Larger-scale morphodynamic impacts of segmented shore-parallel breakwaters (SSPB) on coasts and beaches (LEACOAST2)

The proposed research is a collaborative project between the Universities of Liverpool, East Anglia and Plymouth, with involvement of international consulting companies: Halcrow and HR Wallingford, to study sediment transport under tide and wave conditions at Sea Palling, Norfolk, UK, where nine shore-parallel breakwaters were built some 10 years ago to protect the low-lying, flood-prone coastal area. The project will make extensive use of field measurements from advanced acoustic equipment, video cameras and radar, as well as computer models to investigate the effect of such breakwaters on long-term (~10 years) coastline changes. The project will provide valuable data sets and useful tools for future management of the world's coastal areas. The results from the project, together with the existing data, will also be used to improve current design guidelines for future coastal protection works, which is urgently needed in the light of increase of storminess and flood risk due to the climate changes caused by the global warming.