Experimental Investigation Of Coastal Foredune Erosion

Abstract

Low lying coastal foredunes can provide an initial buffer against near-shore wave attack, while higher elevated dunes can form a sheltering barrier against flooding of an adjacent hinterland (Temmerman et al. 2013). The Eiderstedt peninsula in Northern Germany harbors a dune system spanning roughly 8 km in north-south direction, consisting of an up to 2 km wide beach, lined by an elongated foredune of varying dune dimensions (Mehrtens et al. 2023). An established secondary dune chain closes a 1.2 km gap in the local dike system (see Fig. 1a and 1b). This work presents novel large-scale experiments on the influence of a foredune in front of a secondary dune during storm surge situations. Working hypothesis is that the foredune acts as a sediment buffer, damping incoming waves and reducing overall erosion on the main dune.