A new two-year research project has been launched to identify the effects of climate change and coastal erosion on Scotland's coastline.

Led by the Scottish Government and Scottish Natural Heritage, DynamicCoast.com will use the latest monitoring techniques to map and categorise the resilience of the Scottish coast and identify the links between erosion and flooding.

Researchers at the University of Glasgow will focus on study sites including Montrose Bay, St Andrews and Skara Brae to forecast future change and erosional damage. In addition, they will work with stakeholders such as local authorities, SEPA and Historic Environment Scotland to develop plans to mitigate these effects.

More than 9,000 buildings, 500 kilometres of road, 60 kilometres of rail track, 300 kilometres of water supply lines and airports are currently protected by natural defences.

This latest phase of work follows on from ‘Dynamic Coast: Scotland's National Coastal Change Assessment' (NCCA). Published in August 2017, the assessment used more than 2,000 maps and one million data points to identify past erosion and growth rates, therefore allowing researchers to examine the potential change to Scotland's coastline by 2050.

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However, with around 19% (3,802km) of Scotland's coastline being 'soft' and at risk of erosion, Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said action must be taken now to "adapt and adjust" to future changes.

"Rising sea levels, increased coastal erosion and flooding have caused substantial damage to our coastlines and communities over the last few decades and the pace of erosion is increasing," she said.

"This research will forecast the extent of damage that could be caused to our precious coastlines through the effects of climate change and will work with communities, local authorities, transport agencies and other planning bodies to develop plans to manage coastal change before it's too late."

SNH Chairman, Mike Cantlay, said Scotland's beaches and dunes protect around £13 billion worth of buildings and roads.

"That is more than twice that currently protected by seawalls," he said.

"By their dynamic nature, shifting sand dunes can replenish areas of shoreline; as such they are our natural defences. This ensures that our beaches and dunes can be a natural ally in combating the effects of climate change. And by working with nature at the coast, we can help ease and adapt to climate change impacts – in particular sea level rise and storms."

Dynamic Coast's Principal Investigator, the University of Glasgow's Professor Jim Hansom, said: "We are now facing decades of future sea level rise and increasing erosion and flooding at the coast, so we need to better understand the increased risk posed by climate change to coastal assets and communities.

"We need to know whether to adapt, defend or move those coastal assets as well as how social justice might be better incorporated into future policies. Failure to act now will lead to enhanced costs and impacts later."

(LM/MH)