Vital coastal barriers

British coastal areas contain a variety of important resources, including wind farms, pipeline routes, marine aggregates and sensitive habitats in the offshore zone, and buildings, infrastructure, scenic landscapes and sensitive habitats on land. As the offshore and onshore elements of these coastal areas are linked through the exchange of sediment, a thorough knowledge of the underlying processes is essential for management of the resources. Predicted future rises in relative sea level and increased storminess mean that coastal areas are likely to be among the most sensitive to climate change.