Fresh groundwater in a large beach nourishments: Growth of freshwater resources in coastal areas

Abstract

Most coastal regions around the world rely on groundwater as their primary source of fresh water. One of the potential responses to protect coastal communities and their vulnerable fresh groundwater, is to actively protect the coast against erosion and flooding with beach nourishments (such as the Sand Engine). This raises the questions: What is the potential increase in fresh groundwater resources over a long period? What is the impact of tides, waves and storms on the fresh groundwater lens in the Sand Engine? What were the changes in the volume of fresh groundwater in the study area since the construction of the Sand Engine, and which processes drove these changes? These questions and more have been (partially) answered in this thesis.