Background
Beach nourishment is proposed to be a better alternative for shore protection than the construction of solid structures like groins, breakwaters, seawalls, … because it allows the conservation of more natural processes normal to the dynamic beach environment.
Few well conducted studies seem to be present. Furthermore we seem to be lacking a comprehensive overview of the beach ecosystem involving:
- hydrodynamics and sedimentology
- vegetation
- high beach arthropods
- intertidal macro- and meiobenthic infauna
- surf zone fish
- shorebirds
- phytobenthos
All these biological components of the ecosystem are dealt with in this study by several partners. Thus, an integrated overview of the Flemish beach ecosystem and its sensitivity to beach nourishment will be obtained.
In this study "a beach" is defined as consisting of:
- the seaward orientated base of the outer dunes
- the dry part of the beach (including drift line)
- the intertidal zone
- the shallow subtidal part below the intertidal zone (surf zone and breaker zone below MLLWS)
