Coastal morphological modelling for decision makers

Using the Coastal Modelling Environment tool to change how the UK manages coastal risks.

Coastal Modelling Environment (CoastalME)

1 British Geological Survey, United Kingdom

2 Visiting Research Associate – British Geological Survey, United Kingdom

3 Department of Engineering Science, Oxford University, United Kingdom

4 Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom

5 Moffatt & Nichol and Visiting Research Associate – British Geological Survey, United Kingdom

Improved predictions are essential to quantify risks from coastal erosion and flooding. However, predicting how coastal landscapes change over decadal timescales raises challenges that don’t have solutions yet. The Integrated COASTal Sediment Systems (iCOAST) project funded by NERC from 2012 to 2016, provided essential demonstrations of new approaches to address this challenge.

Among the tools developed through the project, the engineering tool Coastal Modelling Environment (CoastalME) stood out. It is being used in the UK and internationally. It provides improved predictive capability for coastal adaptation. Modellers can use CoastalME to simulate the interaction of coastal landforms and human interventions for open coast systems. This enables users to model and visualise coastal landscape changes more effectively using commonly available spatial data. CoastalME is freely available, making it an accessible resource.

This research has resulted in significant changes in the way that the UK manages coastal risks. It enables better-informed use of the limited amount of coastal-aggregate material - the foundation of the human-natural UK defence system against coastal flooding and erosion.

CoastalME is used in several projects across the UK and Europe, as a planning tool in both research and engineering contexts.