Title Page -- Contents -- Abstract -- Samenvatting -- Chapter 1 Introduction -- Dune erosion -- Societal importance -- Process-based modeling of dune erosion -- Thesis outline -- Chapter 2 Large scale dune erosion tests -- Introduction -- Physical model description and instrument deployment -- Set up of physical model -- Test programme -- Instrument deployment -- Measured profiles and erosion volumes -- Profiles -- Erosion volumes -- Detailed test results -- Waves -- Flow -- Sediment concentrations -- Sediment transports -- Effect of the wave period -- Conclusions -- Chapter 3 Interaction of dune face and swash zone -- Introduction -- High resolution dune face reconstruction from stereo images -- Introduction -- Camera model -- Camera calibration -- Image pre-processing -- Feature matching -- World coordinates from feature matching -- An example reconstruction -- Dune face erosion due to wave impacts -- Previous studies on dune face erosion due to wave impacts -- Visual observations during the Deltaflume experiment -- Dune face impact model -- Chapter 4 Modeling near dune hydrodynamics -- Introduction -- Model description -- Model boundaries -- Hydrodynamic simulation for the Deltaflume experiment -- Hydrodynamic simulations for the La Jolla field experiment -- Interaction between short wave groups and long waves -- Conclusions and discussion -- Chapter 5 Modeling near dune sediment suspensions -- Introduction -- Data analysis -- 1DV Sediment suspension model -- 1DV Model description -- Simulations -- Wave and depth averaged sediment concentration formulation -- Conclusions and discussion -- Conclusions -- Discussion and recommendations -- Chapter 6 Modeling dune erosion -- Introduction -- Model adaptations and extensions -- Wave energy dissipation formulation -- Equilibrium sediment concentration formulation -- Wave shape model.

Hard structures -- Model optimization -- 1D Morphodynamic simulations -- Deltaflume experiment -- Dune revetment -- Calm and moderate conditions -- 1953 storm surge -- Model sensitivity -- Importance of long waves and short waves -- Sediment supply from dunes by avalanching -- 2DH Morphodynamic simulations -- Uniform coast -- Alongshore variability in dune height -- Alongshore variability in bathymetry -- Interaction between a dike and dunes -- Summary and Conclusions -- Chapter 7 Conclusions and recommendations -- Conclusions -- Recommendations -- References -- List of symbols -- Appendix A Description of the morphodynamic model XBeach -- Appendix B Model input files -- Acknowledgements -- Curriculum Vitae.