barriers over the last two decades where the Environment Agency discontinued a policy of managing sea defences by reshaping of gravel barrier profiles and we have access to more detailed observations (RQ#1).

* '''O3''': Collect new field data to improve our understanding of sediment transport on gravel barriers, their shallow subsurface structure and effects of hydraulic conductivity on storm (individual) and decadal evolution (RQ#3, #5).

* '''O4''': Develop a broad-scale simulator of the evolution of a selected coastal barrier and backshore habitat, that account for changes in climate change, sediment supply and management interventions extending to 2150 (RQ#2, #5, #6).

* '''O5''': Quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures in representative field studies (RQ#2, RQ#6).

* '''O6''': Curate the data and models produced in this project beyond the lifetime of the project to enable further research and support decision making.

=== Program of work ===
To deliver the project objectives we have organised the work in five work packages:

[[File:GBCoast Approach WPs.png|800px|thumb|center|Diagram showing program of work of GBcoast project.]]

'''WP 0''' is where all the activities related with project management and coordination are integrated. This includes one in person meeting per year with all project partners and embedded practitioners that will act as project steering group and expert group providing data, access to networks and know-how. The main activities, milestones and deliverables of the WP1 to WP4 are summarised in the table below.

<blockquote>
Fundamental to our approach is that:
# Successful prediction of long-term barrier behaviour requires broad representation of the coastal systems of which they are a single part, and that,
# Modelling capability is improved in terms of prediction and relevance to coastal management decision making by integrating the expertise of successful and established practitioners in coastal geomorphology with numerical modellers of coastal processes.
</blockquote>

Overall, through system analysis and numerical modelling, based on four work packages, we will map and quantify gravel barrier responses to individual, ‘violent’, events such as storms in the context of longer-term ‘progressive’ impacts such as sea level rise, changes in sediment sources, and human interventions. New process understanding will be achieved by seamlessly combining innovative field observational approaches of surface and subsurface processes with advanced numerical modelling. The long-term numerical simulations will be based on predicted scenarios of sea level rise, increased wave heights and changes in coastal orientation based on UKCP18 and other recent climate change studies. The results will support improved and sustainable coastal management based on the improved understanding of how gravel barriers evolve over longer time scales under different climate conditions and human intervention scenarios. They will be a significant advance from the new comprehensive and novel, multi-scale observations of key processes that drive long-term gravel beach morphodynamic evolution.

{| class="wikitable"

|-
! Work Package !! Activities !! Milestones !! Deliverables
|-
|
'''WP1''': Spatial distribution and temporal evolution of UK gravel barriers and their back barrier ecosystems.
||
* Creation of UK gravel barrier and back barrier environments research database
* Apply state-of-the-art statistical methods to quantify joint and spatially coherent probabilities
* Optimisation of machine learning to quantify habitat structure and extent

||
* 1st sprint on geospatial platform development (Q1 2024)
* End of collecting management intervention data from local authorities (Q3 2024)
* Fast-track of statistical analysis for selected case studies (Q4 2024)
||
* Characterization of historical met-ocean drivers and topographical and shoreline metrics of change (Q1 2025)
* Geospatial platform on current and future gravel barrier habitat extent (Q4 2024)
|-
|
'''WP2''': Field data collection at selected case study sites
||
* Expanding satellite derived shoreline proxies in time and space
* Use [[:Category:Portable_streamer_traps_for_longshore_sediment_transport_measurement|DIST]] to create a unique field dataset of longshore sediment transport
* Characterisation of gravel barriers and broader context structure
* Field assessment and biophysical relationships between gravel barriers and vegetation
||
* Update requirements to produce satellite MSI and SAR historical shoreline database that will be used in this project (Q1 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for alongshore sediment transport campaigns (Q2 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for in the field hydraulic conductivity surveys (Q2 2024)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape characteristics (Q4 2026)
||
* Extended database for Northern Ireland of 38 years of historical MSI WL and MSL tideline (Q4 2024)
* New database of historical SAR derived shorelines for designated case studies (Q4 2024)
* Database of alongshore sediment transport, hydrodynamic and structure (Q3 2025)
* Database of hydraulic conductivity before, during and after storms for selected case studies (Q4 2025)
|-
|
'''WP3''': Development of a broad-scale gravel barrier simulator
||
* The Coastal Modelling Environment ([[:Category:Coastal_Modeling_Environment|CoastalME]]) will be used to represent the shore between Overstrand and Blakeney.
* Explore how groundwater flooding and hydraulic conductivity affects both the backshore physic-chemical properties and drivers of change of the habitats we will use the British Groundwater Model (BGWM) developed for the Hydro-JULES research programme.
||
* 3D model of the topography and superficial deposits of the study area (Q4 2024)
* Cley Barrier groundwater simulator (Q4 2025)
* Added groundwater module, habitats, gravel barrier module and human management interventions into CoastalME (Q4 2026)
||
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future Cley Barrier in response to changes in sea level and human interventions (Q4 2026)
|-
|
'''WP4''': Quantify interactions and management intervention thresholds
||
* Use the databases generated in WP1&2 and the new modelling capabilities described in WP3 to quantify the interactions and management interventions thresholds for both the Cley/Salthouse Barrier and a number of typologies representing gravel barriers around the UK.
* Simulate the emergence and stability of barriers under variations in shoreface slope, rate of sea level rise and sedimentology.
* Use the UKCP18, available at UK scale, and state of the art downscaling approaches and the methods used in WP1 to create an ensemble of plausible, hourly time series to force our simulations.
* Use structural equation modelling (SEM) to build an overarching conceptual model will connect climate, geophysical and biogeographic drivers with landscape structure and ecosystem functioning.
||
* Co-development of future climate and management scenarios that will be explored (Q1 2027)
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future evolutions until 2150 using hourly time series (Q1 2027)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape interactions (Q4 2027)
||
* Analysis on how interaction metrics might change in the future compared with historical evidence (Q4 2026);
|}

=== Outcomes ===
Holistic understanding of the complex interactions and feedbacks between the sediment composition of the shallow subsurface, nearshore morphodynamics in response to both storms and sea level changes.

A new community modelling system coupled with terrestrial, marine and groundwater sectors and produce numerical simulations which can be used to support multi-hazard analyses under present and future climate change scenarios. These deliverables will be combined with an assessment of the role of coastal habitats, resulting in national maps for protective services and vulnerabilities of coastal habitats to climate-driven multi-hazards. We will also provide tools to analyse the efficacy of future coastal management schemes.

These will deliver a step change in the management of gravel coastlines in the UK.

== History ==
This project started in response to the NERC funding opportunity called "[https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges: NERC highlight topics 2023]" (Topic F: ‘Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate’). The call was considered to be well aligned with the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/about-bgs/strategy-2023-to-2028/ science strategy plan 2023-2028] and in particular with the strategic priority on '''living with geological hazards''': ''to mitigate and adapt to risk, we will monitor, characterise and forecast earth hazard events and their likely impacts by improving harmonisation in hazard and risk analysis, as well as focusing on hazardous climate change''. The team was officially notified on the reception of this award on the 31st of January 2024 and the project started the 1st of February of 2024. Lead Grant Reference: [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_split.asp?awardref=NE%2FY503265%2F1 NE/Y503265/1]

== Media coverage ==
[https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/bgs-to-lead-new-research-project-on-barrier-systems-to-support-more-sustainable-coastal-management/ BGS news 06/12/2023]
[https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andrespayo_the-ukgravelbarriers-project-in-person-kick-activity-7167813046994739200-ppV5?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop Andres Payo Linkedin post 26/02/2024]

== References ==
<references />

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate

2024-02-26T09:01:17Z

Agarcia:

== Research project ==
=== Background ===
Gravel-dominated beach and barrier systems are common around the UK and provide important coastal defences, especially in low-lying regions. A new, four-year research project, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and entitled [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_split.asp?awardref=NE%2FY503265%2F1 UKGravelBarriers], will deliver enhanced understanding and modelling of gravel barrier systems. The project aims to support more sustainable coastal management by increasing resilience and reducing the vulnerability of coasts to climate change.

[[File:P025917.jpg|500px|thumb|center|Coast erosion at Pakefield south of Lowestoft. The low cliffs along the coast here are composed of Glacial Sands and Gravels, a loosely-aggregated deposit that offers little resistance to the erosive action of the sea. An exceptionally high tide on November 30th 1936 enabled the waves to attack the cliffs on the north side of Beach Street, causing strips of cliff to fall and abandoned houses to collapse into the sea.]]

This research project is possible thanks to the close collaboration between '''researchers''' from the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/ (BGS)], UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology [https://www.ceh.ac.uk/ (UKCEH)], and the University of Nottingham [https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ (UoN)], '''coastal engineering practitioners''' from Kenneth Pye Associates [https://www.kpal.co.uk/ (KPAL)], Moffat and Nichols [https://www.moffattnichol.com/ (M&N)], '''professional Earth Observation providers''' from [https://www.argans.co.uk/ ARGANS Ltd] and [https://www.isardsat.cat/ isardSAT], with the '''in kind support''' of professionals from the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture [https://www.cefas.co.uk/ (CEFAS)], the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds [https://www.rspb.org.uk/ (RSPB)], the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Research Group of the University of Granada [https://gdfa.ugr.es/ (GDFA)], the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute [https://www.afbini.gov.uk/ (AFBI)], the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland [https://www2.bgs.ac.uk/gsni/ (GSNI)], the Wales Coastal Monitoring Centre [https://www.wcmc.wales/ (WCMC)], and from '''government organizations''' such as Natural Resources Wales [https://naturalresourceswales.gov.uk/ (NRW)] and the Environment Agency [https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency (EA)]

=== Research questions ===
'''RQ#1''': How do decadal-scale morphodynamics of gravel barriers respond to changes in sea level, storminess and sediment supply, and influence coastal evolution? How will this impact the ecosystems they support?

'''RQ#2''': Under future climate change, will the coastal protection role of gravel barriers be compromised, potentially triggering management interventions?

'''RQ#3''': When and how does sediment transport on gravel barriers differ from more well studied sand cases?

'''RQ#4''': What is the internal structure and composition of gravel beaches and how do variations in composition influence beach morphology and dynamics?

'''RQ#5''': What is the role of hydraulic conductivity in influencing barrier behaviour?

'''RQ#6''': Can we quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment (marsh, lagoon, estuary), as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures?

=== Research approach ===
==== Hypothesis ====
To answer the research questions, we have adopted two main research hypotheses.
<blockquote>
'''H1:''' The topography and shallow-subsurface-structure of gravel barriers, including the backshore and nearshore areas control their short-term (overwash) to long-term (transgression) evolution in response to changes in sea level rise, storminess, and sediment supply.

'''H2:''' The critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures can be quantified from both field and numerical simulations under the assumptions of space-for-time substitution <ref name = "Lopez2020">Muñoz López, P., Payo, A., Ellis, M.A., Criado-Aldeanueva, F. and Owen Jenkins, G., 2020. A method to extract measurable indicators of coastal cliff erosion from topographical cliff and beach profiles: Application to North Norfolk and suffolk, East England, UK. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 8(1), p.20. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8010020].</ref> and the use of appropriate complexity modelling <ref name = "Frecnh2016">French, J., Payo, A., Murray, B., Orford, J., Eliot, M. and Cowell, P., 2016. Appropriate complexity for the prediction of coastal and estuarine geomorphic behaviour at decadal to centennial scales. Geomorphology, 256, pp.3-16. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.10.005].</ref>.

</blockquote>
==== Scope ====
The spatial-scope of this research will cover all gravel beaches in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). The temporal-scope will cover their evolution over the last 20,000 thousand years (e.g. to explore both creation of gravel barrier and evolution under different sea level rise scenarios) and will explore how they might evolve in the future to 2150.

<gallery widths=300px heights=200px mode=packed-overlay caption="Gravel beaches types">
File:P638726.jpg|Pure Gravel (G)
File:Picture1_150ppi.jpg|Mixed Sand and Gravel (MSG)
File:P210742.jpg|Composite Sand and Gravel (CSG)
</gallery>

Gravel beaches types may be categorised according to the mixture of sands and gravels present, which has a significant influence on the beach slope and the more general morphological response of the beach to wave action. Three categories are defined<ref name = "Anthony2008">Anthony, E. J. (2008). Chapter Six Gravel Beaches and Barriers. Developments in Marine Geology. E. J. Anthony, Elsevier. '''Book chapter''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/S1572-5480(08)00406-5].</ref><ref name = "GravelBeachesType">'''CoastalWiki'''' [https://www.coastalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Gravel_Beaches&oldid=80049#Beach_types Gravel Beaches Types].</ref> as pure gravel (G), mixed sand and gravel (MSG) and composite sand and gravel (CSG).

* Pure gravel beaches have steep slopes (tan β = 0.08–0.24) and gravel extending from the storm berm to below the mean low water spring tide level.
* MSG beaches have moderate slopes (tan β = 0.04–0.13), with sand and gravel entirely mixed both across shore and at depth.
* CSG beaches have a steep gravel berm fronted by a low-angle intertidal terrace, with over all beach slopes of tan β = 0.05–0.14. On composite beaches, there is distinct hydrodynamic cross-shore sorting of the sand and gravel component.

==== Objectives ====
The objectives of this project are listed below, with the research questions that they address indicated;

* '''O1''': Review the responses of gravel barriers to the relative sea level changes observed from 20,000 years to about 100 years ago, including periods when sea levels (see Fig 1) generally rose at different rates but also remained with little change over large periods (RQ#1, RQ#4).

* '''O2''': Review the performance of gravel barriers over the last two decades where the Environment Agency discontinued a policy of managing sea defences by reshaping of gravel barrier profiles and we have access to more detailed observations (RQ#1).

* '''O3''': Collect new field data to improve our understanding of sediment transport on gravel barriers, their shallow subsurface structure and effects of hydraulic conductivity on storm (individual) and decadal evolution (RQ#3, #5).

* '''O4''': Develop a broad-scale simulator of the evolution of a selected coastal barrier and backshore habitat, that account for changes in climate change, sediment supply and management interventions extending to 2150 (RQ#2, #5, #6).

* '''O5''': Quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures in representative field studies (RQ#2, RQ#6).

* '''O6''': Curate the data and models produced in this project beyond the lifetime of the project to enable further research and support decision making.

=== Program of work ===
To deliver the project objectives we have organised the work in five work packages:

[[File:GBCoast Approach WPs.png|800px|thumb|center|Diagram showing program of work of GBcoast project.]]

'''WP 0''' is where all the activities related with project management and coordination are integrated. This includes one in person meeting per year with all project partners and embedded practitioners that will act as project steering group and expert group providing data, access to networks and know-how. The main activities, milestones and deliverables of the WP1 to WP4 are summarised in the table below.

<blockquote>
Fundamental to our approach is that:
# Successful prediction of long-term barrier behaviour requires broad representation of the coastal systems of which they are a single part, and that,
# Modelling capability is improved in terms of prediction and relevance to coastal management decision making by integrating the expertise of successful and established practitioners in coastal geomorphology with numerical modellers of coastal processes.
</blockquote>

Overall, through system analysis and numerical modelling, based on four work packages, we will map and quantify gravel barrier responses to individual, ‘violent’, events such as storms in the context of longer-term ‘progressive’ impacts such as sea level rise, changes in sediment sources, and human interventions. New process understanding will be achieved by seamlessly combining innovative field observational approaches of surface and subsurface processes with advanced numerical modelling. The long-term numerical simulations will be based on predicted scenarios of sea level rise, increased wave heights and changes in coastal orientation based on UKCP18 and other recent climate change studies. The results will support improved and sustainable coastal management based on the improved understanding of how gravel barriers evolve over longer time scales under different climate conditions and human intervention scenarios. They will be a significant advance from the new comprehensive and novel, multi-scale observations of key processes that drive long-term gravel beach morphodynamic evolution.

{| class="wikitable"

|-
! Work Package !! Activities !! Milestones !! Deliverables
|-
|
'''WP1''': Spatial distribution and temporal evolution of UK gravel barriers and their back barrier ecosystems.
||
* Creation of UK gravel barrier and back barrier environments research database
* Apply state-of-the-art statistical methods to quantify joint and spatially coherent probabilities
* Optimisation of machine learning to quantify habitat structure and extent

||
* 1st sprint on geospatial platform development (Q1 2024)
* End of collecting management intervention data from local authorities (Q3 2024)
* Fast-track of statistical analysis for selected case studies (Q4 2024)
||
* Characterization of historical met-ocean drivers and topographical and shoreline metrics of change (Q1 2025)
* Geospatial platform on current and future gravel barrier habitat extent (Q4 2024)
|-
|
'''WP2''': Field data collection at selected case study sites
||
* Expanding satellite derived shoreline proxies in time and space
* Use [[:Category:Portable_streamer_traps_for_longshore_sediment_transport_measurement|DIST]] to create a unique field dataset of longshore sediment transport
* Characterisation of gravel barriers and broader context structure
* Field assessment and biophysical relationships between gravel barriers and vegetation
||
* Update requirements to produce satellite MSI and SAR historical shoreline database that will be used in this project (Q1 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for alongshore sediment transport campaigns (Q2 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for in the field hydraulic conductivity surveys (Q2 2024)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape characteristics (Q4 2026)
||
* Extended database for Northern Ireland of 38 years of historical MSI WL and MSL tideline (Q4 2024)
* New database of historical SAR derived shorelines for designated case studies (Q4 2024)
* Database of alongshore sediment transport, hydrodynamic and structure (Q3 2025)
* Database of hydraulic conductivity before, during and after storms for selected case studies (Q4 2025)
|-
|
'''WP3''': Development of a broad-scale gravel barrier simulator
||
* The Coastal Modelling Environment ([[:Category:Coastal_Modeling_Environment|CoastalME]]) will be used to represent the shore between Overstrand and Blakeney.
* Explore how groundwater flooding and hydraulic conductivity affects both the backshore physic-chemical properties and drivers of change of the habitats we will use the British Groundwater Model (BGWM) developed for the Hydro-JULES research programme.
||
* 3D model of the topography and superficial deposits of the study area (Q4 2024)
* Cley Barrier groundwater simulator (Q4 2025)
* Added groundwater module, habitats, gravel barrier module and human management interventions into CoastalME (Q4 2026)
||
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future Cley Barrier in response to changes in sea level and human interventions (Q4 2026)
|-
|
'''WP4''': Quantify interactions and management intervention thresholds
||
* Use the databases generated in WP1&2 and the new modelling capabilities described in WP3 to quantify the interactions and management interventions thresholds for both the Cley/Salthouse Barrier and a number of typologies representing gravel barriers around the UK.
* Simulate the emergence and stability of barriers under variations in shoreface slope, rate of sea level rise and sedimentology.
* Use the UKCP18, available at UK scale, and state of the art downscaling approaches and the methods used in WP1 to create an ensemble of plausible, hourly time series to force our simulations.
* Use structural equation modelling (SEM) to build an overarching conceptual model will connect climate, geophysical and biogeographic drivers with landscape structure and ecosystem functioning.
||
* Co-development of future climate and management scenarios that will be explored (Q1 2027)
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future evolutions until 2150 using hourly time series (Q1 2027)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape interactions (Q4 2027)
||
* Analysis on how interaction metrics might change in the future compared with historical evidence (Q4 2026);
|}

=== Outcomes ===
Holistic understanding of the complex interactions and feedbacks between the sediment composition of the shallow subsurface, nearshore morphodynamics in response to both storms and sea level changes.

A new community modelling system coupled with terrestrial, marine and groundwater sectors and produce numerical simulations which can be used to support multi-hazard analyses under present and future climate change scenarios. These deliverables will be combined with an assessment of the role of coastal habitats, resulting in national maps for protective services and vulnerabilities of coastal habitats to climate-driven multi-hazards. We will also provide tools to analyse the efficacy of future coastal management schemes.

These will deliver a step change in the management of gravel coastlines in the UK.

== History ==
This project started in response to the NERC funding opportunity called "[https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges: NERC highlight topics 2023]" (Topic F: ‘Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate’). The call was considered to be well aligned with the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/about-bgs/strategy-2023-to-2028/ science strategy plan 2023-2028] and in particular with the strategic priority on '''living with geological hazards''': ''to mitigate and adapt to risk, we will monitor, characterise and forecast earth hazard events and their likely impacts by improving harmonisation in hazard and risk analysis, as well as focusing on hazardous climate change''. The team was officially notified on the reception of this award on the 31st of January 2024 and the project started the 1st of February of 2024. Lead Grant Reference: [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_split.asp?awardref=NE%2FY503265%2F1 NE/Y503265/1]

== Media coverage ==
[https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/bgs-to-lead-new-research-project-on-barrier-systems-to-support-more-sustainable-coastal-management/ BGS news 06/12/2023]

== References ==
<references />

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards

2024-02-26T09:00:00Z

Agarcia:

== About ==

This category is provided to highlight content from the BGS coasts and estuaries geohazards team[https://www.bgs.ac.uk/geology-projects/coasts-and-estuaries/]

BGS coasts and estuaries geohazards team provides independent and expert geoscientific tools and advice for collaborative decision making to assess different adaptation options for coastal flooding and erosion.

The team combines the use of innovative 4D simulation models and cost-effective monitoring approaches (i.e. from space and using non-intrusive survey methods) to quantitatively assess the effects of different adaptation options against coastal flooding and coastal erosion (for example non-active intervention, managed realignment, hold the line, advance the line) with an emphasis on the transition from traditional grey engineering (such as hold the line with hard defences) to more green engineering (a combination of sand-scaping and giving space to coastal processes). The team is engaged in, and open to, collaborations with top quality academic institutions, consultants and government agencies in UK and abroad.

This Wiki is a means of stimulating the exchange of geoscience information with the wider geoscientific community which will have the opportunity to comment and contribute articles on related topics.

<gallery widths=300px heights=200px mode=packed-overlay caption="Coasts and Estuaries geohazards categories on Earthwise">
File:Lolworthcoveweb8a07.png|link=Category:Coastal_Modeling_Environment|Coastal landsacape simulation via Coastal Modeling Environment ('''CoastalME''').
File:Picture1_150ppi.jpg|link=Category:Portable_streamer_traps_for_longshore_sediment_transport_measurement|Field observations of sediment transport on mixed sand and gravel beaches using portable Depth Integrated Streamer Trap ('''DIST''')
File:Saga-logo.png|link=Category:SAGA_toolbox|The coastal team has contributed to the development of several toolboxes ('''CliffMetrics & Profile Crossings''') for the System for Automated Geoscientific Analysis (SAGA)
File:P638726.jpg|link=Category:Understanding_coastal_protection_by_gravel_barriers_in_a_changing_climate|The objective of this NERC highlight topic is to deliver an enhanced understanding and modelling capability of gravel barrier systems to support more sustainable coastal management ('''UKGravelBarriers''')
</gallery>

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate

2024-02-14T11:24:29Z

Agarcia:

== Research project ==
=== Background ===
Gravel-dominated beach and barrier systems are common around the UK and provide important coastal defences, especially in low-lying regions. A new, four-year research project, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and entitled [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_split.asp?awardref=NE%2FY503265%2F1 GBcoasts], will deliver enhanced understanding and modelling of gravel barrier systems. The project aims to support more sustainable coastal management by increasing resilience and reducing the vulnerability of coasts to climate change.

[[File:P025917.jpg|500px|thumb|center|Coast erosion at Pakefield south of Lowestoft. The low cliffs along the coast here are composed of Glacial Sands and Gravels, a loosely-aggregated deposit that offers little resistance to the erosive action of the sea. An exceptionally high tide on November 30th 1936 enabled the waves to attack the cliffs on the north side of Beach Street, causing strips of cliff to fall and abandoned houses to collapse into the sea.]]

This research project is possible thanks to the close collaboration between '''researchers''' from the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/ (BGS)], UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology [https://www.ceh.ac.uk/ (UKCEH)], and the University of Nottingham [https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ (UoN)], '''coastal engineering practitioners''' from Kenneth Pye Associates [https://www.kpal.co.uk/ (KPAL)], Moffat and Nichols [https://www.moffattnichol.com/ (M&N)], '''professional Earth Observation providers''' from [https://www.argans.co.uk/ ARGANS Ltd] and [https://www.isardsat.cat/ isardSAT], with the '''in kind support''' of professionals from the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture [https://www.cefas.co.uk/ (CEFAS)], the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds [https://www.rspb.org.uk/ (RSPB)], the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Research Group of the University of Granada [https://gdfa.ugr.es/ (GDFA)], the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute [https://www.afbini.gov.uk/ (AFBI)], the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland [https://www2.bgs.ac.uk/gsni/ (GSNI)], the Wales Coastal Monitoring Centre [https://www.wcmc.wales/ (WCMC)], and from '''government organizations''' such as Natural Resources Wales [https://naturalresourceswales.gov.uk/ (NRW)] and the Environment Agency [https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency (EA)]

=== Research questions ===
'''RQ#1''': How do decadal-scale morphodynamics of gravel barriers respond to changes in sea level, storminess and sediment supply, and influence coastal evolution? How will this impact the ecosystems they support?

'''RQ#2''': Under future climate change, will the coastal protection role of gravel barriers be compromised, potentially triggering management interventions?

'''RQ#3''': When and how does sediment transport on gravel barriers differ from more well studied sand cases?

'''RQ#4''': What is the internal structure and composition of gravel beaches and how do variations in composition influence beach morphology and dynamics?

'''RQ#5''': What is the role of hydraulic conductivity in influencing barrier behaviour?

'''RQ#6''': Can we quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment (marsh, lagoon, estuary), as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures?

=== Research approach ===
==== Hypothesis ====
To answer the research questions, we have adopted two main research hypotheses.
<blockquote>
'''H1:''' The topography and shallow-subsurface-structure of gravel barriers, including the backshore and nearshore areas control their short-term (overwash) to long-term (transgression) evolution in response to changes in sea level rise, storminess, and sediment supply.

'''H2:''' The critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures can be quantified from both field and numerical simulations under the assumptions of space-for-time substitution <ref name = "Lopez2020">Muñoz López, P., Payo, A., Ellis, M.A., Criado-Aldeanueva, F. and Owen Jenkins, G., 2020. A method to extract measurable indicators of coastal cliff erosion from topographical cliff and beach profiles: Application to North Norfolk and suffolk, East England, UK. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 8(1), p.20. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8010020].</ref> and the use of appropriate complexity modelling <ref name = "Frecnh2016">French, J., Payo, A., Murray, B., Orford, J., Eliot, M. and Cowell, P., 2016. Appropriate complexity for the prediction of coastal and estuarine geomorphic behaviour at decadal to centennial scales. Geomorphology, 256, pp.3-16. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.10.005].</ref>.

</blockquote>
==== Scope ====
The spatial-scope of this research will cover all gravel beaches in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). The temporal-scope will cover their evolution over the last 20,000 thousand years (e.g. to explore both creation of gravel barrier and evolution under different sea level rise scenarios) and will explore how they might evolve in the future to 2150.

<gallery widths=300px heights=200px mode=packed-overlay caption="Gravel beaches types">
File:P638726.jpg|Pure Gravel (G)
File:Picture1_150ppi.jpg|Mixed Sand and Gravel (MSG)
File:P210742.jpg|Composite Sand and Gravel (CSG)
</gallery>

Gravel beaches types may be categorised according to the mixture of sands and gravels present, which has a significant influence on the beach slope and the more general morphological response of the beach to wave action. Three categories are defined<ref name = "Anthony2008">Anthony, E. J. (2008). Chapter Six Gravel Beaches and Barriers. Developments in Marine Geology. E. J. Anthony, Elsevier. '''Book chapter''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/S1572-5480(08)00406-5].</ref><ref name = "GravelBeachesType">'''CoastalWiki'''' [https://www.coastalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Gravel_Beaches&oldid=80049#Beach_types Gravel Beaches Types].</ref> as pure gravel (G), mixed sand and gravel (MSG) and composite sand and gravel (CSG).

* Pure gravel beaches have steep slopes (tan β = 0.08–0.24) and gravel extending from the storm berm to below the mean low water spring tide level.
* MSG beaches have moderate slopes (tan β = 0.04–0.13), with sand and gravel entirely mixed both across shore and at depth.
* CSG beaches have a steep gravel berm fronted by a low-angle intertidal terrace, with over all beach slopes of tan β = 0.05–0.14. On composite beaches, there is distinct hydrodynamic cross-shore sorting of the sand and gravel component.

==== Objectives ====
The objectives of this project are listed below, with the research questions that they address indicated;

* '''O1''': Review the responses of gravel barriers to the relative sea level changes observed from 20,000 years to about 100 years ago, including periods when sea levels (see Fig 1) generally rose at different rates but also remained with little change over large periods (RQ#1, RQ#4).

* '''O2''': Review the performance of gravel barriers over the last two decades where the Environment Agency discontinued a policy of managing sea defences by reshaping of gravel barrier profiles and we have access to more detailed observations (RQ#1).

* '''O3''': Collect new field data to improve our understanding of sediment transport on gravel barriers, their shallow subsurface structure and effects of hydraulic conductivity on storm (individual) and decadal evolution (RQ#3, #5).

* '''O4''': Develop a broad-scale simulator of the evolution of a selected coastal barrier and backshore habitat, that account for changes in climate change, sediment supply and management interventions extending to 2150 (RQ#2, #5, #6).

* '''O5''': Quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures in representative field studies (RQ#2, RQ#6).

* '''O6''': Curate the data and models produced in this project beyond the lifetime of the project to enable further research and support decision making.

=== Program of work ===
To deliver the project objectives we have organised the work in five work packages:

[[File:GBCoast Approach WPs.png|800px|thumb|center|Diagram showing program of work of GBcoast project.]]

'''WP 0''' is where all the activities related with project management and coordination are integrated. This includes one in person meeting per year with all project partners and embedded practitioners that will act as project steering group and expert group providing data, access to networks and know-how. The main activities, milestones and deliverables of the WP1 to WP4 are summarised in the table below.

<blockquote>
Fundamental to our approach is that:
# Successful prediction of long-term barrier behaviour requires broad representation of the coastal systems of which they are a single part, and that,
# Modelling capability is improved in terms of prediction and relevance to coastal management decision making by integrating the expertise of successful and established practitioners in coastal geomorphology with numerical modellers of coastal processes.
</blockquote>

Overall, through system analysis and numerical modelling, based on four work packages, we will map and quantify gravel barrier responses to individual, ‘violent’, events such as storms in the context of longer-term ‘progressive’ impacts such as sea level rise, changes in sediment sources, and human interventions. New process understanding will be achieved by seamlessly combining innovative field observational approaches of surface and subsurface processes with advanced numerical modelling. The long-term numerical simulations will be based on predicted scenarios of sea level rise, increased wave heights and changes in coastal orientation based on UKCP18 and other recent climate change studies. The results will support improved and sustainable coastal management based on the improved understanding of how gravel barriers evolve over longer time scales under different climate conditions and human intervention scenarios. They will be a significant advance from the new comprehensive and novel, multi-scale observations of key processes that drive long-term gravel beach morphodynamic evolution.

{| class="wikitable"

|-
! Work Package !! Activities !! Milestones !! Deliverables
|-
|
'''WP1''': Spatial distribution and temporal evolution of UK gravel barriers and their back barrier ecosystems.
||
* Creation of UK gravel barrier and back barrier environments research database
* Apply state-of-the-art statistical methods to quantify joint and spatially coherent probabilities
* Optimisation of machine learning to quantify habitat structure and extent

||
* 1st sprint on geospatial platform development (Q1 2024)
* End of collecting management intervention data from local authorities (Q3 2024)
* Fast-track of statistical analysis for selected case studies (Q4 2024)
||
* Characterization of historical met-ocean drivers and topographical and shoreline metrics of change (Q1 2025)
* Geospatial platform on current and future gravel barrier habitat extent (Q4 2024)
|-
|
'''WP2''': Field data collection at selected case study sites
||
* Expanding satellite derived shoreline proxies in time and space
* Use [[:Category:Portable_streamer_traps_for_longshore_sediment_transport_measurement|DIST]] to create a unique field dataset of longshore sediment transport
* Characterisation of gravel barriers and broader context structure
* Field assessment and biophysical relationships between gravel barriers and vegetation
||
* Update requirements to produce satellite MSI and SAR historical shoreline database that will be used in this project (Q1 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for alongshore sediment transport campaigns (Q2 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for in the field hydraulic conductivity surveys (Q2 2024)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape characteristics (Q4 2026)
||
* Extended database for Northern Ireland of 38 years of historical MSI WL and MSL tideline (Q4 2024)
* New database of historical SAR derived shorelines for designated case studies (Q4 2024)
* Database of alongshore sediment transport, hydrodynamic and structure (Q3 2025)
* Database of hydraulic conductivity before, during and after storms for selected case studies (Q4 2025)
|-
|
'''WP3''': Development of a broad-scale gravel barrier simulator
||
* The Coastal Modelling Environment ([[:Category:Coastal_Modeling_Environment|CoastalME]]) will be used to represent the shore between Overstrand and Blakeney.
* Explore how groundwater flooding and hydraulic conductivity affects both the backshore physic-chemical properties and drivers of change of the habitats we will use the British Groundwater Model (BGWM) developed for the Hydro-JULES research programme.
||
* 3D model of the topography and superficial deposits of the study area (Q4 2024)
* Cley Barrier groundwater simulator (Q4 2025)
* Added groundwater module, habitats, gravel barrier module and human management interventions into CoastalME (Q4 2026)
||
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future Cley Barrier in response to changes in sea level and human interventions (Q4 2026)
|-
|
'''WP4''': Quantify interactions and management intervention thresholds
||
* Use the databases generated in WP1&2 and the new modelling capabilities described in WP3 to quantify the interactions and management interventions thresholds for both the Cley/Salthouse Barrier and a number of typologies representing gravel barriers around the UK.
* Simulate the emergence and stability of barriers under variations in shoreface slope, rate of sea level rise and sedimentology.
* Use the UKCP18, available at UK scale, and state of the art downscaling approaches and the methods used in WP1 to create an ensemble of plausible, hourly time series to force our simulations.
* Use structural equation modelling (SEM) to build an overarching conceptual model will connect climate, geophysical and biogeographic drivers with landscape structure and ecosystem functioning.
||
* Co-development of future climate and management scenarios that will be explored (Q1 2027)
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future evolutions until 2150 using hourly time series (Q1 2027)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape interactions (Q4 2027)
||
* Analysis on how interaction metrics might change in the future compared with historical evidence (Q4 2026);
|}

=== Outcomes ===
Holistic understanding of the complex interactions and feedbacks between the sediment composition of the shallow subsurface, nearshore morphodynamics in response to both storms and sea level changes.

A new community modelling system coupled with terrestrial, marine and groundwater sectors and produce numerical simulations which can be used to support multi-hazard analyses under present and future climate change scenarios. These deliverables will be combined with an assessment of the role of coastal habitats, resulting in national maps for protective services and vulnerabilities of coastal habitats to climate-driven multi-hazards. We will also provide tools to analyse the efficacy of future coastal management schemes.

These will deliver a step change in the management of gravel coastlines in the UK.

== History ==
This project started in response to the NERC funding opportunity called "[https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges: NERC highlight topics 2023]" (Topic F: ‘Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate’). The call was considered to be well aligned with the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/about-bgs/strategy-2023-to-2028/ science strategy plan 2023-2028] and in particular with the strategic priority on '''living with geological hazards''': ''to mitigate and adapt to risk, we will monitor, characterise and forecast earth hazard events and their likely impacts by improving harmonisation in hazard and risk analysis, as well as focusing on hazardous climate change''. The team was officially notified on the reception of this award on the 31st of January 2024 and the project started the 1st of February of 2024. Lead Grant Reference: [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_split.asp?awardref=NE%2FY503265%2F1 NE/Y503265/1]

== Media coverage ==
[https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/bgs-to-lead-new-research-project-on-barrier-systems-to-support-more-sustainable-coastal-management/ BGS news 06/12/2023]

== References ==
<references />

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate

2024-02-14T11:16:39Z

Agarcia:

== Research project ==
=== Background ===
Gravel-dominated beach and barrier systems are common around the UK and provide important coastal defences, especially in low-lying regions. A new, four-year research project, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and entitled ‘Gravel barrier coasts’ (UKGravelBeachesCoasts), will deliver enhanced understanding and modelling of gravel barrier systems. The project aims to support more sustainable coastal management by increasing resilience and reducing the vulnerability of coasts to climate change.

[[File:P025917.jpg|500px|thumb|center|Coast erosion at Pakefield south of Lowestoft. The low cliffs along the coast here are composed of Glacial Sands and Gravels, a loosely-aggregated deposit that offers little resistance to the erosive action of the sea. An exceptionally high tide on November 30th 1936 enabled the waves to attack the cliffs on the north side of Beach Street, causing strips of cliff to fall and abandoned houses to collapse into the sea.]]

This research project is possible thanks to the close collaboration between '''researchers''' from the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/ (BGS)], UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology [https://www.ceh.ac.uk/ (UKCEH)], and the University of Nottingham [https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ (UoN)], '''coastal engineering practitioners''' from Kenneth Pye Associates [https://www.kpal.co.uk/ (KPAL)], Moffat and Nichols [https://www.moffattnichol.com/ (M&N)], '''professional Earth Observation providers''' from [https://www.argans.co.uk/ ARGANS Ltd] and [https://www.isardsat.cat/ isardSAT], with the '''in kind support''' of professionals from the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture [https://www.cefas.co.uk/ (CEFAS)], the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds [https://www.rspb.org.uk/ (RSPB)], the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Research Group of the University of Granada [https://gdfa.ugr.es/ (GDFA)], the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute [https://www.afbini.gov.uk/ (AFBI)], the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland [https://www2.bgs.ac.uk/gsni/ (GSNI)], the Wales Coastal Monitoring Centre [https://www.wcmc.wales/ (WCMC)], and from '''government organizations''' such as Natural Resources Wales [https://naturalresourceswales.gov.uk/ (NRW)] and the Environment Agency [https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency (EA)]

=== Research questions ===
'''RQ#1''': How do decadal-scale morphodynamics of gravel barriers respond to changes in sea level, storminess and sediment supply, and influence coastal evolution? How will this impact the ecosystems they support?

'''RQ#2''': Under future climate change, will the coastal protection role of gravel barriers be compromised, potentially triggering management interventions?

'''RQ#3''': When and how does sediment transport on gravel barriers differ from more well studied sand cases?

'''RQ#4''': What is the internal structure and composition of gravel beaches and how do variations in composition influence beach morphology and dynamics?

'''RQ#5''': What is the role of hydraulic conductivity in influencing barrier behaviour?

'''RQ#6''': Can we quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment (marsh, lagoon, estuary), as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures?

=== Research approach ===
==== Hypothesis ====
To answer the research questions, we have adopted two main research hypotheses.
<blockquote>
'''H1:''' The topography and shallow-subsurface-structure of gravel barriers, including the backshore and nearshore areas control their short-term (overwash) to long-term (transgression) evolution in response to changes in sea level rise, storminess, and sediment supply.

'''H2:''' The critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures can be quantified from both field and numerical simulations under the assumptions of space-for-time substitution <ref name = "Lopez2020">Muñoz López, P., Payo, A., Ellis, M.A., Criado-Aldeanueva, F. and Owen Jenkins, G., 2020. A method to extract measurable indicators of coastal cliff erosion from topographical cliff and beach profiles: Application to North Norfolk and suffolk, East England, UK. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 8(1), p.20. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8010020].</ref> and the use of appropriate complexity modelling <ref name = "Frecnh2016">French, J., Payo, A., Murray, B., Orford, J., Eliot, M. and Cowell, P., 2016. Appropriate complexity for the prediction of coastal and estuarine geomorphic behaviour at decadal to centennial scales. Geomorphology, 256, pp.3-16. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.10.005].</ref>.

</blockquote>
==== Scope ====
The spatial-scope of this research will cover all gravel beaches in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). The temporal-scope will cover their evolution over the last 20,000 thousand years (e.g. to explore both creation of gravel barrier and evolution under different sea level rise scenarios) and will explore how they might evolve in the future to 2150.

<gallery widths=300px heights=200px mode=packed-overlay caption="Gravel beaches types">
File:P638726.jpg|Pure Gravel (G)
File:Picture1_150ppi.jpg|Mixed Sand and Gravel (MSG)
File:P210742.jpg|Composite Sand and Gravel (CSG)
</gallery>

Gravel beaches types may be categorised according to the mixture of sands and gravels present, which has a significant influence on the beach slope and the more general morphological response of the beach to wave action. Three categories are defined<ref name = "Anthony2008">Anthony, E. J. (2008). Chapter Six Gravel Beaches and Barriers. Developments in Marine Geology. E. J. Anthony, Elsevier. '''Book chapter''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/S1572-5480(08)00406-5].</ref><ref name = "GravelBeachesType">'''CoastalWiki'''' [https://www.coastalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Gravel_Beaches&oldid=80049#Beach_types Gravel Beaches Types].</ref> as pure gravel (G), mixed sand and gravel (MSG) and composite sand and gravel (CSG).

* Pure gravel beaches have steep slopes (tan β = 0.08–0.24) and gravel extending from the storm berm to below the mean low water spring tide level.
* MSG beaches have moderate slopes (tan β = 0.04–0.13), with sand and gravel entirely mixed both across shore and at depth.
* CSG beaches have a steep gravel berm fronted by a low-angle intertidal terrace, with over all beach slopes of tan β = 0.05–0.14. On composite beaches, there is distinct hydrodynamic cross-shore sorting of the sand and gravel component.

==== Objectives ====
The objectives of this project are listed below, with the research questions that they address indicated;

* '''O1''': Review the responses of gravel barriers to the relative sea level changes observed from 20,000 years to about 100 years ago, including periods when sea levels (see Fig 1) generally rose at different rates but also remained with little change over large periods (RQ#1, RQ#4).

* '''O2''': Review the performance of gravel barriers over the last two decades where the Environment Agency discontinued a policy of managing sea defences by reshaping of gravel barrier profiles and we have access to more detailed observations (RQ#1).

* '''O3''': Collect new field data to improve our understanding of sediment transport on gravel barriers, their shallow subsurface structure and effects of hydraulic conductivity on storm (individual) and decadal evolution (RQ#3, #5).

* '''O4''': Develop a broad-scale simulator of the evolution of a selected coastal barrier and backshore habitat, that account for changes in climate change, sediment supply and management interventions extending to 2150 (RQ#2, #5, #6).

* '''O5''': Quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures in representative field studies (RQ#2, RQ#6).

* '''O6''': Curate the data and models produced in this project beyond the lifetime of the project to enable further research and support decision making.

=== Program of work ===
To deliver the project objectives we have organised the work in five work packages:

[[File:GBCoast Approach WPs.png|800px|thumb|center|Diagram showing program of work of GBcoast project.]]

'''WP 0''' is where all the activities related with project management and coordination are integrated. This includes one in person meeting per year with all project partners and embedded practitioners that will act as project steering group and expert group providing data, access to networks and know-how. The main activities, milestones and deliverables of the WP1 to WP4 are summarised in the table below.

<blockquote>
Fundamental to our approach is that:
# Successful prediction of long-term barrier behaviour requires broad representation of the coastal systems of which they are a single part, and that,
# Modelling capability is improved in terms of prediction and relevance to coastal management decision making by integrating the expertise of successful and established practitioners in coastal geomorphology with numerical modellers of coastal processes.
</blockquote>

Overall, through system analysis and numerical modelling, based on four work packages, we will map and quantify gravel barrier responses to individual, ‘violent’, events such as storms in the context of longer-term ‘progressive’ impacts such as sea level rise, changes in sediment sources, and human interventions. New process understanding will be achieved by seamlessly combining innovative field observational approaches of surface and subsurface processes with advanced numerical modelling. The long-term numerical simulations will be based on predicted scenarios of sea level rise, increased wave heights and changes in coastal orientation based on UKCP18 and other recent climate change studies. The results will support improved and sustainable coastal management based on the improved understanding of how gravel barriers evolve over longer time scales under different climate conditions and human intervention scenarios. They will be a significant advance from the new comprehensive and novel, multi-scale observations of key processes that drive long-term gravel beach morphodynamic evolution.

{| class="wikitable"

|-
! Work Package !! Activities !! Milestones !! Deliverables
|-
|
'''WP1''': Spatial distribution and temporal evolution of UK gravel barriers and their back barrier ecosystems.
||
* Creation of UK gravel barrier and back barrier environments research database
* Apply state-of-the-art statistical methods to quantify joint and spatially coherent probabilities
* Optimisation of machine learning to quantify habitat structure and extent

||
* 1st sprint on geospatial platform development (Q1 2024)
* End of collecting management intervention data from local authorities (Q3 2024)
* Fast-track of statistical analysis for selected case studies (Q4 2024)
||
* Characterization of historical met-ocean drivers and topographical and shoreline metrics of change (Q1 2025)
* Geospatial platform on current and future gravel barrier habitat extent (Q4 2024)
|-
|
'''WP2''': Field data collection at selected case study sites
||
* Expanding satellite derived shoreline proxies in time and space
* Use [[:Category:Portable_streamer_traps_for_longshore_sediment_transport_measurement|DIST]] to create a unique field dataset of longshore sediment transport
* Characterisation of gravel barriers and broader context structure
* Field assessment and biophysical relationships between gravel barriers and vegetation
||
* Update requirements to produce satellite MSI and SAR historical shoreline database that will be used in this project (Q1 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for alongshore sediment transport campaigns (Q2 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for in the field hydraulic conductivity surveys (Q2 2024)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape characteristics (Q4 2026)
||
* Extended database for Northern Ireland of 38 years of historical MSI WL and MSL tideline (Q4 2024)
* New database of historical SAR derived shorelines for designated case studies (Q4 2024)
* Database of alongshore sediment transport, hydrodynamic and structure (Q3 2025)
* Database of hydraulic conductivity before, during and after storms for selected case studies (Q4 2025)
|-
|
'''WP3''': Development of a broad-scale gravel barrier simulator
||
* The Coastal Modelling Environment ([[:Category:Coastal_Modeling_Environment|CoastalME]]) will be used to represent the shore between Overstrand and Blakeney.
* Explore how groundwater flooding and hydraulic conductivity affects both the backshore physic-chemical properties and drivers of change of the habitats we will use the British Groundwater Model (BGWM) developed for the Hydro-JULES research programme.
||
* 3D model of the topography and superficial deposits of the study area (Q4 2024)
* Cley Barrier groundwater simulator (Q4 2025)
* Added groundwater module, habitats, gravel barrier module and human management interventions into CoastalME (Q4 2026)
||
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future Cley Barrier in response to changes in sea level and human interventions (Q4 2026)
|-
|
'''WP4''': Quantify interactions and management intervention thresholds
||
* Use the databases generated in WP1&2 and the new modelling capabilities described in WP3 to quantify the interactions and management interventions thresholds for both the Cley/Salthouse Barrier and a number of typologies representing gravel barriers around the UK.
* Simulate the emergence and stability of barriers under variations in shoreface slope, rate of sea level rise and sedimentology.
* Use the UKCP18, available at UK scale, and state of the art downscaling approaches and the methods used in WP1 to create an ensemble of plausible, hourly time series to force our simulations.
* Use structural equation modelling (SEM) to build an overarching conceptual model will connect climate, geophysical and biogeographic drivers with landscape structure and ecosystem functioning.
||
* Co-development of future climate and management scenarios that will be explored (Q1 2027)
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future evolutions until 2150 using hourly time series (Q1 2027)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape interactions (Q4 2027)
||
* Analysis on how interaction metrics might change in the future compared with historical evidence (Q4 2026);
|}

=== Outcomes ===
Holistic understanding of the complex interactions and feedbacks between the sediment composition of the shallow subsurface, nearshore morphodynamics in response to both storms and sea level changes.

A new community modelling system coupled with terrestrial, marine and groundwater sectors and produce numerical simulations which can be used to support multi-hazard analyses under present and future climate change scenarios. These deliverables will be combined with an assessment of the role of coastal habitats, resulting in national maps for protective services and vulnerabilities of coastal habitats to climate-driven multi-hazards. We will also provide tools to analyse the efficacy of future coastal management schemes.

These will deliver a step change in the management of gravel coastlines in the UK.

== History ==
This project started in response to the NERC funding opportunity called "[https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges: NERC highlight topics 2023]" (Topic F: ‘Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate’). The call was considered to be well aligned with the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/about-bgs/strategy-2023-to-2028/ science strategy plan 2023-2028] and in particular with the strategic priority on '''living with geological hazards''': ''to mitigate and adapt to risk, we will monitor, characterise and forecast earth hazard events and their likely impacts by improving harmonisation in hazard and risk analysis, as well as focusing on hazardous climate change''. The team was officially notified on the reception of this award on the 31st of January 2024 and the project started the 1st of February of 2024. Lead Grant Reference: [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_split.asp?awardref=NE%2FY503265%2F1 NE/Y503265/1]

== Media coverage ==
[https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/bgs-to-lead-new-research-project-on-barrier-systems-to-support-more-sustainable-coastal-management/ BGS news 06/12/2023]

== References ==
<references />

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

File:P210742.jpg

2024-02-14T11:15:34Z

Agarcia: Caption: Shingle storm beach and intertidal sand flat at Snettisham Scalp, Norfolk. Looking north at Snettisham Scalp at the shingle storm beach and intertidal sand flat. On this, the outer face of the storm beach, the gravel is rather coarser and contains a higher proportion of chalk than on the crest of the ridge. Successive high tide marks are indicated by the strand lines of weed. On the left of the picture Wolferton Creek separates the intertidal sand flat from a narrow belt of clay and...

== Summary ==
Caption: Shingle storm beach and intertidal sand flat at Snettisham Scalp, Norfolk.

Looking north at Snettisham Scalp at the shingle storm beach and intertidal sand flat. On this, the outer face of the storm beach, the gravel is rather coarser and contains a higher proportion of chalk than on the crest of the ridge. Successive high tide marks are indicated by the strand lines of weed. On the left of the picture Wolferton Creek separates the intertidal sand flat from a narrow belt of clay and silt accumulation which is being colonised by salt marsh vegetation. The sand-flat material, as with the gravel, is carried south from the Hunstanton area by the longshore drift. The formation of salt marshes has been intensively studied in the area. Under the protective belt of shingle bars and dunes, tracts of sand formed a suitable surface on which silt, brought in by the high tides was deposited as a muddy film. Colonization of the sand and mud by plants germinated by seed distribution by various agencies was next. With the growth of plants the speed of sedimentation increased because the plants checked the flow of water. As the plants spread the marsh grows higher assisted by the spread of blown sand. A system of channels forms with the growth of the marsh.
== Licencing ==
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[[Category:License tags]]

Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate

2024-02-14T11:05:34Z

Agarcia:

== Research project ==
=== Background ===
Gravel-dominated beach and barrier systems are common around the UK and provide important coastal defences, especially in low-lying regions. A new, four-year research project, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and entitled ‘Gravel barrier coasts’ (UKGravelBeachesCoasts), will deliver enhanced understanding and modelling of gravel barrier systems. The project aims to support more sustainable coastal management by increasing resilience and reducing the vulnerability of coasts to climate change.

[[File:P025917.jpg|500px|thumb|center|Coast erosion at Pakefield south of Lowestoft. The low cliffs along the coast here are composed of Glacial Sands and Gravels, a loosely-aggregated deposit that offers little resistance to the erosive action of the sea. An exceptionally high tide on November 30th 1936 enabled the waves to attack the cliffs on the north side of Beach Street, causing strips of cliff to fall and abandoned houses to collapse into the sea.]]

This research project is possible thanks to the close collaboration between '''researchers''' from the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/ (BGS)], UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology [https://www.ceh.ac.uk/ (UKCEH)], and the University of Nottingham [https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ (UoN)], '''coastal engineering practitioners''' from Kenneth Pye Associates [https://www.kpal.co.uk/ (KPAL)], Moffat and Nichols [https://www.moffattnichol.com/ (M&N)], '''professional Earth Observation providers''' from [https://www.argans.co.uk/ ARGANS Ltd] and [https://www.isardsat.cat/ isardSAT], with the '''in kind support''' of professionals from the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture [https://www.cefas.co.uk/ (CEFAS)], the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds [https://www.rspb.org.uk/ (RSPB)], the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Research Group of the University of Granada [https://gdfa.ugr.es/ (GDFA)], the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute [https://www.afbini.gov.uk/ (AFBI)], the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland [https://www2.bgs.ac.uk/gsni/ (GSNI)], the Wales Coastal Monitoring Centre [https://www.wcmc.wales/ (WCMC)], and from '''government organizations''' such as Natural Resources Wales [https://naturalresourceswales.gov.uk/ (NRW)] and the Environment Agency [https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency (EA)]

=== Research questions ===
'''RQ#1''': How do decadal-scale morphodynamics of gravel barriers respond to changes in sea level, storminess and sediment supply, and influence coastal evolution? How will this impact the ecosystems they support?

'''RQ#2''': Under future climate change, will the coastal protection role of gravel barriers be compromised, potentially triggering management interventions?

'''RQ#3''': When and how does sediment transport on gravel barriers differ from more well studied sand cases?

'''RQ#4''': What is the internal structure and composition of gravel beaches and how do variations in composition influence beach morphology and dynamics?

'''RQ#5''': What is the role of hydraulic conductivity in influencing barrier behaviour?

'''RQ#6''': Can we quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment (marsh, lagoon, estuary), as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures?

=== Research approach ===
==== Hypothesis ====
To answer the research questions, we have adopted two main research hypotheses.
<blockquote>
'''H1:''' The topography and shallow-subsurface-structure of gravel barriers, including the backshore and nearshore areas control their short-term (overwash) to long-term (transgression) evolution in response to changes in sea level rise, storminess, and sediment supply.

'''H2:''' The critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures can be quantified from both field and numerical simulations under the assumptions of space-for-time substitution <ref name = "Lopez2020">Muñoz López, P., Payo, A., Ellis, M.A., Criado-Aldeanueva, F. and Owen Jenkins, G., 2020. A method to extract measurable indicators of coastal cliff erosion from topographical cliff and beach profiles: Application to North Norfolk and suffolk, East England, UK. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 8(1), p.20. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8010020].</ref> and the use of appropriate complexity modelling <ref name = "Frecnh2016">French, J., Payo, A., Murray, B., Orford, J., Eliot, M. and Cowell, P., 2016. Appropriate complexity for the prediction of coastal and estuarine geomorphic behaviour at decadal to centennial scales. Geomorphology, 256, pp.3-16. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.10.005].</ref>.

</blockquote>
==== Scope ====
The spatial-scope of this research will cover all gravel beaches in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). The temporal-scope will cover their evolution over the last 20,000 thousand years (e.g. to explore both creation of gravel barrier and evolution under different sea level rise scenarios) and will explore how they might evolve in the future to 2150.

<gallery widths=300px heights=200px mode=packed-overlay caption="Gravel beaches types">
File:P638726.jpg|Pure Gravel (G)
File:Picture1_150ppi.jpg|Mixed Sand and Gravel (MSG)
File:P025917.jpg|Composite Sand and Gravel (CSG)
</gallery>

Gravel beaches types may be categorised according to the mixture of sands and gravels present, which has a significant influence on the beach slope and the more general morphological response of the beach to wave action. Three categories are defined<ref name = "Anthony2008">Anthony, E. J. (2008). Chapter Six Gravel Beaches and Barriers. Developments in Marine Geology. E. J. Anthony, Elsevier. '''Book chapter''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/S1572-5480(08)00406-5].</ref><ref name = "GravelBeachesType">'''CoastalWiki'''' [https://www.coastalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Gravel_Beaches&oldid=80049#Beach_types Gravel Beaches Types].</ref> as pure gravel (G), mixed sand and gravel (MSG) and composite sand and gravel (CSG).

* Pure gravel beaches have steep slopes (tan β = 0.08–0.24) and gravel extending from the storm berm to below the mean low water spring tide level.
* MSG beaches have moderate slopes (tan β = 0.04–0.13), with sand and gravel entirely mixed both across shore and at depth.
* CSG beaches have a steep gravel berm fronted by a low-angle intertidal terrace, with over all beach slopes of tan β = 0.05–0.14. On composite beaches, there is distinct hydrodynamic cross-shore sorting of the sand and gravel component.

==== Objectives ====
The objectives of this project are listed below, with the research questions that they address indicated;

* '''O1''': Review the responses of gravel barriers to the relative sea level changes observed from 20,000 years to about 100 years ago, including periods when sea levels (see Fig 1) generally rose at different rates but also remained with little change over large periods (RQ#1, RQ#4).

* '''O2''': Review the performance of gravel barriers over the last two decades where the Environment Agency discontinued a policy of managing sea defences by reshaping of gravel barrier profiles and we have access to more detailed observations (RQ#1).

* '''O3''': Collect new field data to improve our understanding of sediment transport on gravel barriers, their shallow subsurface structure and effects of hydraulic conductivity on storm (individual) and decadal evolution (RQ#3, #5).

* '''O4''': Develop a broad-scale simulator of the evolution of a selected coastal barrier and backshore habitat, that account for changes in climate change, sediment supply and management interventions extending to 2150 (RQ#2, #5, #6).

* '''O5''': Quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures in representative field studies (RQ#2, RQ#6).

* '''O6''': Curate the data and models produced in this project beyond the lifetime of the project to enable further research and support decision making.

=== Program of work ===
To deliver the project objectives we have organised the work in five work packages:

[[File:GBCoast Approach WPs.png|800px|thumb|center|Diagram showing program of work of GBcoast project.]]

'''WP 0''' is where all the activities related with project management and coordination are integrated. This includes one in person meeting per year with all project partners and embedded practitioners that will act as project steering group and expert group providing data, access to networks and know-how. The main activities, milestones and deliverables of the WP1 to WP4 are summarised in the table below.

<blockquote>
Fundamental to our approach is that:
# Successful prediction of long-term barrier behaviour requires broad representation of the coastal systems of which they are a single part, and that,
# Modelling capability is improved in terms of prediction and relevance to coastal management decision making by integrating the expertise of successful and established practitioners in coastal geomorphology with numerical modellers of coastal processes.
</blockquote>

Overall, through system analysis and numerical modelling, based on four work packages, we will map and quantify gravel barrier responses to individual, ‘violent’, events such as storms in the context of longer-term ‘progressive’ impacts such as sea level rise, changes in sediment sources, and human interventions. New process understanding will be achieved by seamlessly combining innovative field observational approaches of surface and subsurface processes with advanced numerical modelling. The long-term numerical simulations will be based on predicted scenarios of sea level rise, increased wave heights and changes in coastal orientation based on UKCP18 and other recent climate change studies. The results will support improved and sustainable coastal management based on the improved understanding of how gravel barriers evolve over longer time scales under different climate conditions and human intervention scenarios. They will be a significant advance from the new comprehensive and novel, multi-scale observations of key processes that drive long-term gravel beach morphodynamic evolution.

{| class="wikitable"

|-
! Work Package !! Activities !! Milestones !! Deliverables
|-
|
'''WP1''': Spatial distribution and temporal evolution of UK gravel barriers and their back barrier ecosystems.
||
* Creation of UK gravel barrier and back barrier environments research database
* Apply state-of-the-art statistical methods to quantify joint and spatially coherent probabilities
* Optimisation of machine learning to quantify habitat structure and extent

||
* 1st sprint on geospatial platform development (Q1 2024)
* End of collecting management intervention data from local authorities (Q3 2024)
* Fast-track of statistical analysis for selected case studies (Q4 2024)
||
* Characterization of historical met-ocean drivers and topographical and shoreline metrics of change (Q1 2025)
* Geospatial platform on current and future gravel barrier habitat extent (Q4 2024)
|-
|
'''WP2''': Field data collection at selected case study sites
||
* Expanding satellite derived shoreline proxies in time and space
* Use [[:Category:Portable_streamer_traps_for_longshore_sediment_transport_measurement|DIST]] to create a unique field dataset of longshore sediment transport
* Characterisation of gravel barriers and broader context structure
* Field assessment and biophysical relationships between gravel barriers and vegetation
||
* Update requirements to produce satellite MSI and SAR historical shoreline database that will be used in this project (Q1 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for alongshore sediment transport campaigns (Q2 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for in the field hydraulic conductivity surveys (Q2 2024)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape characteristics (Q4 2026)
||
* Extended database for Northern Ireland of 38 years of historical MSI WL and MSL tideline (Q4 2024)
* New database of historical SAR derived shorelines for designated case studies (Q4 2024)
* Database of alongshore sediment transport, hydrodynamic and structure (Q3 2025)
* Database of hydraulic conductivity before, during and after storms for selected case studies (Q4 2025)
|-
|
'''WP3''': Development of a broad-scale gravel barrier simulator
||
* The Coastal Modelling Environment ([[:Category:Coastal_Modeling_Environment|CoastalME]]) will be used to represent the shore between Overstrand and Blakeney.
* Explore how groundwater flooding and hydraulic conductivity affects both the backshore physic-chemical properties and drivers of change of the habitats we will use the British Groundwater Model (BGWM) developed for the Hydro-JULES research programme.
||
* 3D model of the topography and superficial deposits of the study area (Q4 2024)
* Cley Barrier groundwater simulator (Q4 2025)
* Added groundwater module, habitats, gravel barrier module and human management interventions into CoastalME (Q4 2026)
||
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future Cley Barrier in response to changes in sea level and human interventions (Q4 2026)
|-
|
'''WP4''': Quantify interactions and management intervention thresholds
||
* Use the databases generated in WP1&2 and the new modelling capabilities described in WP3 to quantify the interactions and management interventions thresholds for both the Cley/Salthouse Barrier and a number of typologies representing gravel barriers around the UK.
* Simulate the emergence and stability of barriers under variations in shoreface slope, rate of sea level rise and sedimentology.
* Use the UKCP18, available at UK scale, and state of the art downscaling approaches and the methods used in WP1 to create an ensemble of plausible, hourly time series to force our simulations.
* Use structural equation modelling (SEM) to build an overarching conceptual model will connect climate, geophysical and biogeographic drivers with landscape structure and ecosystem functioning.
||
* Co-development of future climate and management scenarios that will be explored (Q1 2027)
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future evolutions until 2150 using hourly time series (Q1 2027)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape interactions (Q4 2027)
||
* Analysis on how interaction metrics might change in the future compared with historical evidence (Q4 2026);
|}

=== Outcomes ===
Holistic understanding of the complex interactions and feedbacks between the sediment composition of the shallow subsurface, nearshore morphodynamics in response to both storms and sea level changes.

A new community modelling system coupled with terrestrial, marine and groundwater sectors and produce numerical simulations which can be used to support multi-hazard analyses under present and future climate change scenarios. These deliverables will be combined with an assessment of the role of coastal habitats, resulting in national maps for protective services and vulnerabilities of coastal habitats to climate-driven multi-hazards. We will also provide tools to analyse the efficacy of future coastal management schemes.

These will deliver a step change in the management of gravel coastlines in the UK.

== History ==
This project started in response to the NERC funding opportunity called "[https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges: NERC highlight topics 2023]" (Topic F: ‘Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate’). The call was considered to be well aligned with the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/about-bgs/strategy-2023-to-2028/ science strategy plan 2023-2028] and in particular with the strategic priority on '''living with geological hazards''': ''to mitigate and adapt to risk, we will monitor, characterise and forecast earth hazard events and their likely impacts by improving harmonisation in hazard and risk analysis, as well as focusing on hazardous climate change''. The team was officially notified on the reception of this award on the 31st of January 2024 and the project started the 1st of February of 2024. Lead Grant Reference: [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_split.asp?awardref=NE%2FY503265%2F1 NE/Y503265/1]

== Media coverage ==
[https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/bgs-to-lead-new-research-project-on-barrier-systems-to-support-more-sustainable-coastal-management/ BGS news 06/12/2023]

== References ==
<references />

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Portable streamer traps for longshore sediment transport measurement

2024-02-14T11:05:11Z

Agarcia:

[[File:Picture1_150ppi.jpg|frame|alt=Field observations of sediment transport on mixed sand and gravel beaches using BGS portable streamer traps|BGS team members setting up the portable streamer trap devices used to measure sediment transport on mixed sand and gravel beaches at Minsmere, eastern England, UK – BGS © UKRI.]]

In this category, we present a new portable streamer trap to measure point-Depth-Integrated Longshore Sediment Transport on mixed sand and gravel beaches.

== Metadata ==
=== Summary ===
Also known as '''DIST''', it is a portable depth-integrated streamer trap designed to measure the depth-integrated combined bed load and suspended longshore sediment transport on MSG beaches. The device consists of a polyester sieve cloth mounted into a rectangular holding frame. The stability of the device is achieved by gravity: the combined weight of the device and the operator, who is standing on and down-current of the device. The device has been tested in the field under moderate wave conditions at Minsmere, UK.

=== Highlights ===
* Measurement of the longshore sediment transport rate in the surf zone remains one of the great challenges in coastal engineering and coastal sciences.
* Streamer traps for sand beaches have proven useful in the past, but are not suitable for Mixed Sand and Gravel beaches.
* This category describes a portable depth integrated, streamer trap designed to measure the depth-integrated combined bed load and suspended longshore sediment transport on MSG beaches.
* The device has been tested in the field under moderate wave conditions at Minsmere, UK.
* Empirical efficiency of wave breaking and bed load are several orders of magnitude larger than for uniform fine sand values.

=== Technical specs ===
The streamer is made of 1.5 m2 of polyester sieve cloth (0.105 mm mesh), used to trap sediment from sand to gravel size (125 μm–64 mm). (Material larger than 64 mm will also be trapped, but can be easily removed, and in any case is extremely rare.) The sieve cloth has been shaped and sewn as an oblique rectangular pyramid (1,000 mm height), with a base of slightly larger dimensions than the streamer mouth (i.e. to be able to fit the streamer to the mouth), and the apex aligned with the center of one of the shorter sides of the rectangular base. The opening of the streamer that connects with the rectangular mouth is reinforced with a canvas hem. The streamer is mounted into the rectangular mouth frame with the plane made by the apex and the apex-aligned shorter side of the rectangle at the bottom. Streamer frames are secured on the rectangular mouth by bearing pressure created by stainless steel plates on each side of the mouth. Locking pressure is achieved by tightening a number of wing nuts along each side of the frame. The device has been designed to be quickly assembled and dismantled in the field.

== History ==
DIST was first developed in 2020<ref>Payo, Andres, Humphrey Wallis, Michael A. Ellis, Andrew Barkwith, and Timothy Poate. "Application of portable streamer traps for obtaining point measurements of total longshore sediment transport rates in mixed sand and gravel beaches." Coastal Engineering 156 (2020): 103580. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coastaleng.2019.103580]</ref> with the aim to investigate the field performance of the device under moderate wave conditions (i.e. wave heights less than 1 m). To test the performance of the device, we compare measured to simulated rates using the depth-integrated and wave averaged cross shore numerical model CSHORE<ref>Kobayashi, Nobuhisa. "Coastal sediment transport modeling for engineering applications." Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering 142.6 (2016): 03116001.[https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/(ASCE)WW.1943-5460.0000347]</ref>. During the experiment, offshore wave forcing was measured by a directional wave buoy located about 4 km seaward of the study site. Current velocity and water levels were measured with an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV) and a pressure sensor anchored to a fixed rig, which was well within the surf zone during the full tidal cycle. A pressure sensor was also attached to the portable streamer trap to provide information relative to water depth and water surface elevation at the trap location.

== References ==
<references />

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Coastal Modeling Environment

2024-02-14T11:04:36Z

Agarcia:

[[File:Lolworthcoveweb8a07.png|frame|alt=Numerical Simulation of Cove creation using the Coastal Modeling Environment|Simulated embayment creation on an initially rectilinear coastline. (a) At the start of the simulation, all the coastline of a gently sloping topography is protected by a breakwater but a short segment in the centre that is un-protected. (b) Location of the vector coastline at different time steps and final topography after three years of simulation. © The resulting embayment is bounded by a cliff similar to the Lulworth Cove bay in the south of the UK.]]

== Metadata ==
=== Summary ===
Also known as '''CoastalME''', it is a C++ package to support the creation of numerical dynamic models to simulate coastal landscape evolution on spatial scales of kms to tens of kms, over decadal to centennial timescales. It has been designed with and for coastal engineers and practitioners seeking to simulate the interaction of multiple coastal landforms and different types of human interventions (e.g. grey and nature based solutions) to better manage the compound risk of coastal flooding and erosion.

=== Technical specs ===

=== In/Outputs ===

=== Process ===

=== Testing ===

== History ==
It was first released in 2017<ref name = "Payo2017">Payo, A., Favis-Mortlock, D., Dickson, M., Hall, J. W., Hurst, M. D., Walkden, M. J. A., . . . Ellis, M. A. (2017). Coastal Modelling Environment version 1.0: a framework for integrating landform-specific component models in order to simulate decadal to centennial morphological changes on complex coasts. Geosci. Model Dev., 10(7), 2715-2740. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-2715-2017].</ref> as a proof of concept under the NERC funded iCoast project. The initial core team of developers<ref name="Payo2017"/> described in detail the rationale behind CoastalME and demonstrated how it can be used to integrate; the Soft Cliff and Platform Erosion model SCAPE<ref name="Walkden2011">M. J. Walkden and J. W. Hall "A Mesoscale Predictive Model of the Evolution and Management of a Soft-Rock Coast," Journal of Coastal Research 27(3), 529-543, (1 May 2011). [https://doi.org/10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-10-00099.1]</ref>, the Coastal Vector Evolution Model COVE<ref>Hurst, M. D., Barkwith, A., Ellis, M. A., Thomas, C. W., and Murray, A. B. (2015), Exploring the sensitivities of crenulate bay shorelines to wave climates using a new vector-based one-line model, J. Geophys. Res. Earth Surf., 120, 2586– 2608, [https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003704].</ref> and the Cross Shore model CSHORE<ref>Kobayashi, Nobuhisa. "Coastal sediment transport modeling for engineering applications." Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering 142.6 (2016): 03116001.[https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/(ASCE)WW.1943-5460.0000347]</ref>.

== References ==
<references />

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards

2024-02-14T11:04:16Z

Agarcia:

== About ==

This category is provided to highlight content from the BGS coasts and estuaries geohazards team[https://www.bgs.ac.uk/geology-projects/coasts-and-estuaries/]

BGS coasts and estuaries geohazards team provides independent and expert geoscientific tools and advice for collaborative decision making to assess different adaptation options for coastal flooding and erosion.

The team combines the use of innovative 4D simulation models and cost-effective monitoring approaches (i.e. from space and using non-intrusive survey methods) to quantitatively assess the effects of different adaptation options against coastal flooding and coastal erosion (for example non-active intervention, managed realignment, hold the line, advance the line) with an emphasis on the transition from traditional grey engineering (such as hold the line with hard defences) to more green engineering (a combination of sand-scaping and giving space to coastal processes). The team is engaged in, and open to, collaborations with top quality academic institutions, consultants and government agencies in UK and abroad.

This Wiki is a means of stimulating the exchange of geoscience information with the wider geoscientific community which will have the opportunity to comment and contribute articles on related topics.

<gallery widths=300px heights=200px mode=packed-overlay caption="Coasts and Estuaries geohazards categories on Earthwise">
File:Lolworthcoveweb8a07.png|link=Category:Coastal_Modeling_Environment|Coastal landsacape simulation via Coastal Modeling Environment ('''CoastalME''').
File:Picture1_150ppi.jpg|link=Category:Portable_streamer_traps_for_longshore_sediment_transport_measurement|Field observations of sediment transport on mixed sand and gravel beaches using portable Depth Integrated Streamer Trap ('''DIST''')
File:Saga-logo.png|link=Category:SAGA_toolbox|The coastal team has contributed to the development of several toolboxes ('''CliffMetrics & Profile Crossings''') for the System for Automated Geoscientific Analysis (SAGA)
File:P638726.jpg|link=Category:Understanding_coastal_protection_by_gravel_barriers_in_a_changing_climate|The objective of this NERC highlight topic is to deliver an enhanced understanding and modelling capability of gravel barrier systems to support more sustainable coastal management ('''UKGravelBarrierCoasts''')
</gallery>

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

Category:SAGA toolbox

2024-02-14T11:03:13Z

Agarcia:

== Summary ==

* SAGA<ref>https://saga-gis.sourceforge.io/en/index.html</ref> is the abbreviation for System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses
* SAGA is a Geographic Information System (GIS) software
* SAGA has been designed for an easy and effective implementation of spatial algorithms
* SAGA offers a comprehensive, growing set of geoscientific methods
* SAGA provides an easily approachable user interface with many visualisation options
* SAGA runs under Windows and Linux operating systems
* SAGA is a Free Open Source Software (FOSS)
* SAGA have a growing world wide user community, which also provide contributions from outside the developer core team
* BGS Coasts & Estuaries team has contributed to SAGA with [[:category:CliffMetrics|CliffMetrics]]<ref name="CliffMetrics">Payo, A., Jigena Antelo, B., Hurst, M., Palaseanu-Lovejoy, M., Williams, C., Jenkins, G., Lee, K., Favis-Mortlock, D., Barkwith, A., and Ellis, M. A.: Development of an automatic delineation of cliff top and toe on very irregular planform coastlines (CliffMetrics v1.0), Geosci. Model Dev., 11, 4317–4337, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-4317-2018, 2018.</ref> and [[:category:Profile crossings|Profile Crossings]]<ref name="ODSAS">Gómez-Pazo, A.; Payo, A.; Paz-Delgado, M.V.; Delgadillo-Calzadilla, M.A. Open Digital Shoreline Analysis System: ODSAS v1.0. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2022, 10, 26. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10010026</ref> toolboxes
* BGS has also contributed to the development of the Open Digital Shoreline Analysis System (ODAS) which combines SAGA-CliffMetrics and SAGA-ProfileCrossings with additional code in R-CoastCR: Coastal Change using R.<ref name="ODSAS"></ref>
* For a reference on how to use ODSAS we refer the reader to the open access manuscript by Paz et al. (2022)<ref name="Paz2022">Paz-Delgado, M. V., et al. (2022). "Shoreline Change from Optical and Sar Satellite Imagery at Macro-Tidal Estuarine, Cliffed Open-Coast and Gravel Pocket-Beach Environments." Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 10(5): 561. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10050561</ref> and the dedicated GitHub repository of R-CoastCR <ref name="CoastCR">https://github.com/alejandro-gomez/CoastCR</ref>.

== References ==
<references />

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Articles by Andres Payo

2024-02-14T10:44:27Z

Agarcia: Created page with "This is an overview of all articles of Andres Payo Garcia"

This is an overview of all articles of Andres Payo Garcia

Category:SAGA toolbox

2024-02-14T10:42:02Z

Agarcia:

== Summary ==

* SAGA<ref>https://saga-gis.sourceforge.io/en/index.html</ref> is the abbreviation for System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses
* SAGA is a Geographic Information System (GIS) software
* SAGA has been designed for an easy and effective implementation of spatial algorithms
* SAGA offers a comprehensive, growing set of geoscientific methods
* SAGA provides an easily approachable user interface with many visualisation options
* SAGA runs under Windows and Linux operating systems
* SAGA is a Free Open Source Software (FOSS)
* SAGA have a growing world wide user community, which also provide contributions from outside the developer core team
* BGS Coasts & Estuaries team has contributed to SAGA with [[:category:CliffMetrics|CliffMetrics]]<ref name="CliffMetrics">Payo, A., Jigena Antelo, B., Hurst, M., Palaseanu-Lovejoy, M., Williams, C., Jenkins, G., Lee, K., Favis-Mortlock, D., Barkwith, A., and Ellis, M. A.: Development of an automatic delineation of cliff top and toe on very irregular planform coastlines (CliffMetrics v1.0), Geosci. Model Dev., 11, 4317–4337, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-4317-2018, 2018.</ref> and [[:category:Profile crossings|Profile Crossings]]<ref name="ODSAS">Gómez-Pazo, A.; Payo, A.; Paz-Delgado, M.V.; Delgadillo-Calzadilla, M.A. Open Digital Shoreline Analysis System: ODSAS v1.0. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2022, 10, 26. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10010026</ref> toolboxes

<gallery caption="Contributions to SAGA toolboxes by the Coasts and Estuaries geohazards team on Earthwise">
File:CliffMetrics.png|link=Category:CliffMetrics|Automatic delineation of cliff top and toe on very irregular planform coastlines ('''CliffMetrics v1.0''')
</gallery>

== References ==
<references />

__notoc__
{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Portable streamer traps for longshore sediment transport measurement

2024-02-14T10:41:07Z

Agarcia:

[[File:Picture1_150ppi.jpg|frame|alt=Field observations of sediment transport on mixed sand and gravel beaches using BGS portable streamer traps|BGS team members setting up the portable streamer trap devices used to measure sediment transport on mixed sand and gravel beaches at Minsmere, eastern England, UK – BGS © UKRI.]]

In this category, we present a new portable streamer trap to measure point-Depth-Integrated Longshore Sediment Transport on mixed sand and gravel beaches.

== Metadata ==
=== Summary ===
Also known as '''DIST''', it is a portable depth-integrated streamer trap designed to measure the depth-integrated combined bed load and suspended longshore sediment transport on MSG beaches. The device consists of a polyester sieve cloth mounted into a rectangular holding frame. The stability of the device is achieved by gravity: the combined weight of the device and the operator, who is standing on and down-current of the device. The device has been tested in the field under moderate wave conditions at Minsmere, UK.

=== Highlights ===
* Measurement of the longshore sediment transport rate in the surf zone remains one of the great challenges in coastal engineering and coastal sciences.
* Streamer traps for sand beaches have proven useful in the past, but are not suitable for Mixed Sand and Gravel beaches.
* This category describes a portable depth integrated, streamer trap designed to measure the depth-integrated combined bed load and suspended longshore sediment transport on MSG beaches.
* The device has been tested in the field under moderate wave conditions at Minsmere, UK.
* Empirical efficiency of wave breaking and bed load are several orders of magnitude larger than for uniform fine sand values.

=== Technical specs ===
The streamer is made of 1.5 m2 of polyester sieve cloth (0.105 mm mesh), used to trap sediment from sand to gravel size (125 μm–64 mm). (Material larger than 64 mm will also be trapped, but can be easily removed, and in any case is extremely rare.) The sieve cloth has been shaped and sewn as an oblique rectangular pyramid (1,000 mm height), with a base of slightly larger dimensions than the streamer mouth (i.e. to be able to fit the streamer to the mouth), and the apex aligned with the center of one of the shorter sides of the rectangular base. The opening of the streamer that connects with the rectangular mouth is reinforced with a canvas hem. The streamer is mounted into the rectangular mouth frame with the plane made by the apex and the apex-aligned shorter side of the rectangle at the bottom. Streamer frames are secured on the rectangular mouth by bearing pressure created by stainless steel plates on each side of the mouth. Locking pressure is achieved by tightening a number of wing nuts along each side of the frame. The device has been designed to be quickly assembled and dismantled in the field.

== History ==
DIST was first developed in 2020<ref>Payo, Andres, Humphrey Wallis, Michael A. Ellis, Andrew Barkwith, and Timothy Poate. "Application of portable streamer traps for obtaining point measurements of total longshore sediment transport rates in mixed sand and gravel beaches." Coastal Engineering 156 (2020): 103580. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coastaleng.2019.103580]</ref> with the aim to investigate the field performance of the device under moderate wave conditions (i.e. wave heights less than 1 m). To test the performance of the device, we compare measured to simulated rates using the depth-integrated and wave averaged cross shore numerical model CSHORE<ref>Kobayashi, Nobuhisa. "Coastal sediment transport modeling for engineering applications." Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering 142.6 (2016): 03116001.[https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/(ASCE)WW.1943-5460.0000347]</ref>. During the experiment, offshore wave forcing was measured by a directional wave buoy located about 4 km seaward of the study site. Current velocity and water levels were measured with an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV) and a pressure sensor anchored to a fixed rig, which was well within the surf zone during the full tidal cycle. A pressure sensor was also attached to the portable streamer trap to provide information relative to water depth and water surface elevation at the trap location.

== References ==
<references />

__notoc__

{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Coastal Modeling Environment

2024-02-14T10:40:14Z

Agarcia:

[[File:Lolworthcoveweb8a07.png|frame|alt=Numerical Simulation of Cove creation using the Coastal Modeling Environment|Simulated embayment creation on an initially rectilinear coastline. (a) At the start of the simulation, all the coastline of a gently sloping topography is protected by a breakwater but a short segment in the centre that is un-protected. (b) Location of the vector coastline at different time steps and final topography after three years of simulation. © The resulting embayment is bounded by a cliff similar to the Lulworth Cove bay in the south of the UK.]]

== Metadata ==
=== Summary ===
Also known as '''CoastalME''', it is a C++ package to support the creation of numerical dynamic models to simulate coastal landscape evolution on spatial scales of kms to tens of kms, over decadal to centennial timescales. It has been designed with and for coastal engineers and practitioners seeking to simulate the interaction of multiple coastal landforms and different types of human interventions (e.g. grey and nature based solutions) to better manage the compound risk of coastal flooding and erosion.

=== Technical specs ===

=== In/Outputs ===

=== Process ===

=== Testing ===

== History ==
It was first released in 2017<ref name = "Payo2017">Payo, A., Favis-Mortlock, D., Dickson, M., Hall, J. W., Hurst, M. D., Walkden, M. J. A., . . . Ellis, M. A. (2017). Coastal Modelling Environment version 1.0: a framework for integrating landform-specific component models in order to simulate decadal to centennial morphological changes on complex coasts. Geosci. Model Dev., 10(7), 2715-2740. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-2715-2017].</ref> as a proof of concept under the NERC funded iCoast project. The initial core team of developers<ref name="Payo2017"/> described in detail the rationale behind CoastalME and demonstrated how it can be used to integrate; the Soft Cliff and Platform Erosion model SCAPE<ref name="Walkden2011">M. J. Walkden and J. W. Hall "A Mesoscale Predictive Model of the Evolution and Management of a Soft-Rock Coast," Journal of Coastal Research 27(3), 529-543, (1 May 2011). [https://doi.org/10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-10-00099.1]</ref>, the Coastal Vector Evolution Model COVE<ref>Hurst, M. D., Barkwith, A., Ellis, M. A., Thomas, C. W., and Murray, A. B. (2015), Exploring the sensitivities of crenulate bay shorelines to wave climates using a new vector-based one-line model, J. Geophys. Res. Earth Surf., 120, 2586– 2608, [https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003704].</ref> and the Cross Shore model CSHORE<ref>Kobayashi, Nobuhisa. "Coastal sediment transport modeling for engineering applications." Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering 142.6 (2016): 03116001.[https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/(ASCE)WW.1943-5460.0000347]</ref>.

== References ==
<references />

__notoc__
{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards

2024-02-14T10:38:25Z

Agarcia:

== About ==

This category is provided to highlight content from the BGS coasts and estuaries geohazards team[https://www.bgs.ac.uk/geology-projects/coasts-and-estuaries/]

BGS coasts and estuaries geohazards team provides independent and expert geoscientific tools and advice for collaborative decision making to assess different adaptation options for coastal flooding and erosion.

The team combines the use of innovative 4D simulation models and cost-effective monitoring approaches (i.e. from space and using non-intrusive survey methods) to quantitatively assess the effects of different adaptation options against coastal flooding and coastal erosion (for example non-active intervention, managed realignment, hold the line, advance the line) with an emphasis on the transition from traditional grey engineering (such as hold the line with hard defences) to more green engineering (a combination of sand-scaping and giving space to coastal processes). The team is engaged in, and open to, collaborations with top quality academic institutions, consultants and government agencies in UK and abroad.

This Wiki is a means of stimulating the exchange of geoscience information with the wider geoscientific community which will have the opportunity to comment and contribute articles on related topics.

<gallery widths=300px heights=200px mode=packed-overlay caption="Coasts and Estuaries geohazards categories on Earthwise">
File:Lolworthcoveweb8a07.png|link=Category:Coastal_Modeling_Environment|Coastal landsacape simulation via Coastal Modeling Environment ('''CoastalME''').
File:Picture1_150ppi.jpg|link=Category:Portable_streamer_traps_for_longshore_sediment_transport_measurement|Field observations of sediment transport on mixed sand and gravel beaches using portable Depth Integrated Streamer Trap ('''DIST''')
File:Saga-logo.png|link=Category:SAGA_toolbox|The coastal team has contributed to the development of several toolboxes ('''CliffMetrics & Profile Crossings''') for the System for Automated Geoscientific Analysis (SAGA)
File:P638726.jpg|link=Category:Understanding_coastal_protection_by_gravel_barriers_in_a_changing_climate|The objective of this NERC highlight topic is to deliver an enhanced understanding and modelling capability of gravel barrier systems to support more sustainable coastal management ('''UKGravelBarrierCoasts''')
</gallery>

__notoc__
{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate

2024-02-14T10:29:33Z

Agarcia:

== Research project ==
=== Background ===
Gravel-dominated beach and barrier systems are common around the UK and provide important coastal defences, especially in low-lying regions. A new, four-year research project, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and entitled ‘Gravel barrier coasts’ (UKGravelBeachesCoasts), will deliver enhanced understanding and modelling of gravel barrier systems. The project aims to support more sustainable coastal management by increasing resilience and reducing the vulnerability of coasts to climate change.

[[File:P025917.jpg|500px|thumb|center|Coast erosion at Pakefield south of Lowestoft. The low cliffs along the coast here are composed of Glacial Sands and Gravels, a loosely-aggregated deposit that offers little resistance to the erosive action of the sea. An exceptionally high tide on November 30th 1936 enabled the waves to attack the cliffs on the north side of Beach Street, causing strips of cliff to fall and abandoned houses to collapse into the sea.]]

This research project is possible thanks to the close collaboration between '''researchers''' from the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/ (BGS)], UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology [https://www.ceh.ac.uk/ (UKCEH)], and the University of Nottingham [https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ (UoN)], '''coastal engineering practitioners''' from Kenneth Pye Associates [https://www.kpal.co.uk/ (KPAL)], Moffat and Nichols [https://www.moffattnichol.com/ (M&N)], '''professional Earth Observation providers''' from [https://www.argans.co.uk/ ARGANS Ltd] and [https://www.isardsat.cat/ isardSAT], with the '''in kind support''' of professionals from the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture [https://www.cefas.co.uk/ (CEFAS)], the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds [https://www.rspb.org.uk/ (RSPB)], the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Research Group of the University of Granada [https://gdfa.ugr.es/ (GDFA)], the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute [https://www.afbini.gov.uk/ (AFBI)], the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland [https://www2.bgs.ac.uk/gsni/ (GSNI)], the Wales Coastal Monitoring Centre [https://www.wcmc.wales/ (WCMC)], and from '''government organizations''' such as Natural Resources Wales [https://naturalresourceswales.gov.uk/ (NRW)] and the Environment Agency [https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency (EA)]

=== Research questions ===
'''RQ#1''': How do decadal-scale morphodynamics of gravel barriers respond to changes in sea level, storminess and sediment supply, and influence coastal evolution? How will this impact the ecosystems they support?

'''RQ#2''': Under future climate change, will the coastal protection role of gravel barriers be compromised, potentially triggering management interventions?

'''RQ#3''': When and how does sediment transport on gravel barriers differ from more well studied sand cases?

'''RQ#4''': What is the internal structure and composition of gravel beaches and how do variations in composition influence beach morphology and dynamics?

'''RQ#5''': What is the role of hydraulic conductivity in influencing barrier behaviour?

'''RQ#6''': Can we quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment (marsh, lagoon, estuary), as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures?

=== Research approach ===
==== Hypothesis ====
To answer the research questions, we have adopted two main research hypotheses.
<blockquote>
'''H1:''' The topography and shallow-subsurface-structure of gravel barriers, including the backshore and nearshore areas control their short-term (overwash) to long-term (transgression) evolution in response to changes in sea level rise, storminess, and sediment supply.

'''H2:''' The critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures can be quantified from both field and numerical simulations under the assumptions of space-for-time substitution <ref name = "Lopez2020">Muñoz López, P., Payo, A., Ellis, M.A., Criado-Aldeanueva, F. and Owen Jenkins, G., 2020. A method to extract measurable indicators of coastal cliff erosion from topographical cliff and beach profiles: Application to North Norfolk and suffolk, East England, UK. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 8(1), p.20. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8010020].</ref> and the use of appropriate complexity modelling <ref name = "Frecnh2016">French, J., Payo, A., Murray, B., Orford, J., Eliot, M. and Cowell, P., 2016. Appropriate complexity for the prediction of coastal and estuarine geomorphic behaviour at decadal to centennial scales. Geomorphology, 256, pp.3-16. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.10.005].</ref>.

</blockquote>
==== Scope ====
The spatial-scope of this research will cover all gravel beaches in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). The temporal-scope will cover their evolution over the last 20,000 thousand years (e.g. to explore both creation of gravel barrier and evolution under different sea level rise scenarios) and will explore how they might evolve in the future to 2150.

<gallery widths=300px heights=200px mode=packed-overlay caption="Gravel beaches types">
File:P638726.jpg|Pure Gravel (G)
File:Picture1_150ppi.jpg|Mixed Sand and Gravel (MSG)
File:P025917.jpg|Composite Sand and Gravel (CSG)
</gallery>

Gravel beaches types may be categorised according to the mixture of sands and gravels present, which has a significant influence on the beach slope and the more general morphological response of the beach to wave action. Three categories are defined<ref name = "Anthony2008">Anthony, E. J. (2008). Chapter Six Gravel Beaches and Barriers. Developments in Marine Geology. E. J. Anthony, Elsevier. '''Book chapter''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/S1572-5480(08)00406-5].</ref><ref name = "GravelBeachesType">'''CoastalWiki'''' [https://www.coastalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Gravel_Beaches&oldid=80049#Beach_types Gravel Beaches Types].</ref> as pure gravel (G), mixed sand and gravel (MSG) and composite sand and gravel (CSG).

* Pure gravel beaches have steep slopes (tan β = 0.08–0.24) and gravel extending from the storm berm to below the mean low water spring tide level.
* MSG beaches have moderate slopes (tan β = 0.04–0.13), with sand and gravel entirely mixed both across shore and at depth.
* CSG beaches have a steep gravel berm fronted by a low-angle intertidal terrace, with over all beach slopes of tan β = 0.05–0.14. On composite beaches, there is distinct hydrodynamic cross-shore sorting of the sand and gravel component.

==== Objectives ====
The objectives of this project are listed below, with the research questions that they address indicated;

* '''O1''': Review the responses of gravel barriers to the relative sea level changes observed from 20,000 years to about 100 years ago, including periods when sea levels (see Fig 1) generally rose at different rates but also remained with little change over large periods (RQ#1, RQ#4).

* '''O2''': Review the performance of gravel barriers over the last two decades where the Environment Agency discontinued a policy of managing sea defences by reshaping of gravel barrier profiles and we have access to more detailed observations (RQ#1).

* '''O3''': Collect new field data to improve our understanding of sediment transport on gravel barriers, their shallow subsurface structure and effects of hydraulic conductivity on storm (individual) and decadal evolution (RQ#3, #5).

* '''O4''': Develop a broad-scale simulator of the evolution of a selected coastal barrier and backshore habitat, that account for changes in climate change, sediment supply and management interventions extending to 2150 (RQ#2, #5, #6).

* '''O5''': Quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures in representative field studies (RQ#2, RQ#6).

* '''O6''': Curate the data and models produced in this project beyond the lifetime of the project to enable further research and support decision making.

=== Program of work ===
To deliver the project objectives we have organised the work in five work packages:

[[File:GBCoast Approach WPs.png|800px|thumb|center|Diagram showing program of work of GBcoast project.]]

'''WP 0''' is where all the activities related with project management and coordination are integrated. This includes one in person meeting per year with all project partners and embedded practitioners that will act as project steering group and expert group providing data, access to networks and know-how. The main activities, milestones and deliverables of the WP1 to WP4 are summarised in the table below.

<blockquote>
Fundamental to our approach is that:
# Successful prediction of long-term barrier behaviour requires broad representation of the coastal systems of which they are a single part, and that,
# Modelling capability is improved in terms of prediction and relevance to coastal management decision making by integrating the expertise of successful and established practitioners in coastal geomorphology with numerical modellers of coastal processes.
</blockquote>

Overall, through system analysis and numerical modelling, based on four work packages, we will map and quantify gravel barrier responses to individual, ‘violent’, events such as storms in the context of longer-term ‘progressive’ impacts such as sea level rise, changes in sediment sources, and human interventions. New process understanding will be achieved by seamlessly combining innovative field observational approaches of surface and subsurface processes with advanced numerical modelling. The long-term numerical simulations will be based on predicted scenarios of sea level rise, increased wave heights and changes in coastal orientation based on UKCP18 and other recent climate change studies. The results will support improved and sustainable coastal management based on the improved understanding of how gravel barriers evolve over longer time scales under different climate conditions and human intervention scenarios. They will be a significant advance from the new comprehensive and novel, multi-scale observations of key processes that drive long-term gravel beach morphodynamic evolution.

{| class="wikitable"

|-
! Work Package !! Activities !! Milestones !! Deliverables
|-
|
'''WP1''': Spatial distribution and temporal evolution of UK gravel barriers and their back barrier ecosystems.
||
* Creation of UK gravel barrier and back barrier environments research database
* Apply state-of-the-art statistical methods to quantify joint and spatially coherent probabilities
* Optimisation of machine learning to quantify habitat structure and extent

||
* 1st sprint on geospatial platform development (Q1 2024)
* End of collecting management intervention data from local authorities (Q3 2024)
* Fast-track of statistical analysis for selected case studies (Q4 2024)
||
* Characterization of historical met-ocean drivers and topographical and shoreline metrics of change (Q1 2025)
* Geospatial platform on current and future gravel barrier habitat extent (Q4 2024)
|-
|
'''WP2''': Field data collection at selected case study sites
||
* Expanding satellite derived shoreline proxies in time and space
* Use [[:Category:Portable_streamer_traps_for_longshore_sediment_transport_measurement|DIST]] to create a unique field dataset of longshore sediment transport
* Characterisation of gravel barriers and broader context structure
* Field assessment and biophysical relationships between gravel barriers and vegetation
||
* Update requirements to produce satellite MSI and SAR historical shoreline database that will be used in this project (Q1 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for alongshore sediment transport campaigns (Q2 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for in the field hydraulic conductivity surveys (Q2 2024)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape characteristics (Q4 2026)
||
* Extended database for Northern Ireland of 38 years of historical MSI WL and MSL tideline (Q4 2024)
* New database of historical SAR derived shorelines for designated case studies (Q4 2024)
* Database of alongshore sediment transport, hydrodynamic and structure (Q3 2025)
* Database of hydraulic conductivity before, during and after storms for selected case studies (Q4 2025)
|-
|
'''WP3''': Development of a broad-scale gravel barrier simulator
||
* The Coastal Modelling Environment ([[:Category:Coastal_Modeling_Environment|CoastalME]]) will be used to represent the shore between Overstrand and Blakeney.
* Explore how groundwater flooding and hydraulic conductivity affects both the backshore physic-chemical properties and drivers of change of the habitats we will use the British Groundwater Model (BGWM) developed for the Hydro-JULES research programme.
||
* 3D model of the topography and superficial deposits of the study area (Q4 2024)
* Cley Barrier groundwater simulator (Q4 2025)
* Added groundwater module, habitats, gravel barrier module and human management interventions into CoastalME (Q4 2026)
||
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future Cley Barrier in response to changes in sea level and human interventions (Q4 2026)
|-
|
'''WP4''': Quantify interactions and management intervention thresholds
||
* Use the databases generated in WP1&2 and the new modelling capabilities described in WP3 to quantify the interactions and management interventions thresholds for both the Cley/Salthouse Barrier and a number of typologies representing gravel barriers around the UK.
* Simulate the emergence and stability of barriers under variations in shoreface slope, rate of sea level rise and sedimentology.
* Use the UKCP18, available at UK scale, and state of the art downscaling approaches and the methods used in WP1 to create an ensemble of plausible, hourly time series to force our simulations.
* Use structural equation modelling (SEM) to build an overarching conceptual model will connect climate, geophysical and biogeographic drivers with landscape structure and ecosystem functioning.
||
* Co-development of future climate and management scenarios that will be explored (Q1 2027)
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future evolutions until 2150 using hourly time series (Q1 2027)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape interactions (Q4 2027)
||
* Analysis on how interaction metrics might change in the future compared with historical evidence (Q4 2026);
|}

=== Outcomes ===
Holistic understanding of the complex interactions and feedbacks between the sediment composition of the shallow subsurface, nearshore morphodynamics in response to both storms and sea level changes.

A new community modelling system coupled with terrestrial, marine and groundwater sectors and produce numerical simulations which can be used to support multi-hazard analyses under present and future climate change scenarios. These deliverables will be combined with an assessment of the role of coastal habitats, resulting in national maps for protective services and vulnerabilities of coastal habitats to climate-driven multi-hazards. We will also provide tools to analyse the efficacy of future coastal management schemes.

These will deliver a step change in the management of gravel coastlines in the UK.

== History ==
This project started in response to the NERC funding opportunity called "[https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges: NERC highlight topics 2023]" (Topic F: ‘Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate’). The call was considered to be well aligned with the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/about-bgs/strategy-2023-to-2028/ science strategy plan 2023-2028] and in particular with the strategic priority on '''living with geological hazards''': ''to mitigate and adapt to risk, we will monitor, characterise and forecast earth hazard events and their likely impacts by improving harmonisation in hazard and risk analysis, as well as focusing on hazardous climate change''. The team was officially notified on the reception of this award on the 31st of January 2024 and the project started the 1st of February of 2024. Lead Grant Reference: [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_split.asp?awardref=NE%2FY503265%2F1 NE/Y503265/1]

== Media coverage ==
[https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/bgs-to-lead-new-research-project-on-barrier-systems-to-support-more-sustainable-coastal-management/ BGS news 06/12/2023]

== References ==
<references />

__notoc__
{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate

2024-02-14T09:52:57Z

Agarcia:

== Research project ==
=== Background ===
Gravel-dominated beach and barrier systems are common around the UK and provide important coastal defences, especially in low-lying regions. A new, four-year research project, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and entitled ‘Gravel barrier coasts’ (UKGravelBeachesCoasts), will deliver enhanced understanding and modelling of gravel barrier systems. The project aims to support more sustainable coastal management by increasing resilience and reducing the vulnerability of coasts to climate change.

[[File:P025917.jpg|500px|thumb|center|Coast erosion at Pakefield south of Lowestoft. The low cliffs along the coast here are composed of Glacial Sands and Gravels, a loosely-aggregated deposit that offers little resistance to the erosive action of the sea. An exceptionally high tide on November 30th 1936 enabled the waves to attack the cliffs on the north side of Beach Street, causing strips of cliff to fall and abandoned houses to collapse into the sea.]]

This research project is possible thanks to the close collaboration between '''researchers''' from the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/ (BGS)], UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology [https://www.ceh.ac.uk/ (UKCEH)], and the University of Nottingham [https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ (UoN)], '''coastal engineering practitioners''' from Kenneth Pye Associates [https://www.kpal.co.uk/ (KPAL)], Moffat and Nichols [https://www.moffattnichol.com/ (M&N)], '''professional Earth Observation providers''' from [https://www.argans.co.uk/ ARGANS Ltd] and [https://www.isardsat.cat/ isardSAT], with the '''in kind support''' of professionals from the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture [https://www.cefas.co.uk/ (CEFAS)], the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds [https://www.rspb.org.uk/ (RSPB)], the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Research Group of the University of Granada [https://gdfa.ugr.es/ (GDFA)], the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute [https://www.afbini.gov.uk/ (AFBI)], the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland [https://www2.bgs.ac.uk/gsni/ (GSNI)], the Wales Coastal Monitoring Centre [https://www.wcmc.wales/ (WCMC)], and from '''government organizations''' such as Natural Resources Wales [https://naturalresourceswales.gov.uk/ (NRW)] and the Environment Agency [https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency (EA)]

=== Research questions ===
'''RQ#1''': How do decadal-scale morphodynamics of gravel barriers respond to changes in sea level, storminess and sediment supply, and influence coastal evolution? How will this impact the ecosystems they support?

'''RQ#2''': Under future climate change, will the coastal protection role of gravel barriers be compromised, potentially triggering management interventions?

'''RQ#3''': When and how does sediment transport on gravel barriers differ from more well studied sand cases?

'''RQ#4''': What is the internal structure and composition of gravel beaches and how do variations in composition influence beach morphology and dynamics?

'''RQ#5''': What is the role of hydraulic conductivity in influencing barrier behaviour?

'''RQ#6''': Can we quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment (marsh, lagoon, estuary), as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures?

=== Research approach ===
==== Hypothesis ====
To answer the research questions, we have adopted two main research hypotheses.
<blockquote>
'''H1:''' The topography and shallow-subsurface-structure of gravel barriers, including the backshore and nearshore areas control their short-term (overwash) to long-term (transgression) evolution in response to changes in sea level rise, storminess, and sediment supply.

'''H2:''' The critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures can be quantified from both field and numerical simulations under the assumptions of space-for-time substitution <ref name = "Lopez2020">Muñoz López, P., Payo, A., Ellis, M.A., Criado-Aldeanueva, F. and Owen Jenkins, G., 2020. A method to extract measurable indicators of coastal cliff erosion from topographical cliff and beach profiles: Application to North Norfolk and suffolk, East England, UK. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 8(1), p.20. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8010020].</ref> and the use of appropriate complexity modelling <ref name = "Frecnh2016">French, J., Payo, A., Murray, B., Orford, J., Eliot, M. and Cowell, P., 2016. Appropriate complexity for the prediction of coastal and estuarine geomorphic behaviour at decadal to centennial scales. Geomorphology, 256, pp.3-16. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.10.005].</ref>.

</blockquote>
==== Scope ====
The spatial-scope of this research will cover all gravel beaches in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). The temporal-scope will cover their evolution over the last 20,000 thousand years (e.g. to explore both creation of gravel barrier and evolution under different sea level rise scenarios) and will explore how they might evolve in the future to 2150.

<gallery widths=300px heights=200px mode=packed-overlay caption="Gravel beaches types">
File:P638726.jpg|Pure Gravel (G)
File:Picture1_150ppi.jpg|Mixed Sand and Gravel (MSG)
File:P025917.jpg|Composite Sand and Gravel (CSG)
</gallery>

Gravel beaches types may be categorised <ref name = "GravelBeachesType">'''CoastalWiki'''' [https://www.coastalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Gravel_Beaches&oldid=80049#Beach_types Gravel Beaches Types].</ref> according to the mixture of sands and gravels present, which has a significant influence on the beach slope and the more general morphological response of the beach to wave action. Four categories are defined as pure gravel (G), mixed sand and gravel (MSG), composite sand and gravel (CSG) and pure sand (S).
==== Objectives ====
The objectives of this project are listed below, with the research questions that they address indicated;

* '''O1''': Review the responses of gravel barriers to the relative sea level changes observed from 20,000 years to about 100 years ago, including periods when sea levels (see Fig 1) generally rose at different rates but also remained with little change over large periods (RQ#1, RQ#4).

* '''O2''': Review the performance of gravel barriers over the last two decades where the Environment Agency discontinued a policy of managing sea defences by reshaping of gravel barrier profiles and we have access to more detailed observations (RQ#1).

* '''O3''': Collect new field data to improve our understanding of sediment transport on gravel barriers, their shallow subsurface structure and effects of hydraulic conductivity on storm (individual) and decadal evolution (RQ#3, #5).

* '''O4''': Develop a broad-scale simulator of the evolution of a selected coastal barrier and backshore habitat, that account for changes in climate change, sediment supply and management interventions extending to 2150 (RQ#2, #5, #6).

* '''O5''': Quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures in representative field studies (RQ#2, RQ#6).

* '''O6''': Curate the data and models produced in this project beyond the lifetime of the project to enable further research and support decision making.

=== Program of work ===
To deliver the project objectives we have organised the work in five work packages:

[[File:GBCoast Approach WPs.png|800px|thumb|center|Diagram showing program of work of GBcoast project.]]

'''WP 0''' is where all the activities related with project management and coordination are integrated. This includes one in person meeting per year with all project partners and embedded practitioners that will act as project steering group and expert group providing data, access to networks and know-how. The main activities, milestones and deliverables of the WP1 to WP4 are summarised in the table below.

<blockquote>
Fundamental to our approach is that:
# Successful prediction of long-term barrier behaviour requires broad representation of the coastal systems of which they are a single part, and that,
# Modelling capability is improved in terms of prediction and relevance to coastal management decision making by integrating the expertise of successful and established practitioners in coastal geomorphology with numerical modellers of coastal processes.
</blockquote>

Overall, through system analysis and numerical modelling, based on four work packages, we will map and quantify gravel barrier responses to individual, ‘violent’, events such as storms in the context of longer-term ‘progressive’ impacts such as sea level rise, changes in sediment sources, and human interventions. New process understanding will be achieved by seamlessly combining innovative field observational approaches of surface and subsurface processes with advanced numerical modelling. The long-term numerical simulations will be based on predicted scenarios of sea level rise, increased wave heights and changes in coastal orientation based on UKCP18 and other recent climate change studies. The results will support improved and sustainable coastal management based on the improved understanding of how gravel barriers evolve over longer time scales under different climate conditions and human intervention scenarios. They will be a significant advance from the new comprehensive and novel, multi-scale observations of key processes that drive long-term gravel beach morphodynamic evolution.

{| class="wikitable"

|-
! Work Package !! Activities !! Milestones !! Deliverables
|-
|
'''WP1''': Spatial distribution and temporal evolution of UK gravel barriers and their back barrier ecosystems.
||
* Creation of UK gravel barrier and back barrier environments research database
* Apply state-of-the-art statistical methods to quantify joint and spatially coherent probabilities
* Optimisation of machine learning to quantify habitat structure and extent

||
* 1st sprint on geospatial platform development (Q1 2024)
* End of collecting management intervention data from local authorities (Q3 2024)
* Fast-track of statistical analysis for selected case studies (Q4 2024)
||
* Characterization of historical met-ocean drivers and topographical and shoreline metrics of change (Q1 2025)
* Geospatial platform on current and future gravel barrier habitat extent (Q4 2024)
|-
|
'''WP2''': Field data collection at selected case study sites
||
* Expanding satellite derived shoreline proxies in time and space
* Use [[:Category:Portable_streamer_traps_for_longshore_sediment_transport_measurement|DIST]] to create a unique field dataset of longshore sediment transport
* Characterisation of gravel barriers and broader context structure
* Field assessment and biophysical relationships between gravel barriers and vegetation
||
* Update requirements to produce satellite MSI and SAR historical shoreline database that will be used in this project (Q1 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for alongshore sediment transport campaigns (Q2 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for in the field hydraulic conductivity surveys (Q2 2024)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape characteristics (Q4 2026)
||
* Extended database for Northern Ireland of 38 years of historical MSI WL and MSL tideline (Q4 2024)
* New database of historical SAR derived shorelines for designated case studies (Q4 2024)
* Database of alongshore sediment transport, hydrodynamic and structure (Q3 2025)
* Database of hydraulic conductivity before, during and after storms for selected case studies (Q4 2025)
|-
|
'''WP3''': Development of a broad-scale gravel barrier simulator
||
* The Coastal Modelling Environment ([[:Category:Coastal_Modeling_Environment|CoastalME]]) will be used to represent the shore between Overstrand and Blakeney.
* Explore how groundwater flooding and hydraulic conductivity affects both the backshore physic-chemical properties and drivers of change of the habitats we will use the British Groundwater Model (BGWM) developed for the Hydro-JULES research programme.
||
* 3D model of the topography and superficial deposits of the study area (Q4 2024)
* Cley Barrier groundwater simulator (Q4 2025)
* Added groundwater module, habitats, gravel barrier module and human management interventions into CoastalME (Q4 2026)
||
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future Cley Barrier in response to changes in sea level and human interventions (Q4 2026)
|-
|
'''WP4''': Quantify interactions and management intervention thresholds
||
* Use the databases generated in WP1&2 and the new modelling capabilities described in WP3 to quantify the interactions and management interventions thresholds for both the Cley/Salthouse Barrier and a number of typologies representing gravel barriers around the UK.
* Simulate the emergence and stability of barriers under variations in shoreface slope, rate of sea level rise and sedimentology.
* Use the UKCP18, available at UK scale, and state of the art downscaling approaches and the methods used in WP1 to create an ensemble of plausible, hourly time series to force our simulations.
* Use structural equation modelling (SEM) to build an overarching conceptual model will connect climate, geophysical and biogeographic drivers with landscape structure and ecosystem functioning.
||
* Co-development of future climate and management scenarios that will be explored (Q1 2027)
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future evolutions until 2150 using hourly time series (Q1 2027)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape interactions (Q4 2027)
||
* Analysis on how interaction metrics might change in the future compared with historical evidence (Q4 2026);
|}

=== Outcomes ===
Holistic understanding of the complex interactions and feedbacks between the sediment composition of the shallow subsurface, nearshore morphodynamics in response to both storms and sea level changes.

A new community modelling system coupled with terrestrial, marine and groundwater sectors and produce numerical simulations which can be used to support multi-hazard analyses under present and future climate change scenarios. These deliverables will be combined with an assessment of the role of coastal habitats, resulting in national maps for protective services and vulnerabilities of coastal habitats to climate-driven multi-hazards. We will also provide tools to analyse the efficacy of future coastal management schemes.

These will deliver a step change in the management of gravel coastlines in the UK.

== History ==
This project started in response to the NERC funding opportunity called "[https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges: NERC highlight topics 2023]" (Topic F: ‘Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate’). The call was considered to be well aligned with the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/about-bgs/strategy-2023-to-2028/ science strategy plan 2023-2028] and in particular with the strategic priority on '''living with geological hazards''': ''to mitigate and adapt to risk, we will monitor, characterise and forecast earth hazard events and their likely impacts by improving harmonisation in hazard and risk analysis, as well as focusing on hazardous climate change''. The team was officially notified on the reception of this award on the 31st of January 2024 and the project started the 1st of February of 2024. Lead Grant Reference: [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_split.asp?awardref=NE%2FY503265%2F1 NE/Y503265/1]

== Media coverage ==
[https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/bgs-to-lead-new-research-project-on-barrier-systems-to-support-more-sustainable-coastal-management/ BGS news 06/12/2023]

== References ==
<references />

__notoc__
{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]

Category:Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate

2024-02-14T09:45:19Z

Agarcia:

== Research project ==
=== Background ===
Gravel-dominated beach and barrier systems are common around the UK and provide important coastal defences, especially in low-lying regions. A new, four-year research project, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and entitled ‘Gravel barrier coasts’ (UKGravelBeachesCoasts), will deliver enhanced understanding and modelling of gravel barrier systems. The project aims to support more sustainable coastal management by increasing resilience and reducing the vulnerability of coasts to climate change.

[[File:P025917.jpg|500px|thumb|center|Coast erosion at Pakefield south of Lowestoft. The low cliffs along the coast here are composed of Glacial Sands and Gravels, a loosely-aggregated deposit that offers little resistance to the erosive action of the sea. An exceptionally high tide on November 30th 1936 enabled the waves to attack the cliffs on the north side of Beach Street, causing strips of cliff to fall and abandoned houses to collapse into the sea.]]

This research project is possible thanks to the close collaboration between '''researchers''' from the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/ (BGS)], UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology [https://www.ceh.ac.uk/ (UKCEH)], and the University of Nottingham [https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ (UoN)], '''coastal engineering practitioners''' from Kenneth Pye Associates [https://www.kpal.co.uk/ (KPAL)], Moffat and Nichols [https://www.moffattnichol.com/ (M&N)], '''professional Earth Observation providers''' from [https://www.argans.co.uk/ ARGANS Ltd] and [https://www.isardsat.cat/ isardSAT], with the '''in kind support''' of professionals from the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture [https://www.cefas.co.uk/ (CEFAS)], the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds [https://www.rspb.org.uk/ (RSPB)], the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Research Group of the University of Granada [https://gdfa.ugr.es/ (GDFA)], the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute [https://www.afbini.gov.uk/ (AFBI)], the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland [https://www2.bgs.ac.uk/gsni/ (GSNI)], the Wales Coastal Monitoring Centre [https://www.wcmc.wales/ (WCMC)], and from '''government organizations''' such as Natural Resources Wales [https://naturalresourceswales.gov.uk/ (NRW)] and the Environment Agency [https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency (EA)]

=== Research questions ===
'''RQ#1''': How do decadal-scale morphodynamics of gravel barriers respond to changes in sea level, storminess and sediment supply, and influence coastal evolution? How will this impact the ecosystems they support?

'''RQ#2''': Under future climate change, will the coastal protection role of gravel barriers be compromised, potentially triggering management interventions?

'''RQ#3''': When and how does sediment transport on gravel barriers differ from more well studied sand cases?

'''RQ#4''': What is the internal structure and composition of gravel beaches and how do variations in composition influence beach morphology and dynamics?

'''RQ#5''': What is the role of hydraulic conductivity in influencing barrier behaviour?

'''RQ#6''': Can we quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment (marsh, lagoon, estuary), as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures?

=== Research approach ===
==== Hypothesis ====
To answer the research questions, we have adopted two main research hypotheses.
<blockquote>
'''H1:''' The topography and shallow-subsurface-structure of gravel barriers, including the backshore and nearshore areas control their short-term (overwash) to long-term (transgression) evolution in response to changes in sea level rise, storminess, and sediment supply.

'''H2:''' The critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures can be quantified from both field and numerical simulations under the assumptions of space-for-time substitution <ref name = "Lopez2020">Muñoz López, P., Payo, A., Ellis, M.A., Criado-Aldeanueva, F. and Owen Jenkins, G., 2020. A method to extract measurable indicators of coastal cliff erosion from topographical cliff and beach profiles: Application to North Norfolk and suffolk, East England, UK. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 8(1), p.20. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8010020].</ref> and the use of appropriate complexity modelling <ref name = "Frecnh2016">French, J., Payo, A., Murray, B., Orford, J., Eliot, M. and Cowell, P., 2016. Appropriate complexity for the prediction of coastal and estuarine geomorphic behaviour at decadal to centennial scales. Geomorphology, 256, pp.3-16. '''Open source paper''' [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.10.005].</ref>.

</blockquote>
==== Scope ====
The spatial-scope of this research will cover all gravel beaches in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). The temporal-scope will cover their evolution over the last 20,000 thousand years (e.g. to explore both creation of gravel barrier and evolution under different sea level rise scenarios) and will explore how they might evolve in the future to 2150.

<gallery widths=300px heights=200px mode=packed-overlay caption="Gravel beaches types">
File:P638726.jpg|Pure Gravel (G)
File:Picture1_150ppi.jpg|Mixed Sand and Gravel (MSG)
File:P025917.jpg|Composite Sand and Gravel (CSG)
</gallery>

Gravel beaches types may be categorised <ref name = "GravelBeachesType">'''CoastalWiki'''' [https://www.coastalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Gravel_Beaches&oldid=80049#Beach_types Gravel Beaches Types].</ref> according to the mixture of sands and gravels present, which has a significant influence on the beach slope and the more general morphological response of the beach to wave action. Four categories are defined as pure gravel (G), mixed sand and gravel (MSG), composite sand and gravel (CSG) and pure sand (S).
==== Objectives ====
The objectives of this project are listed below, with the research questions that they address indicated;

* '''O1''': Review the responses of gravel barriers to the relative sea level changes observed from 20,000 years to about 100 years ago, including periods when sea levels (see Fig 1) generally rose at different rates but also remained with little change over large periods (RQ#1, RQ#4).

* '''O2''': Review the performance of gravel barriers over the last two decades where the Environment Agency discontinued a policy of managing sea defences by reshaping of gravel barrier profiles and we have access to more detailed observations (RQ#1).

* '''O3''': Collect new field data to improve our understanding of sediment transport on gravel barriers, their shallow subsurface structure and effects of hydraulic conductivity on storm (individual) and decadal evolution (RQ#3, #5).

* '''O4''': Develop a broad-scale simulator of the evolution of a selected coastal barrier and backshore habitat, that account for changes in climate change, sediment supply and management interventions extending to 2150 (RQ#2, #5, #6).

* '''O5''': Quantify the critical interactions between gravel barriers and the back-barrier environment as well as the interplay between gravel barriers and coastal structures in representative field studies (RQ#2, RQ#6).

* '''O6''': Curate the data and models produced in this project beyond the lifetime of the project to enable further research and support decision making.

=== Program of work ===
To deliver the project objectives we have organised the work in five work packages:

[[File:GBCoast Approach WPs.png|600px|thumb|center|Diagram showing program of work of GBcoast project.]]

'''WP 0''' is where all the activities related with project management and coordination are integrated. This includes one in person meeting per year with all project partners and embedded practitioners that will act as project steering group and expert group providing data, access to networks and know-how. The main activities, milestones and deliverables of the WP1 to WP4 are summarised in the table below.

<blockquote>
Fundamental to our approach is that:
# Successful prediction of long-term barrier behaviour requires broad representation of the coastal systems of which they are a single part, and that,
# Modelling capability is improved in terms of prediction and relevance to coastal management decision making by integrating the expertise of successful and established practitioners in coastal geomorphology with numerical modellers of coastal processes.
</blockquote>

Overall, through system analysis and numerical modelling, based on four work packages, we will map and quantify gravel barrier responses to individual, ‘violent’, events such as storms in the context of longer-term ‘progressive’ impacts such as sea level rise, changes in sediment sources, and human interventions. New process understanding will be achieved by seamlessly combining innovative field observational approaches of surface and subsurface processes with advanced numerical modelling. The long-term numerical simulations will be based on predicted scenarios of sea level rise, increased wave heights and changes in coastal orientation based on UKCP18 and other recent climate change studies. The results will support improved and sustainable coastal management based on the improved understanding of how gravel barriers evolve over longer time scales under different climate conditions and human intervention scenarios. They will be a significant advance from the new comprehensive and novel, multi-scale observations of key processes that drive long-term gravel beach morphodynamic evolution.

{| class="wikitable"

|-
! Work Package !! Activities !! Milestones !! Deliverables
|-
|
'''WP1''': Spatial distribution and temporal evolution of UK gravel barriers and their back barrier ecosystems.
||
* Creation of UK gravel barrier and back barrier environments research database
* Apply state-of-the-art statistical methods to quantify joint and spatially coherent probabilities
* Optimisation of machine learning to quantify habitat structure and extent

||
* 1st sprint on geospatial platform development (Q1 2024)
* End of collecting management intervention data from local authorities (Q3 2024)
* Fast-track of statistical analysis for selected case studies (Q4 2024)
||
* Characterization of historical met-ocean drivers and topographical and shoreline metrics of change (Q1 2025)
* Geospatial platform on current and future gravel barrier habitat extent (Q4 2024)
|-
|
'''WP2''': Field data collection at selected case study sites
||
* Expanding satellite derived shoreline proxies in time and space
* Use [[:Category:Portable_streamer_traps_for_longshore_sediment_transport_measurement|DIST]] to create a unique field dataset of longshore sediment transport
* Characterisation of gravel barriers and broader context structure
* Field assessment and biophysical relationships between gravel barriers and vegetation
||
* Update requirements to produce satellite MSI and SAR historical shoreline database that will be used in this project (Q1 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for alongshore sediment transport campaigns (Q2 2024)
* Planning and equipment acquisition and risk assessment for in the field hydraulic conductivity surveys (Q2 2024)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape characteristics (Q4 2026)
||
* Extended database for Northern Ireland of 38 years of historical MSI WL and MSL tideline (Q4 2024)
* New database of historical SAR derived shorelines for designated case studies (Q4 2024)
* Database of alongshore sediment transport, hydrodynamic and structure (Q3 2025)
* Database of hydraulic conductivity before, during and after storms for selected case studies (Q4 2025)
|-
|
'''WP3''': Development of a broad-scale gravel barrier simulator
||
* The Coastal Modelling Environment ([[:Category:Coastal_Modeling_Environment|CoastalME]]) will be used to represent the shore between Overstrand and Blakeney.
* Explore how groundwater flooding and hydraulic conductivity affects both the backshore physic-chemical properties and drivers of change of the habitats we will use the British Groundwater Model (BGWM) developed for the Hydro-JULES research programme.
||
* 3D model of the topography and superficial deposits of the study area (Q4 2024)
* Cley Barrier groundwater simulator (Q4 2025)
* Added groundwater module, habitats, gravel barrier module and human management interventions into CoastalME (Q4 2026)
||
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future Cley Barrier in response to changes in sea level and human interventions (Q4 2026)
|-
|
'''WP4''': Quantify interactions and management intervention thresholds
||
* Use the databases generated in WP1&2 and the new modelling capabilities described in WP3 to quantify the interactions and management interventions thresholds for both the Cley/Salthouse Barrier and a number of typologies representing gravel barriers around the UK.
* Simulate the emergence and stability of barriers under variations in shoreface slope, rate of sea level rise and sedimentology.
* Use the UKCP18, available at UK scale, and state of the art downscaling approaches and the methods used in WP1 to create an ensemble of plausible, hourly time series to force our simulations.
* Use structural equation modelling (SEM) to build an overarching conceptual model will connect climate, geophysical and biogeographic drivers with landscape structure and ecosystem functioning.
||
* Co-development of future climate and management scenarios that will be explored (Q1 2027)
* Ensemble simulations of plausible future evolutions until 2150 using hourly time series (Q1 2027)
* Quantification of biophysical and landscape interactions (Q4 2027)
||
* Analysis on how interaction metrics might change in the future compared with historical evidence (Q4 2026);
|}

=== Outcomes ===
Holistic understanding of the complex interactions and feedbacks between the sediment composition of the shallow subsurface, nearshore morphodynamics in response to both storms and sea level changes.

A new community modelling system coupled with terrestrial, marine and groundwater sectors and produce numerical simulations which can be used to support multi-hazard analyses under present and future climate change scenarios. These deliverables will be combined with an assessment of the role of coastal habitats, resulting in national maps for protective services and vulnerabilities of coastal habitats to climate-driven multi-hazards. We will also provide tools to analyse the efficacy of future coastal management schemes.

These will deliver a step change in the management of gravel coastlines in the UK.

== History ==
This project started in response to the NERC funding opportunity called "[https://Addressing%20environmental%20challenges:%20NERC%20highlight%20topics%202023 Addressing environmental challenges: NERC highlight topics 2023]" (Topic F: ‘Building understanding of natural coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate’). The call was considered to be well aligned with the British Geological Survey [https://www.bgs.ac.uk/about-bgs/strategy-2023-to-2028/ science strategy plan 2023-2028] and in particular with the strategic priority on '''living with geological hazards''': ''to mitigate and adapt to risk, we will monitor, characterise and forecast earth hazard events and their likely impacts by improving harmonisation in hazard and risk analysis, as well as focusing on hazardous climate change''. The team was officially notified on the reception of this award on the 31st of January 2024 and the project started the 1st of February of 2024. Lead Grant Reference: [https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_split.asp?awardref=NE%2FY503265%2F1 NE/Y503265/1]

== Media coverage ==
[https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/bgs-to-lead-new-research-project-on-barrier-systems-to-support-more-sustainable-coastal-management/ BGS news 06/12/2023]

== References ==
<references />

__notoc__
{{author
|AuthorURL=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/people/payo-garcia-andres/
|AuthorFullName= Andres Payo
|AuthorName= Agarcia }}

[[Category:Coasts and estuaries geohazards]]