The sandy beaches of Poole Bay in Dorset, UK are eroding, in part due to sea level rise. Allowing this shoreline to retreat is impractical and therefore the beach between Sandbanks and Branksome Dene Chine was improved by a recharge scheme during the winter 2005–2006. The coastal defence strategy envisages further recharge schemes at intervals of approximately 10 years to protect the sea walls, so preventing recession of the sandy cliffs behind them. Four preferred schemes were recommended and used for public consultation. These options were then refined using numerical modelling, making different assumptions about how climate change might affect future wave conditions. This modelling showed that no control structures were necessary along the western part of the study frontage. The study finally recommended five new groynes at the eastern end of Poole Borough's coastline. This scheme, which was completed in May 2009, was more modest than originally envisaged, so reducing its costs and its effects on the amenity value and aesthetics of the beaches. Through appropriate application of a numerical model the final scheme selected provided significant cost savings and additional amenity and aesthetic benefits.

The Cempedak Bay beach stability assessment was performed by comparing the spatial and temporal pattern of beach variability before and after sand nourishment. The analysis of temporal sand volume patterns shows that the beach has lost about 6% or 10 000 m³ volume of sand which is equivalent to 4 m³/m per year from the nourishment zone over the 2·5-year monitoring period. The present shoreline recession rate is established to be 1·7 m/year (valid for data set of March 2005 to July 2007). The analysis of seasonal changes is assessed through temporal beach volume patterns, which indicate that shoreline variability can be characterised by an alongshore rhythmic pattern of alternating seasonal behaviour. A simple seasonal transport pattern is proposed to account for alternating erosion and accretion. The temporal distribution pattern of beach level changes reveals the existence of a nodal point around 40 to 50 m offshore, which is influenced by the monsoonal system. The spatial distribution of the beach width indicates that the northern beach area is wider whereas the southern beach area experiences lower beach width, which is coincident with the temporal pattern of sand volume and beach profile changes. A slight beach rotation does exist attributed to a seasonal or periodic shift in wave climate, in particular wave direction. The planform stability of the beach is tricky to determine due to model uncertainties, especially the selection of the diffraction point. This baseline study is important towards the development of a process-based model in order to investigate the morphological nearshore behaviour of headland bay beaches.

Short-term sea level variability is investigated by analytical methods to ascertain whether there is a link between peak tidal residuals in the Gulf of Paria (GoP), Trinidad, and peak river outflow from the Orinoco on the Venezuelan mainland. Analysis of tidal data suggests that although the Orinoco delta fronts the Atlantic ocean, significant volumes of this river runoff enter into the GoP and play a role in seasonal sea level variation on the western coastline of the southernmost Caribbean island of Trinidad. The indications from various statistical analyses including harmonic, spectral and time series analyses of tide gauge data are that mean seasonal variations in water level in the north of the GoP exhibit a positive temporal correlation between the tidal residuals and the peak river discharge associated with the Orinoco's seasonal cycle. The maximal de-tided residuals are strongly correlated with maximal values of the river runoff, as well as the discharge trend, with the residual values at initial average estimates of about 12–15 cm/year.

The 24 papers and posters presented at the eighth Young Coastal Scientists and Engineers Conference held at Bangor University in April 2012 were of a high standard, typical of that expected at a leading international conference. They gave a good indication of the breadth of basic and applied research currently being pursued in UK universities and consultancies. Papers covered a wide range of topics, including coastal management, shelf sea turbulence, renewable energy, cliff erosion, sediment transport, morphological modelling, nutrient and pollution transport, and scour protection, to mention but a few. This briefing reproduces the abstracts of the two Keynote lectures and of three presentations judged by the organising committee to be of particular merit. The next UK Young Coastal Scientists and Engineers Conference will be organised by Marine Scotland in Aberdeen in spring 2013.

This paper presents an integrated coastal engineering numerical model. The model simulates the linear wave propagation, wave-induced circulation, sediment transport and bed morphology evolution. The model consists of three main modules: Wave-LS, Wave-L and Coast. The large-scale module Wave-LS is based on the numerical solution of the directional wave energy balance equation. The near-shore wave transformation module Wave-L is based on the hyperbolic-type mild slope equation and is valid for a compound wave field near coastal structures where the waves are subjected to the combined effects of shoaling, refraction, diffraction, reflection (total and partial) and breaking. Radiation stress components (estimated from the large-scale module as well as from the hyperbolic wave module) drive the depth-averaged circulation module Coast for the description of the near-shore currents and sediment transport in the surf and swash zone. The module Coast is coupled with a three-dimensional bed evolution module to predict coastal bathymetry changes.

Pianc is a professional organisation in which those involved with the design, construction and management of waterborne transport infrastructure around the world, join forces to provide expert advice on cost-effective, reliable and sustainable facilities. The organisation was established to facilitate the growth of waterborne transport in 1885. Its areas of interest cover ports, inland waterways and the coastal zone. Members include national government bodies and public authorities, corporations and individuals.

Due to the construction of two cross-shore groynes near Waarde in the Western Scheldt estuary, the Netherlands, morphological changes in the area have occurred. A mud flat has developed between the groynes and at the tip of the groynes scour has occurred which has contributed to channel migration. Both the sand and mud fraction have contributed to this change. In this paper a process-based morphological model is presented that can reproduce most morphological changes thanks to the fact that both fractions are taken into account, as well as the interaction between sand and mud. Using the model, 5 years of morphological changes were simulated from the construction of the groynes onwards. The Brier-skill score of the erosion/sedimentation pattern is 0·35, which means that the model has significant skill and can be classified as reasonable. A regression coefficient of 0·66 is found for the observed and modelled mud content in the bed after 5 years, which means that the model can reproduce the mud content reasonably well for most locations. The model can clearly distinguish between a sand- or mud-dominated area.