CoPraNet: ESPINHO - 100 years of Beach Protection

Since the construction of the first sea defences in 1909 (destroyed in 1911), successive generations have watched the Espinho coastline retreating and progressing, landward and seaward by many meters. Nowadays, the city is artificially protected by two large groynes, one in the north extending for 350m and another in the south for 400m, and a 400m seawall. The situation is now considered to be stable thanks to these protections.

This case study report features a comprehensive chronology of erosion events in Espinho, and gives an overview of the past and current issues concerned with it.