Coastal defence through wave farms

The possibility of using wave farms for coastal defence warrants investigation because wave energy is poised to become a major renewable in many countries over the next decades. The fundamental question in this regard is whether a wave farm can be used to reduce beach erosion under storm conditions. If the answer to this question is positive, then a wave farm can have coastal defence as a subsidiary function, in addition to its primary role of producing carbon-free energy. The objective of this work is to address this question by comparing the response of a beach in the face of a storm in two scenarios: with and without the wave farm. For this comparison a set of ad hoc impact indicators is developed: the bed level impact (BLI), beach face eroded area (FEA), non-dimensional erosion reduction (NER), and mean cumulative eroded area (CEA); and their values are determined by means of two coupled models: a high-resolution wave propagation model (SWAN) and a coastal processes model (XBeach). The study is conducted through a case study: Perranporth Beach (UK). Backed by a well-developed dune system, Perranporth has a bar between − 5 m and − 10 m. The results show that the wave farm reduces the eroded volume by as much as 50% and thus contributes effectively to coastal protection. This synergy between marine renewable energy and coastal defence may well contribute to improving the viability of wave farms through savings in conventional coastal protection.     

A qualitative and quantitative assessment of the reproductive litter from Posidonia oceanica accumulated on a sand beach following a storm

The biomass of reproductive litter from Posidonia oceanica deposited on a 3.5 km stretch of beach in the north-western Mediterranean, as a consequence of a storm in May 2004, was quantified. The damage caused by this storm to the meadow from which fruits originated was evaluated in terms of loss of seed production. Intermediate fruits (i.e., developing fruits) were the most important reproductive component, followed by immature and damaged fruits. No fully mature fruits were found. No significant differences in the average number of fruits and biomass accumulated were detected among beach sections hundreds of metres apart. Extrapolation of the results at four beach sections indicated that about 1 million fruits were deposited on the entire (3.5 km) beach. This was equivalent to the seed production potential of about 313,217 inflorescences, or a flowered area of 1500 m². The organic input to the beach was 224 kg ash-free dry weight (AFDM). These results suggest that storms may provide an unpredictable source of seed mortality in P. oceanica. The reproductive material produced by storms, however, may constitute an important source of allochthonous organic matter to the beach.     

Coastal erosion through integrated management: A case of Southern Thailand

This study presents how Thailand applied an integrated approach to tackle erosion problems by using a case study in Nakorn Si Thammarat province. Communities along 36 km of coastline suffered from continual erosion. Community members believed the erosion was a natural phenomenon that was intensified by human actions. Historical erosion rate estimated by overlaying aerial photographs was about 5 m per year, while LITPROF simulations suggested that approximately 5 m of beach dune would be eroded by storm waves. Stakeholders were identified based on power and legitimacy criteria. Their past attempts to mitigate the erosion were analyzed. Conflicts arose from how they selected erosion protection methods. Lessons learnt from previous management failures taught that addressing needs of the stakeholders and consulting them throughout the design process were of importance. Finally, a combination of detached nearshore breakwaters and beach nourishment was the selected protection measure and was welcome by the communities.     

Numerical simulation of a low-lying barrier island's morphological response to Hurricane Katrina

Tropical cyclones that enter or form in the Gulf of Mexico generate storm surge and large waves that impact low-lying coastlines along the Gulf Coast. The Chandeleur Islands, located 161 km east of New Orleans, Louisiana, have endured numerous hurricanes that have passed nearby. Hurricane Katrina (landfall near Waveland MS, 29 Aug 2005) caused dramatic changes to the island elevation and shape. In this paper the predictability of hurricane-induced barrier island erosion and accretion is evaluated using a coupled hydrodynamic and morphodynamic model known as XBeach. Pre- and post-storm island topography was surveyed with an airborne lidar system. Numerical simulations utilized realistic surge and wave conditions determined from larger-scale hydrodynamic models. Simulations included model sensitivity tests with varying grid size and temporal resolutions. Model-predicted bathymetry/topography and post-storm survey data both showed similar patterns of island erosion, such as increased dissection by channels. However, the model under predicted the magnitude of erosion. Potential causes for under prediction include (1) errors in the initial conditions (the initial bathymetry/topography was measured three years prior to Katrina), (2) errors in the forcing conditions (a result of our omission of storms prior to Katrina and/or errors in Katrina storm conditions), and/or (3) physical processes that were omitted from the model (e.g., inclusion of sediment variations and bio-physical processes).     

Beach response to a fixed sand bypassing system

Indian River Inlet is located at roughly the mid-point of the Atlantic coast of Delaware and connects the ocean to two Delaware inland bays. Jetties constructed in 1940 have maintained the inlet for navigation purposes but have also acted as a barrier to net northerly alongshore sediment transport causing downdrift erosion. A mobile, land-based bypassing system was initiated in 1990 in an effort to counteract this erosion. Beach profile data from 1985 (pre-bypassing) until 2008 are used to investigate the effect of the sand bypassing system on beaches adjacent to the inlet. The downdrift beach experienced horizontal shoreline erosion between 10 and 60 m during the pre-bypassing period but accreted 10–20 m during the bypassing period. The mean shoreline location on the updrift beach during bypassing is 10–20 m landward (erosion) of its position during the pre-bypassing period. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) amplitudes from analyses performed on mean-removed elevation surfaces during the periods of highest bypassed volume (average of 83% of design rate) showed that the influence of the bypassing system on the downdrift beach extends to about 1500 m of the inlet. An EOF analysis showed that different morphologic responses were evident following the initiation of bypass operations. Temporal variations of shoreline and beach morphology were correlated to the temporal variations in bypassing rates on the downdrift beach only. The downdrift beach response was greatest near the inlet for larger bypassing volumes. Correlation in these instances occurred with a roughly 1-year time lag suggesting that the beach quickly redistributes the bypassed sand. EOF amplitude and shoreline response are weakly correlated to bypassed volumes when the system bypassed smaller volumes (average of 56% of design rate) of sand suggesting that there is a minimum bypassing rate, regardless of yearly variability, below which the effect on the downdrift beach is obscured.     

Enhancement of particulate organic carbon export flux induced by atmospheric forcing in the subtropical oligotrophic northwest Pacific Ocean

The effects of extreme atmospheric forcing on the export flux of particulate organic carbon (POC) in the warm oligotrophic nitrogen-limited northwest Pacific Ocean were examined in 2007 during the spring Asian dust storm period. Several strong northeast monsoon events (maximum sustained wind speeds approaching 16.7 m s^? 1, and gusts up to 19.0 m s^? 1) accompanied by dust storms occurred during a 1-month period. The cold stormy events decreased surface water temperature and induced strong wind-driven vertical mixing of the water column, resulting in nutrient entrainment into the mixed layer from subsurface waters. As a result, the export flux of POC ranged from 49 to 98 (average value = 71 ± 16) mg m^? 2 day^? 1, approximately 2–3 times greater than average values in other seasons. As dry and wet deposition of nitrogen attributable to Asian dust storm events does not account for the associated increases in POC stocks in this N-limited oligotrophic oceanic region, the enhancement of POC flux must have been caused by nutrient entrainment from subsurface waters because of the high winds accompanying the dust storm events.     

Impact of lugworms (Arenicola marina) on mobilization and transport of fine particles and organic matter in marine sediments

We investigated the impact of sediment reworking fauna and hydrodynamics on mobilization and transport of organic matter and fine particles in marine sediments. Experiments were conducted in an annular flume using lugworms (Arenicola marina) as model organisms. The impact of lugworms on sediment characteristics and particle transport was followed through time in sediments experimentally enriched with fine particles (< 63 μm) and organic matter. Parallel experiments were run at low and high water current velocity (11 and 25 cm s^− 1) to evaluate the importance of sediment erosion at the sediment–water interface. There was no impact of fauna on sediment composition and particle transport at current velocity below the sediment erosion threshold. At current velocity above the erosion threshold, sediment reworking by lugworms resulted in dramatic particle transport (12 kg dry matter m^− 2) to an adjacent particle trap within 56 days. The transported matter was enriched 6–8 times in fine particles and organic matter when compared to the initial sediment. This study suggests that sediment reworking fauna is an important controlling factor for the particle composition of marine sediments. A. marina mediated sediment reworking greatly increases the sediment volume exposed to hydrodynamic forcing at the sediment–water interface, and through sediment resuspension control the content of fine particles and organic matter in the entire reworked sediment layer (> 20 cm depth).     

Modelling storm hydrodynamics on gravel beaches with XBeach-G

In this paper we present a process-based numerical model for the prediction of storm hydrodynamics and hydrology on gravel beaches. The model comprises an extension of an existing open-source storm-impact model for sandy coasts (XBeach), through the application of (1) a non-hydrostatic pressure correction term that allows wave-by-wave modelling of the surface elevation and depth-averaged flow, and (2) a groundwater model that allows infiltration and exfiltration through the permeable gravel bed to be simulated, and is referred to as XBeach-G. Although the model contains validated sediment transport relations for sandy environments, transport relations for gravel in the model are currently under development and unvalidated. Consequently, all simulations in this paper are carried out without morphodynamic feedback. Modelled hydrodynamics are validated using data collected during a large-scale physical model experiment and detailed in-situ field data collected at Loe Bar, Cornwall, UK, as well as remote-sensed data collected at four gravel beach locations along the UK coast during the 2012–2013 storm season. Validation results show that the model has good skill in predicting wave transformation (overall SCI 0.14–0.21), run-up levels (SCI < 0.12; median error < 10%) and initial wave overtopping (85–90% prediction rate at barrier crest), indicating that the model can be applied to estimate potential storm impact on gravel beaches. The inclusion of the non-hydrostatic pressure correction term and groundwater model is shown to significantly improve the prediction and evolution of overtopping events.     

Managing coastal erosion: A management proposal for a littoral cell in Todos Santos Bay,Ensenada, Baja California,Mexico

A diagnostic of coastal erosion and shoreline retreat occurring at a 7-km long sandy beach (Littoral Cell III) located in Todos Santos Bay (Baja California, Mexico) is performed trough the analysis of aerial photographs. Around 82,000 m² of this sandy beach have been lost in a 20 year period (1985–2005), at a beach loss rate of 2,100 m² per year. This indicates that coastal erosion is becoming a hazard to human lives and coastal infrastructure. Due to the latter, the implementation of a Shoreline Erosion Management Plan (SEMP) is proposed as the best management approach to deal with the problem. The Littoral Cell III SEMP considers four core policies, eight management strategies and a group of specific measures.     

The impact of various methods of wave transfers from deep water to nearshore when determining extreme beach erosion

Several levels of increasing complexity of transferring wave information from offshore to nearshore have been studied to quantify their influence on extreme beach erosion estimates. Beach profiles which have been monitored since 1976 were used to estimate extreme beach erosion and compared to predictions. Examination of the wave propagation assumptions revolves around two types of offshore to nearshore transfer: excluding or including wave breaking and bottom friction. A second complication is whether still water level variations (ocean tide plus storm surge) are included.The inclusion of various combinations of wave propagation processes other than shoaling and refraction in the wave transfer function changes on the extreme erosion distribution tail through lowering estimates above one year return period. This brings the predicted tails closer to the observations, but does not capture the upper limit of storm demand implied by the extensive beach profile data set. Including wave breaking has a marked effect on probabilistic estimates of beach erosion. The inclusion of bottom friction is less significant. The inclusion of still water level variability in the wave transfer calculation had minimal impact on results for the case study site, where waves were transferred from offshore to water at 20 m depth. These changes were put into perspective by comparing them to changes resulting from limiting beach erosion by adjusting the statistical distributions of peak wave height and storm duration to have maximum limits. We conclude that the proposed improvements on wave transformation methods are as significant as limiting wave erosion potential and worth including.     

Biogeochemical responses to late-winter storms in the Sargasso Sea,II: Increased rates of biogenic silica production and export

Previous studies measuring biogenic silica production in the Sargasso Sea, all conducted when no phytoplankton bloom was in progress, have reported a mean rate of 0.4 mmol Si m^?2 d^?1 and maximum rate of 0.9 mmol Si m^?2 d^?1, the lowest rates yet recorded in any ocean habitat. During February/March of 2004 and 2005 we studied the effects of late-winter storms prior to seasonal stratification on the production rate, standing stock and vertical export of biogenic silica in the Sargasso Sea. In 2004, alternating storm and stratification events provided pulsed input of nutrients to the euphotic zone. In contrast, nearly constant storm conditions in 2005 caused the mixed layer to deepen to ～350 m toward the end of the cruise. Biogenic silica production rates in the upper 140 m were statistically indistinguishable between years, averaging ～1.0 mmol Si m^?2 d^?1. In early March 2004, a storm event entrained nutrients into the euphotic zone and, upon stabilization, vertically integrated biogenic silica in the upper 140 m nearly doubled in 2 days. Within 4 days, 75–100% of the accumulated biogenic silica was exported, sustaining a flux to 200 m of ～0.5 mmol Si m^?2 d^?1 (4× greater than export measured during February and March in the mid-1990s). In 2005, destabilization without stratification increased biogenic silica flux at 200 m up to two-fold above previously measured export in late winter, with little or no increase in water-column biogenic silica. Despite comprising <5% of total chlorophyll, diatoms accounted for an estimated 25–50% of the nitrate uptake in the upper 140 m and 35–97% of the particulate organic nitrogen export from the upper 200 m during both cruise periods. These previously unobserved brief episodes of diatom production and export in response to late-winter storms increase the estimated production and export of diatom-derived material in the Sargasso Sea in late winter by >150%, and increase estimated annual biogenic silica production in this region by ～8%.     

Biogeochemical responses to late-winter storms in the Sargasso Sea,III—Estimates of export production using 234Th:238U disequilibria and sediment traps

Direct measurements of new production and carbon export in the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean appear to be too low when compared to geochemical-based estimates. It has been hypothesized that episodic inputs of new nutrients into surface water via the passage of mesoscale eddies or winter storms may resolve at least some of this discrepancy. Here, we investigated particulate organic carbon (POC), particulate organic nitrogen (PON), and biogenic silica (BSiO₂) export using a combination of water column ²³⁴Th:²³⁸U disequilibria and free-floating sediment traps during and immediately following two weather systems encountered in February and March 2004. While these storms resulted in a 2–4-fold increase in mixed layer NO₃ inventories, total chlorophyll a and an increase in diatom biomass, the systems were dominated by generally low ²³⁴Th:²³⁸U disequilibria, suggesting limited particle export. Several ²³⁴Th models were tested, with only those including non-steady state and vertical upwelling processes able to describe the observed ²³⁴Th activities. Although upwelling velocities were not measured directly in this study, the ²³⁴Th model suggests reasonable rates of 2.2–3.7 m d^?1.Given the uncertainties associated with ²³⁴Th derived particle export rates and sediment traps, both were used to provide a range in sinking particle fluxes from the upper ocean during the study. ²³⁴Th particle fluxes were determined applying the more commonly used steady state, one-dimensional model with element/²³⁴Th ratios measured in sediment traps. Export fluxes at 200 m ranged from 1.91±0.20 to 4.92±1.22 mmol C m^?2 d^?1, 0.25±0.08 to 0.54±0.09 mmol N m^?2 d^?1, and 0.22±0.04 to 0.50±0.06 mmol Si m^?2 d^?1. POC export efficiencies (Primary Production/Export) were not significantly different from the annual average or from time periods without storms, although absolute POC fluxes were elevated by 1–11%. This increase was not sufficient, however, to resolve the discrepancy between our observations and geochemical-based estimates of particle export. Comparison of PON export rates with simultaneous measurements of NO₃^? uptake derived new production rates suggest that only a fraction, <35%, of new production was exported as particles to deep waters during these events. Measured bSiO₂ export rates were more than a factor of two higher (p<0.01) than the annual average, with storm events contributing as much as 50% of annual bSiO₂ export in the Sargasso Sea. Furthermore it appears that 65–95% (average 86±14%) of the total POC export measured in this study was due to diatoms.Combined these results suggest that winter storms do not significantly increase POC and PON export to depth. Rather, these storms may play a role in the export of bSiO₂ to deep waters. Given the slower remineralization rates of bSiO₂ relative to POC and PON, this transport may, over time, slowly decrease water column silicate inventories, and further drive the Sargasso Sea towards increasing silica limitation. These storm events may further affect the quality of the POC and PON exported, given the large association of this material with diatoms during these periods.     

Biogeochemical responses to late-winter storms in the Sargasso Sea,I—Pulses of primary and new production

We have hypothesized that the weekly/biweekly passage of winter storms in the subtropical open ocean destabilizes the water column leading to pulsed NO₃^? inputs, resulting in new production that is not accounted for in most annual estimates. This paper presents data on nitrogen and carbon cycling in the Sargasso Sea at approximately daily resolution, during the period prior to seasonal stratification in 2004 and 2005; these data permit us to assess the importance of winter storms for introducing NO₃^? and the contribution of these inputs to annual new and export production. The two sampling years were in stark contrast to each other with 2004 characterized by periods of relative calm between winter storms, and 2005 characterized by nearly continuous storm activity. As a result, temporal variability in mixed layer depth (MLD) and euphotic zone [NO₃^?] were very different between years. MLDs in 2004 increased to >150 m in response to the passage of storms and then rapidly shoaled to <100 m leading to the pulsed injection of NO₃^? (～100 nmol l^?1) into the lower half of the euphotic zone, while in 2005 MLDs were consistently >300 m and euphotic zone [NO₃^?]>100 nmol l^?1. Despite the very different [NO₃^?], rates of daily NO₃^? uptake were similar from year to year because of significant nocturnal uptake in 2004. Similar rates of new production did not translate into similar rates of particulate nitrogen and carbon export however, as observed export from the upper 200 m was 2–5-fold greater in 2004 than in 2005. Furthermore, the decrease of particulate nitrogen and carbon flux with depth between 200 and 400 m in 2004 was substantially lower than in 2005; this is consistent with the observed biological response in which diatoms and coccolithophores exhibited rapid growth following pulsed NO₃^? inputs in 2004. A combination of data from the Bermuda Testbed Mooring, which provides a longer temporal record than the cruise, and the observations presented in this study show that in the winter of 2004, there were 8–10 storm events that likely resulted in pulsed NO₃^? inputs. Summed over all the events, new production prior to seasonal stratification was estimated to be ～0.12–0.18 mol N m^?2 or ～14–21% of current annual estimates.     

Numerical simulation of time-dependent beach and dune erosion

A computational procedure is developed for predicting the time-dependent, two-dimensional beach and dune erosion during severe storms due to elevated water levels and waves. The model employs the equation of sediment continuity and a dynamic equation governing the cross-shore sediment transport due to a disequilibrium of wave energy dissipation levels. These equations are solved numerically by an implicit, double-sweep procedure to determine the change in position of elevation contours in the profile. Given sufficient time, the profile will evolve to a form where the depth, h, in the surf zone is related to the distance seaward of the waterline by the relationship: $\text{h = Ax}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>2</mtext><mtext>3</mtext>}}$, which is consistent with many natural profiles and in which A depends on sediment characteristics.The model is verified qualitatively and quantitatively through application to several idealized cases and through a preliminary simulation of erosion during Hurricane Eloise. In general, the time scales for shoreline response were found to be quite long relative to natural storm systems and erosion in the early response stages was found to be sensitive to storm surge height, but much less sensitive to wave height. The model response characteristics for simulation of erosion due to time-varying storm conditions show a lag between the maximum storm surge elevation and maximum erosion with the maximum erosion rate occurring at the time of the peak surge. For the simulated erosion due to Hurricane Eloise, reasonable agreement was found between the post-hurricane dune profiles and those calculated. However, the eroded volumes were in better agreement than the profile forms as the steepening of the natural dune profiles was not reproduced in the model.     

How much data is enough? The importance of morphological sampling interval and duration for calibration of empirical shoreline models

The ability to robustly predict future shoreline position under the influence of changing waves and sea-level rise is a key challenge to scientists and engineers alike. While extrapolating a linear trend out in time is a common baseline approach, the recent development of a number of empirical shoreline models allows the prediction of storm and annual-scale variability as well. The largest constraint in applying these models is the availability of high quality, adequate duration data sets in order to calibrate model free parameters. This contribution outlines several such models and discusses the monitoring programs required to calibrate and hindcast shoreline change from 1 to 10 years at two distinct beach types: a storm-dominated site and the second exhibiting a large seasonal variability. The seasonally-dominated site required longer data sets but was less sensitive to sampling interval, while the storm-dominated site converged on shorter, more frequently sampled data sets. In general, calibration based on a single year of observed shorelines resulted in a large range of model skill and was not considered robust. Monitoring programs of at least two years, with shorelines sampled at dt ≤ 30 days were sufficient to determine initial estimates of calibration coefficients and hindcast short-term (1–5 years) shoreline variability. In the presence of unresolved model processes and noise, hindcasting longer (5 + years) data sets required longer (5 + years) calibration data sets, particularly when sampling intervals exceeded 60 days.     

Quantifying the potential impact of land cover changes due to sea-level rise on storm surge on lower Texas coast bays

In this study we investigated the impacts of potential changes of land cover due to sea-level rise (SLR) on storm surge (i.e., the rise of water above normal sea level, namely mean-sea level and the astronomical tide, caused by hurricane winds and pressure) response inside bays on the lower Texas coast. We applied a hydrodynamic and wave model (ADCIRC + SWAN) forced by hurricane wind and pressure fields to quantify the importance of SLR-induced land cover changes, considering its impacts by changing bottom friction and the transfer of wind momentum to the water column, on the peak surge inside coastal bays. The SLR increments considered, 0.5 m to 2.0 m, significantly impacted the surge response inside the bays. The contribution of land cover changes due to SLR to the surge response, on average, ranged from a mean surge increase of 2% (SLR of 0.5 m) to 15% (SLR of 2.0 m), in addition to the SLR increments. The increase in surge response strongly depended on storm condition, with larger increases for more intense storms, and geographical location. Although land cover changes had little impact on the surge increase for SLR increments lower than 1.0 m, intense storms resulted in surge increase of up to 10% even for SLR below 1.0 m, but in most cases, the geometry changes were the major factor impacting the surge response due to SLR. We also found a strong relationship between changes in bottom friction and the surge response intensification; demonstrating the importance of considering land cover changes in coastal regions that are highly susceptible to SLR when planning for climate change.     

The influence of sea state on formation speed of alongshore variability in surf zone sand bars

The formation time of alongshore morphological variability in surf zone sand bars has long been known to differ from one beach to the other and from one post-storm period to another. Here we investigate whether the type of sea state, i.e. distant swell waves or locally generated short period wind sea, affects the formation time of the emerging alongshore topographic variability.A numerical modeling approach is used to examine the emergence of alongshore variability under different shore-normal wave forcing. A research version of Delft3D, operating on the time-scale of wave groups, is applied to a schematised bathymetry with a single bar. The model is then used to investigate several wave scenarios, examining the impact of peak period, frequency spread and directional spread on the formation time of alongshore variability.Results show that an increase in wave period has a large effect, changing the formation time up to O (250%) in case the wave period is changed from a representative value for the Dutch coast (T_p ~ 5–6 s) to an Australian South East coast value (T_p ~ 10–12 s). In contrast, modifications in the directional and frequency spread of the wave field result only in a minor change in the formation time.Examination of hydrodynamics and potential sediment transport shows that the variations in formation time are primarily related to changes in the magnitude of the time-averaged flow conditions. Variations in the magnitude of very low frequency (f < 0.004 Hz) or infragravity (0.004 < f < 0.04 Hz) surf zone flow velocities do not affect the mean sediment transport capacity. Consequently the formation speed of patterns is primarily governed by positive feedback between mean flow and morphology, and low frequency flow fluctuations are of minor importance.These findings indicate that the development of alongshore topographic variability may be faster at swell dominated open coasts, primarily due to the occurrence of longer period swell. Also, at a given site, the arrival of a long wave period swell after a storm can accelerate the emergence of variability.     

The role of combined laser scanning and video techniques in monitoring wave-by-wave swash zone processes

Simulating swash zone morphodynamics remains one of the major weaknesses of beach evolution models. One of the reasons is the limited availability of data on morphological changes at the temporal scales of individual swash events. This paper sets out to present a new hybrid system, consisting of 2D/3D laser scanners and several video cameras, which was designed to monitor swash zone topographic change on a wave-by-wave basis. A methodology is proposed consisting of sensor calibration and several data processing steps, allowing a fusion of different sensors. Such an approach can improve the performance of several field/laboratory, optical technique applications for nearshore hydro- and morpho-dynamic measurements. Digital Elevation Models from a 3D scanner were used in the extrinsic camera calibration procedure and reduced the geo-rectification errors from 0.035 m < RMSE < 0.071 m to 0.008 m < RMSE < 0.013 m. The 2D scanner provided instantaneous measurements of the water and dry beach surface elevation along a 10 m cross-shore section, and comparison with ultrasonic sensor measurements resulted in RMS errors within the 1.7 cm < RMSE < 3.2 cm range. The combination of 2D scanner and video data (i) reduced geo-rectification errors by more than one order of magnitude; and (ii) made 2D laser point cloud processing easier and more robust. The hybrid monitoring system recorded the morphological change of a replenished beach-face on a wave-by-wave basis, during large-scale, physical modeling experiments and the observations showed that individual swash events could result in elevation changes up to dz = ± 10 cm. The sediment transport direction and intensity of the monitored swash events was relatively balanced and sediment transport rates ranged between − 3.5 kg m^− 1 s^− 1 > Q_t > 3.5 kg m^− 1 s^− 1. Extreme transport swash events became rarer as the morphology was reaching equilibrium.     

Swash overtopping and sediment overwash on a truncated beach

New experimental laboratory data are presented on swash overtopping and sediment overwash on a truncated beach, approximating the conditions at the crest of a beach berm or inter-tidal ridge-runnel. The experiments provide a measure of the uprush sediment transport rate in the swash zone that is unaffected by the difficulties inherent in deploying instrumentation or sediment trapping techniques at laboratory scale. Overtopping flow volumes are compared with an analytical solution for swash flows as well as a simple numerical model, both of which are restricted to individual swash events. The analytical solution underestimates the overtopping volume by an order of magnitude while the model provides good overall agreement with the data and the reason for this difference is discussed. Modelled flow velocities are input to simple sediment transport formulae appropriate to the swash zone in order to predict the overwash sediment transport rates. Calculations performed with traditional expressions for the wave friction factor tend to underestimate the measured transport. Additional sediment transport calculations using standard total load equations are used to derive an optimum constant wave friction factor of f_w = 0.024. This is in good agreement with a broad range of published field and laboratory data. However, the influence of long waves and irregular wave run-up on the overtopping and overwash remains to be assessed. The good agreement between modelled and measured sediment transport rates suggests that the model provides accurate predictions of the uprush sediment transport rates in the swash zone, which has application in predicting the growth and height of beach berms.     

Twenty-nine months of geomorphic change in upper Monterey Canyon (2002–2005)

Time serial multibeam bathymetry is used to evaluate geomorphic trends and submarine processes in the upper 4 km of Monterey Canyon, California. Seven high-resolution bathymetric surveys conducted between September 2002 to February 2005 show that the upper canyon axis and head grew in volume 1 000 000 m³ ± 700 000 m³, at an average annual rate of 400 000 m³/a ± 300 000 m³/a through lateral erosion and vertical incision. This net loss of substrate during the 29-month period is parsed between local erosion of 1 400 000 m³ and local deposition of 350 000 m³. A submarine landslide with a scar void volume of 70 000 m³ and debris pile of 52 000 m³ occurred between March 2003 and September 2004. During the subsequent months until February 2005, the slide scar grew 40% in volume while the debris pile shrank by 80%. The canyon-head rim adjacent to Moss Landing Harbor prograded seaward and retreated shoreward significantly (up to 50 m) during the study suggesting frequent episodes of sediment build up and subsequent down-canyon failure. A large field of sand waves located in the channel axis was completely reworked in each time series except for a 24 h period where no wave crest movement was noted, and a 32 day period where up-canyon migration of approximately 7 m was recorded in the northern tributary.