Towards a climate resilient coast with CREST

Credit: VLIZ, Tina Mertens (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

The coordinator Jaak Monbaliu speaking: “Physical coastal processes are for example the erosion of beaches and dunes during storms, the possible impact of wave overtopping, but also of the slow rebuilding of the beach in calmer periods. Wind contributes to the growth of our dunes, but the same aeolian transport also creates nuisance by sand blocking of roads and tram tracks or clogging of sewers. Knowledge of our coastal system and the various processes that take place is the key to well-considered measures. Consolidation of existing and integration of new knowledge is needed to meet the challenges of the future, in particular those of a changing climate.”

The scientists within the project make use of mathematical expressions and complex computer models (numerical models) to calculate the impact of climate change on coastal protection measures and the efficiency of future protection measures. In order to improve and calibrate these mathematical expressions and numerical models scientists need data from real time situations in the field (e.g. storm events during winter) and from scale models in lab conditions (often called ‘physical models’). For this reason both field measurement campaigns and laboratory tests will be executed.

The knowledge gained by the CREST team will be translated into practical applications and shared in different ways with as many as possible users of our coast (like ngo, coastal communities, governmental agencies, representatives of the leisure and touristic sector …). Stay tuned for news on the CREST results, end user meetings on diverse themes and a lot more via the CREST newsletter. Subscribe here.

The project runs from November 2015 to October 2019. The ten research partner institutions involved are the Hydraulics Section of the KU Leuven (coordination), the Department of Civil Engineering of the Technology Campus Ostend of KU Leuven, RBINS-OD Natuur, the departments of Civil Engineering and Geography of Ghent University, Flanders Hydraulics Research, the department of Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering of VUB and the Flemisch governmental agencies Coastal Division and Maritime Access Division. The Flanders Marine Institute is responsible for the website and further outreach.