The Effect of Beach Buildings on Decadal Dune Volume Development

Abstract

Dutch beaches are increasingly urbanized with both permanent beach pavilions and seasonal sheds and holiday houses. The effect of these buildings on long term dune development between 1999 and 2024 is studied in this paper along ~ 100 km of coast on the outer delta in the south western part of the Netherlands. A total of ~ 7000 beach buildings have been manually identified in this period based on satellite images and the time line function of Google earth desktop. The effect of the buildings is determined and analyzed at 477 cross-shore profiles with dune volumes and properties like dune toe, top and heel based on airborne lidar datasets of 1999 and 2024. On natural beaches the dune toe position is derived from profile information, whereas on urbanized beaches near buildings the dune toe is based on the location of the buildings. Yearly volume changes at the profile locations vary between -10 m3/m/y and up to 40 m3/m/y. The results indicate that smaller and standalone buildings allow for larger variations in dune volume changes and suggest that larger buildings and connected buildings impede natural dune dynamics which could impact coastal resilience in the long run.