Swash zone sediment transport modes

The result of field experiments, designed to investigate the relative proportions of bedload and suspended load, are described. The ratio of bedload to suspended sediment load in the swash zone is examined in both swash and backwash on four beaches by measuring the amounts collected in a sediment trap. Bedload transport is found to dominate the backwash. The relative proportions of bedload and suspended load change over the tidal cycle, with increasing bedload dominance at low tide. The total amount of sediment transported as swash and backwash is noticeably greater at high tide than at low tide. More sediment is transported on the flood tide than on the ebb.