Lima, M.; Romão, F.; Husemann, P., and Coelho, C., 2024. Cross-shore sediment transport processes: The aeolian sediment effects on dunes. In: Phillips, M.R.; Al-Naemi, S., and Duarte, C.M. (eds.), Coastlines under Global Change: Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2024 (Doha, Qatar). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 113, pp. 443-447. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208.

Coastal dunes are formed by aeolian sediment transport, acting as natural flood and coastal erosion defense. Dune formation depends on the available quantity of sediments on the beach. The wind is responsible for moving sediments from the dry beach to the dune system, after the waves have moved the sand from the sea to the upper beach. The presence and growth of vegetation can stabilize the dune system, by sediment trapping and “anchoring″ through root processes. Fences are man-made structures with differentiate characteristics that mimic these processes and work as a physical barrier to the wind, promoting sediment deposition by reducing wind speed. In this work, a cross-shore numerical model was applied to simulate the effects of vegetation or fences in the coastal area of IJmuiden, The Netherlands. The effect of barriers to the wind was simulated by testing the impact of different values of aeolian sediment transport (QWINDS), on the seaward dune toe position. Results show the evolution of Y_S to the offshore direction when QWINDS is increased, but this evolution also depends on the beach width and shoreline variation rates.