Coastal migration via satellite data

The shoreline is a highly dynamic land-sea interface that provides important services such as ecology, flood protection and recreation. It is constantly modified by wind, waves and tides, and impacted by human activity. Hence, the decadal change of shorelines reflect natural processes as well as human influence, whether positive or negative. Climatic-driven changes such as sea level rise, higher waves and changes in wind direction put increasing pressure on many of shorelines. Knowing how, and at what rate, our coasts are changing is the first step to successfully managing them.

The EMODnet Geology shoreline-migration map allows users to visualize pan-European and Caribbean coastal behavior for 1984-2022 at different spatial scales. A built-in search and zoom functionality allows online users to distinguish areas of landward migration (erosion or submergence), stability, and seaward migration (accretion or emergence) in various steps.

With the 2026 update, a graph is introduced for each measurement point which visualizes the shoreline positions through time, as well as additional information like the temporal trend-line, uncertainty and sediment type. The underlying, downloadable satellite-based dataset also offers this additional information.

With the new map, international policy makers can determine large-scale coastal vulnerability while national and regional coastal managers are able to fill existing gaps in field-monitoring data and to identify potential areas of rapid change.

The map also provides the general public with a useful insight into one of Europe’s most obvious climate-change effects. Most importantly, scientists may explain spatial patterns and provide feedback on methodological advantages as well as shortcomings, thus helping to optimize the big-data methodology used.