This article provides a general methodology for calculating the retreat of the coastline and the volume of sand necessary to renourish a beach due to sea level rise (SLR) in the medium-long term. An example is presented, Victoria Beach, and a projection is made for the years 2030, 2040, 2050, and 2100. The results obtained take into account global sea level rise (GSLR), which is worldwide, and local sea level rise (LSLR), which considers climate variability and vertical land movements. Regarding GSLR, data were provided by the projections from IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) scenarios and empirical models, such as Rahmstorf and Pfeffer. The LSLR data came from the tide gauge station located in Cadiz. Finally, the results obtained showed that global warming impacts erosive effects and the subsequent volume of sand required to renourish beaches. The total sea level rise (TSLR) projections indicated for Victoria Beach are relatively higher than the GSLR projections. Even in the best IPCC scenario (RCP 2.6), Victoria Beach presents a significant erosion of 52 m, requiring a volume of sand of 1.0 Mm³ to supply renourishment.

Sea level rise poses a major threat to dry beach areas, particularly in low-lying and managed coastal environments. Reliable assessments of future beach vulnerability therefore require the combined consideration of sea level rise, tidal regime, meteorological forcing, and wave-driven processes. Here, a physically based methodology is applied to evaluate future inundation and beach response at five representative sandy beaches along the southern coast of Spain. The selected sites span mesotidal Atlantic and microtidal Mediterranean settings. The approach integrates present-day conditions with sea level rise projections under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios, astronomical tide, and meteorological residuals. Wave run-up is estimated using the IH2VOF CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) model. Extreme still water levels and maximum inundation levels are derived for mid-century (2026–2045) and end-of-century (2081–2100) periods, and their impacts on available dry beach surface and beach width are quantified using cross-shore profiles. Results indicate a progressive reduction in dry beach surface and width across all sites, with impacts intensifying from mid- to end-century and from moderate to high-emission scenarios. While losses remain comparatively moderate under still-water assumptions, the inclusion of wave effects leads to substantially larger impacts. At the most vulnerable sites, dry beach surface losses reach up to 80% under still-water conditions, and up to complete loss (100%) when wave run-up is included, particularly along the mesotidal Atlantic coast. Overall, the results demonstrate that neglecting wave run-up can lead to a substantial underrepresentation of future beach inundation, and that its explicit inclusion provides a more reliable basis for beach management and adaptation planning under sea level rise.

Sea-level rise may substantially reduce the dry space available on sandy beaches, although its effects depend strongly on local beach characteristics. This study evaluates the residual spatial functionality of five beaches in southern Spain using two normalized indicators: residual available surface area (F_A) and residual available beach width (F_W). Both express the proportion of dry beach space remaining relative to a common present-day reference condition without wave run-up. The analysis builds on previously calculated inundation results for present conditions and Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios for 2026–2045 and 2081–2100, including astronomical tide, meteorological residual, sea-level rise, and wave run-up. Marked differences are observed among the studied beaches across both time periods. Under RCP 4.5 in 2026–2045, Torreguadiaro retains 85.1% of its reference area and 79.8% of its reference mean width. Rinconcillo retains 31.9% and 38.7%, respectively. Under RCP 8.5 in 2081–2100, these values decrease to 75.6% and 65.3% at Torreguadiaro. At Rinconcillo, they decrease to 7.1% and 17.6%. F_A and F_W also evolve differently among sites: their values remain relatively close at Malagueta but diverge markedly at Rinconcillo under the most severe scenario. Joint consideration of F_A and F_W therefore provides complementary information on the amount and configuration of residual dry beach space and may support comparison among beaches from a coastal management perspective.

Beach nourishment has become one of the principal soft-engineering strategies for mitigating coastal erosion while preserving the recreational, environmental and protective functions of sandy beaches. During the last four decades, Spain has accumulated extensive experience in beach nourishment, with annual nourishment volumes approaching 10 million m³ under a wide range of coastal settings. Many of the best-documented engineering examples originate from the Gulf of Cadiz, although the lessons synthesized here are interpreted within the broader context of Spanish coastal practice. This structured narrative review combines publications retrieved from Web of Science and Google Scholar with Spanish technical reports, project records, and institutional sources. It focuses on borrow-area characterization, sediment compatibility, construction quality control, post-nourishment monitoring, and adaptive management. Rather than providing a chronological description of nourishment projects, this review examines how repeated project implementation, monitoring and maintenance have progressively reduced uncertainty and improved engineering practice. Long-term nourishment performance is controlled more by sediment compatibility, local morphodynamics, and construction quality than by the total sediment volume placed. It also demonstrates that systematic monitoring provides the feedback required to improve future project design, optimize maintenance strategies and support evidence-based coastal management. The principal contribution of four decades of Spanish beach nourishment has been the progressive development of an engineering framework in which quality control, long-term monitoring and accumulated field experience continuously refine project planning and management. Although derived from Spanish practice, the lessons synthesized are broadly applicable to nourishment programs facing increasing pressures from climate change, sediment scarcity and growing environmental constraints.