Coastal erosion and shoreline change
Coastal erosion is the reduction of physical land mass along the coastline. This is due to the interaction of various natural processes with the coastline (e.g. landslides, coastal and fluvial phenomena).
Erosion mainly takes the form of shifted sand during heavy storms or tidal waves. However, the coastline can recover during periods of calm.
Risks and causes
Consequences
What can you do?
There are no specific recommendations for this risk.
Check out our general advice to follow before, during, and after an emergency.
Impact and probability
The figures relating to probability and impact describe extreme coastal erosion. The BNRA theoretically describes such a scenario as follows:
- Erosion of the entire coastline affects densely populated urban areas and/or major industrial infrastructure.
- The incident occurs during the day, during the holidays or at weekends, when many people are at the beach.
- The erosion phenomenon lasts several days.
How should you interpret these results?
Within the BNRA, experts assessed three scenarios for each risk: considerable, major or extreme. On each page, you will find the results of the scenario with the highest score based on the combination of likelihood and impact. This does not mean that this scenario will occur or is the most likely. Read more here about how to correctly interpret the results.
Probability
Weak
Human impact
Weak
Societal impact
Weak
Environmental impact
Very weak
Financial impact
Moderate
What do the authorities do?
The Maritime and Coastal Services Agency (Agentschap Maritieme Dienstverlening en Kust) is responsible for coastal protection. It operates on the basis of a "Kustvisie" (Coastal vision) strategic orientation plan.
The Maritime and Coastal Services Agency carries out preventive tests to verify coastal safety. Based on these tests, sand is added where necessary. This process is called "suppleties" in Dutch. These actions are detailed in the Masterplan for Coastal Safety, which has already been largely implemented.