Articles | Volume 26, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-1685-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-1685-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
A geospatial database of coastal characteristics for erosion assessment of Europe's coastal floodplains
Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
Robert J. Nicholls
Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
School of Engineering, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1 BJ, UK
Floris R. Calkoen
Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands
Deltares, Boussinesqweg 1, 2629 HV Delft, the Netherlands
Gonéri Le Cozannet
Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM), French Geological Survey, Orléans 45060, France
Arjen P. Luijendijk
Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands
Deltares, Boussinesqweg 1, 2629 HV Delft, the Netherlands
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Sea level rise and its acceleration are projected to aggravate coastal erosion over the 21st century. Resulting shoreline projections are deeply uncertain, however, which constitutes a major challenge for coastal planning and management. Our work presents a new extra-probabilistic framework to develop future shoreline projections and shows that deep uncertainties could be drastically reduced by better constraining sea level projections and improving coastal impact models.
Paula Camus, Ivan D. Haigh, Ahmed A. Nasr, Thomas Wahl, Stephen E. Darby, and Robert J. Nicholls
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In coastal regions, floods can arise through concurrent drivers, such as precipitation, river discharge, storm surge, and waves, which exacerbate the impact. In this study, we identify hotspots of compound flooding along the southern coast of the North Atlantic Ocean and the northern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. This regional assessment can be considered a screening tool for coastal management that provides information about which areas are more predisposed to experience compound flooding.
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Short summary
The CoasTER geographic database provides erosion relevant characteristics (sediment type, land use, geomorphology, historical shoreline movement trend) for Europe’s coastal floodplains. Building on earlier erosion research, it also includes a coastal geomorphological typology incorporating hard engineering and other infrastructure. Analysis demonstrates that episodic/long-term erosion and coastal flooding interactions are widespread and an important aspect within any management strategy.
The CoasTER geographic database provides erosion relevant characteristics (sediment type, land...
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