Erosion occurs on all of Iceland's coasts. This is often because of glacial melting but is also due to some areas of Iceland's coast being lower in sea level than others. Some of these areas are archaeological sites with artifacts dating back to the age of Vikings and medieval era. The extent to which coastal erosion is a problem is unknown. Most studies are centered around the soil erosion experienced in Iceland but steps are being taken to handle this issue and the coastal erosion. In places like Önundarfjörður bay in the Westfjords of Iceland to areas like the Snæfellsnes peninsula, archaeological sites along the shores of Iceland are being quickly eroded away.
A preliminary study found most of Iceland's coast to be tolerable while much of the south west coast experienced the most severe erosion. This is due to glacial melting. The Breiðamerkursandur shoreline's rate of erosion measured are 4.5 m of coastline per year in 2004. A proposed plan to once again place 'armour stone' along the coast and divert a road way farther from the coast has been recommended in order to reduce erosion. It is a costly expense at about 1.7 million USD.
Armour stone is pictured beneath the graph showing soil erosion throughout Iceland and it's coasts.
Rip currents along Iceland's coast have lead to many fatalities. In the case of the famous tourist spot Reynisfjara beach, people are often warned to stay away from the water's edge. Warnings aren't always heeded, most notably by tourists, and are either rescued or die as a result. The Iceland Association for Search and Rescue (ICE-SAR) and the South Iceland Police conclude that extra security measures must be taken in order to safe guard people on this beach and others. This has yet to be completely sorted out and for the time being, ICE-SAR is still often called out to rescue those who get caught in rip currents when getting too close to the water's edge.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shores_of_Akranes.jpg
http://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/nature_and_travel/2016/02/09/reynisfjara_to_get_extra_safety_supervision/
http://icelandmag.visir.is/article/invaluable-treasures-being-washed-sea-erosion-threatens-archaeological-sites
http://www.vegagerdin.is/vefur2.nsf/Files/2005_strandrof_strandvarnir_Breidamerkurs/$file/Coastal%20erosion%20and%20coastal%20protection%20near%20the%20bridge%20across%20J%C3%B6kuls%C3%A1%20river,%20Brei%C3%B0amerkursandur,%20Iceland.pdf
http://www.rala.is/desert/4-1.html
https://hmdecozine.com/2014/01/21/iceland/
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