Physical Geography

Sandy Coasts: Dynamics Through the First Quarter of the 21st Century

Throughout the 21st century, an acceleration of global mean sea level (GMSL) rise and increase in extreme water level events are widely expected. These factors are likely to have a significant impact on nearshore, beach, dune, and back barrier dynamics globally due to their sensitivity to changes in water levels. At the regional scale, the mode and timing of change will be variably affected by patterns of relative sea level, storm activity, framework geology, and anthropogenic development or intervention that can alter alongshore and cross-shore sedimentation processes. Given the concentration of human population and socio-ecological resources along the world’s coastlines, and the longer-term uncertainties of coastal sustainability, it is critical to assess how sandy beach and dune systems are responding to a changing climate.

The goal of this special edition is to provide an early benchmark of sandy coastal dynamics in the 21st century, through field, remote sensing, and model-based approaches, and prospectus on how process-form interactions may be modified during the coming decades.