Risk Mapping Assessment by Means of Probabilistic Storm Scenarios in a Partially Engineered Beach: Anglet, France

Abstract

The characterisation of storms and the associated damage level is essential to design correct risk mitigation strategies. The study site, an engineered beach located in the South West of France, is exposed to frequent storm events. The objective of the present work is twofold: (1) to obtain a risk map along the different sectors of the beach and (2) to find risk indicators suitable for the present study site. The storm scenarios are obtained from a hindcast database that includes 66 years of wave parameters. Six storm types have been chosen to be representative of the extreme wave climate of the study site based on the energy flux (EF) threshold. The beach response to storm events is alongshore non-uniform and closely linked to the cross-shore position of the seawall. Total storm power combined with water level and beach volume/width seems to be the best set of risk indicators for the present study site.