The coastal stretch located south of Mira beach, Portugal, is being monitored since 2007 with
the aim of register its morphological evolution. The monitoring program includes bathymetric and
topographic surveys, collection, analysis and characterization of sediments and field observations. This
paper presents monitoring results at some locations of this coastal sector and highlights the importance
of sediment characteristics for the persistence of erosion process. Dune retreats around 5m/yr and and
an aggressive erosion process point to the high vulnerability of important sectors of the Portuguese
coast, presently almost exclusively nourished by sediments from dune reserves.