The Portuguese mainland coast once again suffered significant losses during the winter, with several stretches of the coast recording retreats of 20 meters from the beach line, destruction of access points and instability in cliff areas. The most recent data shows that the advance of the sea has caused visible changes in different regions of the country, also causing damage to coastal infrastructure.
According to the newspaper Expresso, the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) identified 749 occurrences and 571 damage situations in 147 locations along the coast in the last four months. Among the problems recorded are sea overtopping, collapse of beach accesses and significant loss of sediment.
Consecutive storms left marks
Much of this damage is associated with the succession of storms that hit the territory between the second half of January and the beginning of February. According to the same source, meteorological phenomena such as storms Ingrid, Joseph, Kristin, Leonardo and Marta affected the coast with particular intensity.
It took more than 20 consecutive days of storms to cause an impact comparable to that recorded during Storm Hercules, which hit the country in the winter of 2013 and 2014.
Extreme waves and sand loss
During this period there were episodes of particularly intense maritime unrest. The newspaper writes that the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) issued 24 orange warnings and four red warnings due to the swell, which exceeded eight meters and reached peaks of around 15 meters.
“The advance of the sea dragged large volumes of sand and caused coastal structures to collapse,” said the president of APA, José Pimenta Machado, quoted by the publication. According to him, the loss of sediment left several protective walls exposed and increased the vulnerability of several bathing areas.
Significant setbacks on several beaches
Some of the most significant examples occurred on the coast of the municipality of Ovar. According to the same source, São Pedro da Maceda beach recorded a retreat of around 20 meters between October and February, a value that exposes the fragility of that coastal stretch.
Other areas have also recorded significant losses in recent years. Setbacks of around 10 meters were measured in Pedrinhas (Cedovém), in the municipality of Esposende, 14 meters in São João da Caparica and around 15 meters in the Quarteira area (Forte Novo).
Researchers confirm new data
Recent studies carried out by researchers reinforce these numbers. “In Costa Nova we have one of the highest retreat rates: between October and March 3 there was a retreat of 13 meters”, explained specialist Paulo Baganha Baptista, from the University of Aveiro, cited by Expresso.
At Mira beach, the researcher added, “there was a retreat of around five meters over approximately one kilometer and occasional retreats of nine and 10 meters”, some of which occurred only during stormy days in February.
Urgent works and risk for some beaches
In view of the damage recorded, emergency interventions are planned at various points along the coast. According to , around 27 million euros should be invested by the end of 2026 in actions aimed at replacing sand, repairing protective structures and rebuilding destroyed accesses.
Still, admits the president of the APA, “there are beaches that may not open in the summer season for safety reasons”, especially in smaller areas surrounded by unstable cliffs.
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