Sand nourishment for multifunctional coastal climate adaptation: three key implications for researchers

Nature-Based Solutions, vol. 6, pp. 100191

Abstract

Increased climate impacts threaten coastal functions globally, highlighting the need for multifunctional coastal climate adaptation. Sand nourishment can adapt sandy coasts to sea level rise, mitigate erosion, increase flood safety, enhance ecological habitats and expand recreational space. Therefore, sand nourishment is increasingly regarded as a promising nature-based strategy for coastal climate adaptation. However, despite this growing recognition, the assessment of how sand nourishment design impacts multifunctional adaptation remains limited. In this perspective article, we argue for three key lessons for researchers to optimise assessing multifunctional coastal climate adaptation by sand nourishment. We conducted stakeholder workshops to scope and inform our perspective, performed semi-structured literature reviews to concretise and validate this for international applications, built a qualitative model to visualise our interdisciplinary overview of how nourishments impact coastal multifunctionality, reflected on this in expert workshops, and identified implications for researchers. In this manner, we assessed the effects of nourishment design on coastal morphology, ecology, socio-economics and ecosystem services in realising the key policy goals of flood safety, nature and recreation. We found that sand nourishment design can result in conflicts between policy goals, generate ambiguous outcomes and lead to system-wide feedback effects. As such, we identified three key lessons: (1) conflicts between policy goals require informing political decision-making on prioritisation between coastal functions, (2) concreteness is needed on otherwise ambiguous functions, and (3) ongoing, multidisciplinary system-wide monitoring is essential. We thus call for a holistic approach to sand nourishment design and encourage researchers from diverse expertise and localities to expand on and adapt our findings to optimise informing sand nourishment design for delivering multifunctional coastal climate adaptation worldwide.

Authors 13

1. Haye Hendrik Geukes corresponding Aachen Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML)

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

2. Tosca Thalia Kettler

   Delft University of Technology

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands

3. Eva M. Lansu

   Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Coastal Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Den Burg, The Netherlands

4. Vincent Bax

   HZ University of Applied Sciences

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Technology, Water & Environment, Building with Nature Research Group, HZ University of Applied Sciences, Middelburg, The Netherlands

5. Solveig Höfer

   University of Groningen · Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research

   Affiliation as printed

   Conservation Ecology Group, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

   Department of Coastal Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Den Burg, The Netherlands

6. Matthieu Andreas De Schipper

   Delft University of Technology

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands

7. Renske C. de Winter

   Deltares

   Affiliation as printed

   Unit Hydraulic Engineering, Deltares, Delft, The Netherlands

8. Arjen Pieter Luijendijk

   Deltares · Delft University of Technology

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands

   Unit Hydraulic Engineering, Deltares, Delft, The Netherlands

9. Valérie C. Reijers

   Utrecht University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Physical Geography, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

10. Peter M. van Bodegom Aachen Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML)

    Leiden University

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

11. Wietse I. van de Lageweg

    HZ University of Applied Sciences

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Technology, Water & Environment, Building with Nature Research Group, HZ University of Applied Sciences, Middelburg, The Netherlands

12. Tjisse van der Heide

    University of Groningen · Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research

    Affiliation as printed

    Conservation Ecology Group, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Department of Coastal Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Den Burg, The Netherlands

13. Alexander P.E. van Oudenhoven Aachen Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML)

    Leiden University

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands