DUKEx - Hybrid Dune Dike Experiments of Extreme Storm Hydro- and Morphodynamics, Overwash and Overtopping

The DUKEx (DUne diKE Experiments) dataset contains measurements from a large-scale physical modelling campaign conducted in 2026 (March-June) at the Large Wave Flume of Flanders Hydraulics within the Horizon Europe DuneFront project. The experiments investigated the hydrodynamic and morphodynamic performance of dune-dike hybrid Nature-based Solutions (DD-Hybrid NbS), which combine an erodible dune with a hard dike to provide both coastal flood protection and adaptive, nature-inclusive coastal management. A 1:12.5 Froude-scaled mobile-bed model was used to simulate storm impacts on nine principal dune-dike geometries derived from demonstrator sites in a meso-tidal area of the North Sea (Belgium, the Netherlands, and France). The test programme comprised 156 wave tests covering swash, collision, overwash, and transition-to-inundation conditions, with systematic variations in dune volume, dune crest elevation, and dune-dike spacing. Additional experiments addressed repeatability, varying water levels and wave conditions, infragravity-wave effects, and the HybridDune field configuration at the Dutch Sand Engine. The dataset includes synchronized measurements of water-surface elevations, near-bed flow velocities, suspended sediment concentrations, dune and foreshore morphology, pore-water pressures, water temperature, overtopping discharge, and overwashed sediment transport. An innovative overtopping and overwash measurement system enabled separate quantification of overtopped water volumes and sediment masses. Processed datasets were generated using Python workflows for signal filtering, LiDAR processing, and bed-profile reconstruction. The DUKEx dataset provides a unique experimental benchmark for understanding storm-induced dune erosion, dike exposure, overtopping, overwash, and sediment transport in dune-dike hybrid systems. It is intended to support the validation and development of process-based numerical models such as XBeach-SB, XBeach-NH, and SWASH, the development of predictive digital twins and decision-support tools, and the evaluation of hybrid coastal protection measures relative to conventional dune-only or dike-only defenses.