Evaluation of emerging behaviours on anthropogenic shores with a cellular automata model

This study aims to develop a model to explore the emerging morphological development of anthropogenic shores. We extended an existing Cellular Automata model for the combined development of Dunes, Beaches and Vegetation (DuBeVeg) by including longshore sediment transport and coastline retreat, sand armouring of the beach, and the formation of beach scarps due to wave action. These processes were combined with aeolian, hydrodynamic, groundwater, and vegetation dynamics that were already represented in the model. The extended model was evaluated for a schematized version of the Sand Motor, a mega-nourishment in front of the Dutch coast. The simulated scale and types of dunes compared well with the real dunes that have developed on the Sand Motor since its construction in 2011. These preliminary results show that the extended model can represent the development of mega-nourishments realistically and can be used to assess the goals of such anthropogenic shores for different configurations and scenarios.