Title of the project
AdaptCoast – Modelling long-term morphological effects of intermittent human activities on beach-dune systems
Type
PhD Research
Duration
2024 – 2028
Persons involved
prof.dr. K.M. Wijnberg (Promotor)
dr.ir. G.H.P. Campmans (Daily Supervisor)
S. Florentina BSc MEng (PhD candidate)
Funding of the project
Part of the NWO-funded project AdaptCoast – Adaptive Coastal monitoring and modelling of intermittent anthropogenic and natural impacts on beach-dune systems
Summary of the research
Coastal dunes provide not only a natural barrier against storm surges and waves - preventing coastal flooding - but also provide value for tourism, recreation, as well as habitat for diverse plant and wildlife species. Amid the growing world population, it is also expected that anthropogenic influences in the beach-dune system will be increasing. While adding complexity towards its morphological process, the effects and dynamics of human activities in the beach-dune environment are still rarely taken into account and are thus not fully understood yet. Therefore, the objective of this research is to analyze and quantify intermittent human activities and its interaction with natural dynamics to assess impact on the development of beach-dune systems. Long-term effects of human activities on beach-dune systems will be investigated by using, and extending, a cellular automata model (DuBeVeg) for simulating Dune, Beach and Vegetation dynamics including human activities.
Keywords
Anthropogenic impact, human activity, beach morphology, dune development, aeolian transport, cellular automata model
More information
S. Florentina
Horst W207
s.florentina@utwente.nl