Daily beach width of five Barcelona city beaches: Sant Sebastià, Barceloneta, Somorrostro, Nova Icària and Bogatell (2001-2022) [Dataset]

The beaches of Barcelona are sediment-starved, heavily engineered, and subject to frequent human interventions. Over two decades of daily shoreline data obtained through video monitoring have yielded a comprehensive dataset, which is analyzed to evaluate decadal shoreline dynamics, anthropogenic influences, and interactions with wave forcing across multiple urban beaches. Despite an overall erosive trend, shoreline retreat has been intermittently counteracted by periodic sand nourishments and the construction of coastal protection structures. A statistical definition of equilibrium shoreline position is introduced based on the frequency distribution of shoreline locations and potential drivers of abrupt shifts (“tipping points”) in shoreline behavior are identified. The analysis includes assessments of post-nourishment retreat rates and explores correlations between shoreline change and storm wave energy. While individual beach responses exhibit moderate correlation with wave energy, this relationship becomes more robust when data are aggregated over longer temporal windows or spatially across all beaches, highlighting the relevance of local controls. These findings provide a valuable first-order framework for anticipating shoreline behavior in urban beach settings and inform future coastal management strategies, although further refinement through advanced morphodynamic modeling is recommended to enhance predictive accuracy