Linking Beach Recreation to Weather Conditions: A Case Study in Zandvoort, Netherlands

Abstract

Beach recreation is one of the most weather-sensitive leisure activities. However, there is a lack of scientific knowledge about how the different weather/climate variables influence beach visitation levels, and the role of other factors such as the hour of the day or the day of the week. This study, carried out during the summer of 2006, uses webcams in combination with real-time weather data as an innovative approach to study the relationship between weather and beach use in Zandvoort, a seaside town in The Netherlands. Over a period of 6 weeks, images were taken hourly and for every day, and then compared to the specific weather conditions from a nearby weather station to assess the relationship between beach visitation and atmospheric conditions. Precipitation has an overriding effect over other weather variables while high temperatures lead to higher beach visitation. These results indicate that webcam-based research is a promising field that can provide important information for coastal planning and climate change research.