The development of an integrated coastal simulator for supporting long term coastal management

The coastal simulator is designed to provide information on the possible future states of the coast through the 21st Century under a range of climate and socio-economic futures and shoreline management options. It links a series of models within a nested spatial framework that recognises three scales which provide boundary conditions to the smaller scale: (1) “global”; (2) regional (e.g. North Sea); and (3) the simulator domain (defined by discrete physiographic unit(s)). The linked models describe a range of processes, including marine climate (waves, surges and mean sea level), sand bank morphodynamics, wave transformation, shoreline morphodynamics, built environment scenarios, ecosystem change, and erosion and flood risk. The simulator includes a dedicated graphical user interface which allows a range of queries of the results, including visualisations. The prototype simulator is designed to support Shoreline Management Plans (SMP's), but provides a methodology that could support integrated coastal zone management.