RT journal article
T1 Coastline changes: A reconsideration of the prevalence of recession on sandy shorelines
A1 Woodroffe, C. D.
A1 Evelpidou, N.
A1 Delgado Fernández, Irene
A1 Green, D.
A1 Sengupta, D.
A1 Karkani, A.
A1 Ciavola, P.
A2 Ciencias de la Tierra
K1 coastal recession
K1 coastal erosion
K1 sea-level rise
K1 shoreline change
K1 satellite-derived shorelines
K1 sediment budget
AB It is often inferred that rising sea levels will result in widespread coastal recession. Erosionappeared prevalent in a worldwide compilation of evidence derived from maps and aerialphotographs undertaken in the 1980s by the Commission on the Coastal Environment. EricBird, chair of the commission, inferred that >70% of sandy coastlines had retreated, a generalisation that has been widely cited. We reconsider these findings in respect of subsequentadvances in shoreline mapping, including greater precision possible using geographical information systems and more frequent remote sensing imagery with increased spatial, spectral andtemporal resolution. Satellite-derived shorelines now enable broad global and regional generalisations about shoreline position. Beaches fluctuate over a range of timescales, meaning thattrends in their position are highly dependent on techniques and temporal scales adopted formonitoring. Recent global- and regional-scale shoreline assessments indicate that many sandyshorelines have been stable, and that detectable retreat has occurred on fewer beaches thanpreviously inferred. Accretion is apparent on some coasts, particularly where engineeringinterventions protect or have reclaimed land. There is considerable variability in the behaviourof monitored beaches, and it is not yet possible to decipher a response to the gradual centimetrescale rise in sea level of recent decades. Instead, we re-emphasise the several other factors thatwere considered to contribute to recession by the Commission, many of which relate to a changein sediment budget. To provide insights into future coastline behaviour, a better understandingof the multiple drivers on individual beaches is needed to discriminate between erosional eventsand longer-term trends in shoreline position.
PB Crambridge University Press
SN 2754-7205
YR 2025
FD 2025-08-14
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/38712
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/38712
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 10-may-2026