Resistance and Climate Adaptation in Dune Systems

© Dirk Fleischer

Short description

In the ResCAD project, design tools for coastal protection dunes along the German Baltic Sea coast are being developed. These include a stochastic storm surge generator based on multivariate statistics to determine local hydraulic loads on a coastal section, as well as a statistical dune erosion model for fast and practical application in coastal management, utilizing process-based numerical models (XBeach, MIKE 21 HD).

Coastal systems worldwide are shaped by multiple forcing factors, including sea level rise, which is accelerating due to global climate warming—primarily driven by ice sheet melt and the thermal expansion of the oceans. The Baltic Sea coast is also affected, with projected sea level rises of approximately 80–100 cm by 2100 and beyond, depending on climate scenarios. This leads to an increased risk to critical natural habitats, residential and economic areas, and rising coastal protection costs. Higher water levels are associated with increased wave loading, which intensifies hydro-morphodynamic processes such as the erosion of beaches, cliffs, and coastal protection dunes. These dunes extend over 100 km of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s outer coastline and play a vital role in climate adaptation.

Coastal protection dunes are valuable touristic and ecological assets within the framework of soft, sustainable coastal protection. They facilitate natural sediment transport and integrate seamlessly into the landscape, while also dissipating wave energy and shielding the hinterland from storm surges. The current design concept forms the basis for maintenance measures, such as the periodic nourishment of eroded coastal sections (see Fig. 1). However, this approach is based on simplified assumptions, neglecting alongshore sediment transport and local wave conditions.

To meet the increasing demands of future coastal protection, ResCAD aims to provide practical tools for authorities and planning agencies responsible for dune maintenance. These tools should enable reliable assessments, comprehensive protection, and efficient management of state protection dunes. Two primary developments are planned:

    A "Storm Surge Generator" – designed to quantify the joint probabilities of hydrodynamic loads at selected locations along the southwestern Baltic Sea and to simulate extreme events under both present and projected climate scenarios.

    B "Dune Erosion Model" – developed to estimate dune erosion volumes for predefined storm surge scenarios, serving as a simplified surrogate model to replace more complex, process-based numerical simulations.

The research is conducted within the framework of the funding program "Development of Sustainable Solutions in Coastal and Flood Protection as well as Waterway and Port Maintenance," coordinated by the KFKI (German Coastal Engineering Research Council) and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

As part of ResCAD A, TU Dresden analyzes sediment dynamics based on the hydraulic forcing conditions provided by Hochschule RheinMain in ResCAD B. The erosion of beach and dune systems is examined using hydro-morphodynamic time series derived from various terrain models and validated through field measurements. Past extreme events—such as the Baltic Sea storm surge of October 20-21, 2023—serve as calibration cases for the numerical dune erosion model using XBeach, which provides phase-resolving simulations of wave transformation, water level fluctuations, and morphodynamics.

The calibrated model will then be used to analyze various physically consistent hydrodynamic scenarios generated by the storm surge generator. This includes evaluating the impact of changing boundary conditions on key dune structure parameters, such as rising sea levels and associated equilibrium profile adjustments.

Media

Project data

Project lead

© Andrè Terpe

Professor

Name

Mr Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Stamm

Chair Hydraulic Engineering, Dean Faculty Civil Engineering

Send email

Send encrypted email via the SecureMail portal (for TUD external users only).

Contact Information

Organization Name

Office of the Chair of Hydraulic Engineering

Office of the Chair of Hydraulic Engineering

Address work

Visiting address:

Haus 116, Room 04-22 August-Bebel-Straße 30

01219 Dresden

Show map of this location.

work Tel.

fax Fax

+49 351 463-37120

Office hours:

Please arrange a specific appointment in advance by phone.

Project management

© André Terpe

Research Associate

Name

Mr Dipl.-Ing. Dirk Fleischer

Send email

Send encrypted email via the SecureMail portal (for TUD external users only).

Contact Information

Organization Name

Office of the Chair of Hydraulic Engineering

Office of the Chair of Hydraulic Engineering

Address work

Visiting address:

Haus 116, Room 04-12 August-Bebel-Straße 30

01219 Dresden

Show map of this location.

work Tel.

fax Fax

+49 351 463-37120

Office hours:

Please arrange a specific appointment in advance by e-mail.

Project partners

Publications

https://fis.tu-dresden.de/portal/en/publications/rescad--neue-planungswerkzeuge-fur-dunensysteme-an-der-deutschen-ostseekuste(1a8236e7-8ca2-4dbf-912f-e8cbfa9fbf58).html

Further information

Currently no further information available.

Funding

The project is funded as part of the BMBF's funding announcement of 07.06.2021 "Development of sustainable solutions in coastal and flood protection and the maintenance of waterways and ports".

© BMBF

Visit website

© KFKI

Visit website

© FONA

Visit website

© Hochschule RheinMain

Visit website