The sand may deplete greatly during storms.

Backshore nourishment, in which sand is stockpiled on the backshore (part of the beach above the foreshore, which is only exposed to waves under extreme events) to strengthen the dunes against erosion and breaching in case of storm.

Wind will then distribute the sand onshore and in the dunes.

Beach nourishment, in which the sand is spread over the beach where erosion is occurring to compensate shore erosion and restore the recreational value of the beach.

Several beach nourishment techniques can be used:

Beach nourishment is common practice in the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the UK and Denmark. The technique has been used in the United States since the 1920s and in Europe since the early 1950s. It rather addresses sediment deficit by providing additional sediment from external sources, often requiring repeated interventions. The process involves dredging material (sand, gravel, small pebbles) from a source area (offshore, near-land or inland) to feed the beach where erosion is occurring. Beach nourishment also often aims at maintaining beach width for tourism and recreational purposes.

Nourishment may also use gravel and small pebbles, in particular for the shoreface (the nearshore area within the low water mark and the limit where fair weather waves interact with the seabed). Beach nourishment or replenishment is the artificial placement of sand on an eroded shore to maintain the amount of sand present in the foundation of the coast, and this way to compensate for natural erosion and to a greater or lesser extent protect the area against storm surge.

Building a small scale dredge