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Overtopping phenomena and consequent floods cause significant damage to coastal communities. Morphological changes in front of structures during storms can influence their functionality, affecting their stability and leading to failures, impacting the population that are depending on those coastal interventions for their protection. The effect of climate changes, such as sea level rise and increase of the frequency and intensity of storms, can raise the number of overtopping events over defense structures, also increasing coastal morphological changes, challenging future managers, engineers and the scientific coastal communities. A review of morphological changes in front of coastal defense structures and in natural barriers due to overtopping, wave run-down and reflux was conducted. The objective of this review was to find and gather relevant information, sometimes dispersing, reflecting and grouping the concepts found in the literature. Additionally, the gaps in scientific research are addressed, focusing on topics that may be enhanced. Several keywords used in the research were presented, emphasizing the relationship between overtopping and models (physical and numerical), storms, defense structures and morphological changes, also related to wave run-down during storms. The results show that there is limited information available that is mainly related to morphological changes in front of coastal defense structures during storm events, showing an opportunity to develop knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overtopping phenomena and consequent floods cause significant damage to coastal communities. Morphological changes in front of structures during storms can influence their functionality, affecting their stability and leading to failures, impacting the population that are depending on those coastal interventions for their protection. The effect of climate changes, such as sea level rise and increase of the frequency and intensity of storms, can raise the number of overtopping events over defense structures, also increasing coastal morphological changes, challenging future managers, engineers and the scientific coastal communities. A review of morphological changes in front of coastal defense structures and in natural barriers due to overtopping, wave run-down and reflux was conducted. The objective of this review was to find and gather relevant information, sometimes dispersing, reflecting and grouping the concepts found in the literature. Additionally, the gaps in scientific research are addressed, focusing on topics that may be enhanced. Several keywords used in the research were presented, emphasizing the relationship between overtopping and models (physical and numerical), storms, defense structures and morphological changes, also related to wave run-down during storms. The results show that there is limited information available that is mainly related to morphological changes in front of coastal defense structures during storm events, showing an opportunity to develop knowledge.

Worldwide coastal zones present serious erosion problems that cause loss of territory. This phenomenon exposes people and goods to the threat, being necessary to carry out a well-founded management of these areas. Coastal erosion risk assessment methodologies are an important tool for coastal management. The main goal of the present study was to evaluate and discuss coastal management strategies based on the application of a methodology of coastal erosion risk classification, allowing easy comparison of scenarios. The study was developed for the Portuguese coastal stretch Barra-Vagueira. CERA methodology and its plugin for QGIS software were applied in order to assess the erosion risk of Barra-Vagueira stretch for different coastal erosion mitigation scenarios. First, an analysis of the coastal erosion risk was carried out based on bibliographic elements and present situation characterization. Subsequently, the erosion risk was assessed considering defence, relocation and nourishment strategies scenarios and climate change scenarios. The study based on bibliographic elements shows that the coastal region between Barra and Vagueira has a high risk of coastal erosion. Generally, the different scenarios tested represent variations on coastal erosion risk classification, allowing a simple first approach to evaluate coastal erosion mitigation scenarios, helping planning and decision-makers. Performing measures that allow to constrain the shoreline retreat, as artificial nourishments, leads to greater benefits in reducing the area of the territory classified with higher risk. New coastal defence structures allow to mainly decrease the stretch's susceptibility to coastal erosion. The relocation of population leads to a decrease in the area of the territory classified as very high-risk. Climate change increases the erosion risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A user-friendly system designed to understand local littoral processes and design/evaluate coastal interventions, named the Coastal Modeling System (SMC ε) is presented. The system, which comprises a set of numerical models, state-of-the-art methodologies and numerical databases, is prepared to provide a method for coastal practitioners, researchers and decision-makers to address coastal issues, such as erosion and flooding or to evaluate coastal defense structures. The system incorporates a method to transfer numerically generated, calibrated and validated wave series to the surf zone; to estimate the sediment littoral drift by means of up-to-date formulations; and to estimate the flooding level and impacts such as those produced by climate change. In this paper, these skills are detailed. The system, which is adaptable to any coastal region, was implemented for the Brazilian coast (SMC-Brasil). The implementation includes databases and methodological adaptations to local characteristics, a dissemination plan and the development of several study cases. Highlights • SMCε is modeling software to deal with all stages of Coastal Engineering Projects. • Database includes 60-year time series of waves, storm surge and astronomical tide. • Methodology/models to study dynamics/impacts at all scales including climate change. • Erosion/flooding assessment due to interventions/natural causes even climate change. • SMCε is free and adaptable to any country. Adaption to Brazilian coast is described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]