Numerical experiments of swash oscillations on steep and gentle beaches

A weakly non-linear Boussinesq model with a slot-type shoreline boundary is used to simulate swash oscillations on beaches. Numerical simulations of swash were compared with laboratory measurements and in general good agreement found (less than 15% root-mean-square error of surface elevation except in regular waves). A series of numerical experiments on shoreline movement were then performed for a range of beach slopes and incident wave conditions. The resulting swash characteristics are then discussed in terms of their physical nature and spectral properties. On steep slopes, both individual bores and infragravity waves are equally significant in driving the swash while infragravity waves alone drive them on mild slopes. Swash excursions on any given slope are found to be highest when individual bores from a partially saturated surf zone ride on top of low-frequency waves. This is confirmed by the relationship found between swash excursion and wave groupiness in the surf zone. Swash excursions increase with increasing incident wave energy, even in fully saturated surf zones. However, a poor correlation is found between swash excursion and the surf similarity parameter due to the involvement of infragravity wave energy in the swash.     

Large scale experiments on gravel and mixed beaches: Experimental procedure,data documentation and initial results

This paper provides information on the experimental set-up, data collection methods and results to date for the project “Large scale modelling of coarse grained beaches”, undertaken at the Large Wave Channel (GWK) of FZK in Hannover by an international group of researchers in Spring 2002. The main objective of the experiments was to provide full scale measurements of cross-shore processes on gravel and mixed beaches for the verification and further development of cross-shore numerical models of gravel and mixed sediment beaches. Identical random and regular wave tests were undertaken for a gravel beach and a mixed sand/gravel beach set up in the flume. Measurements included profile development, water surface elevation along the flume, internal pressures in the swash zone, piezometric head levels within the beach, run-up, flow velocities in the surf-zone and sediment size distributions.The purpose of the paper is to present to the scientific community the experimental procedure, a summary of the data collected, some initial results, as well as a brief outline of the on-going research being carried out with the data by different research groups. The experimental data is available to all the scientific community following submission of a statement of objectives, specification of data requirements and an agreement to abide with the GWK and EU protocols.     

On low-frequency waves in the surf and swash

Low-frequency waves in the surf and swash zones on various beach slopes are discussed using numerical simulations. Simulated surface elevations of both primary waves and low-frequency waves across the surf zone were first compared with experimental data and good agreement found. Low-frequency wave characteristics are then discussed in terms of their physical nature and their relationship to the primary wave field on a series of sea bottom slopes. Unlike primary waves, low-frequency wave energy increases towards the shoreline. Low-frequency waves in the surf and swash are a function of incident waves and the sea bottom slope and hence the saturation level of the surf zone. Wave energy on a gently sloping beach is dominated by low-frequency waves while primary waves play a significant role on a steep beach. Low-frequency wave radiation from the surf zone on a given beach depends on primary wave frequency and beach slope. However, a very poor correlation was found between surf similarity parameter and low-frequency wave radiation.     

Morphodynamic zone variability on a microtidal barred beach

This paper builds on the work of Masselink [Masselink, G., 1993. Simulating the effects of tides on beach morphodynamics. J. Coast. Res. SI 15, 180–197.] on the use of the residence times of shoaling waves, breaking waves and swash/backwash motions across a cross-shore profile to qualitatively understand temporal beach behaviour. We use a data set of in-situ measurements of wave parameters (height and period) and water depth, and time-exposure video images overlooking our single-barred intertidal measurement array at Egmond aan Zee (Netherlands) to derive boundaries between the shoaling zone, the surf zone and the swash zone. We find that the boundaries are functional dependencies of the local relative wave height on the local wave steepness. This contrasts with the use of constant relative wave heights or water levels in earlier work. We use the obtained boundaries and a standard cross-shore wave transformation model coupled to an inner surf zone bore model to show that large (> 5) relative tide ranges (RTR, defined as the ratio tide range–wave height) indicate shoaling wave processes across almost the entire intertidal profile, with surf processes dominating on the beach face. When the RTR is between 2 and 5, surf processes dominate over the intertidal bar and the lower part of the beach face, while swash has the largest residence times on the upper beach face. Such conditions, associated with surf zone bores propagating across the bar around low tide, were observed to cause the intertidal bar to migrate onshore slowly and the upper beach face to steepen. For RTR values less than about 2, surf zone processes dominate across the intertidal bar, while the dominance of swash processes now extends across most of the beach face. The surf zone processes were now observed to lead to offshore bar migration, while the swash eroded the upper beach face.     

Wave-induced water table fluctuations,sediment transport and beach profile change: Modeling and comparison with large-scale laboratory experiments

Coastal groundwater systems can have a considerable impact on sediment transport and foreshore evolution in the surf and swash zones. Process-based modeling of wave motion on a permeable beach taking into account wave-aquifer interactions was conducted to investigate the effects of the unconfined coastal aquifer on beach profile evolution, and wave shoaling on the water table. The simulation first dealt with wave breaking and wave runup/rundown in the surf and swash zones. Nearshore hydrodynamics and wave propagation in the cross-shore direction were simulated by solving numerically the two-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations with a k–ε turbulence closure model and the Volume-Of-Fluid technique. The hydrodynamic model was coupled to a groundwater flow model based on SEAWAT-2000, the latter describing groundwater flow in the unconfined coastal aquifer. The combined model enables the simulation of wave-induced water table fluctuations and the effects of infiltration/exfiltration on nearshore sediment transport. Numerical results of the coupled ocean/aquifer simulations were found to compare well with experimental measurements. Wave breaking and infiltration/exfiltration increase the hydraulic gradient across the beachface and enhance groundwater circulation inside the porous medium. The large hydraulic head gradient in the surf zone leads to infiltration across the beachface before the breaking point, with exfiltration taking place below the breaking point. In the swash zone, infiltration occurs at the upper part of the beach and exfiltration at the lower part. The simulations confirm that beaches with a low water table tend to be accreted while those with a high water table tend to be eroded.     

Simulation and prediction of swash oscillations on a steep beach

This paper presents numerical simulations and analytical predictions of key aspects of swash oscillations on a steep beach. Simulations of the shoreline displacement based on bore run-up theory are found to give excellent agreement with recent experimental data for regular waves, wave groups and random waves. The theory is used to derive parameters that predict the onset of swash saturation and the spectral characteristics of the saturated shoreline motion. These parameters are again in good agreement with the measured laboratory data and are also consistent with previous experimental data. Simulation of irregular wave run-up using a series of overlapping monochromatic swash events is found to reproduce typical features of swash oscillations and can accurately describe both the low and high frequency spectral characteristics of the swash zone. In particular, the low frequency components of the run-up can be modelled directly using a sequence of incident short wave bores, with no direct long wave input to the numerical simulations. This suggests that wave groupiness must be accounted for when modelling shoreline oscillations.     

Experimental and Numerical Study of Wave-Induced Long-Shore Currents on A Mild Slope Beach

1.Introduction Long shorecurrenthasbecomethesubjectofextensiveworldwideresearchformanyyears.The purposeofthestudyistounderstandandpredicttheprocessesofsedimenttransport,shorelineevolu tionandpollutanttransportinthenear shorezoneundertheactionofwaves.Goda(2001)regarded thesuspendedsedimentastheprincipalloadinsedimenttransportandtheeffectoflong shorecurrents wasemphasized.Theeffectofwavesonpollutanttransportwasstudiedbynumericalmodelandfield experiment(TaoandHan,2002;Rodriguezetal.,1995),andth…     

Longshore currents of regular waves on different beaches

The experiment and numerical computations of longshore currents produced by regularwaves on the two beaches with the slopes of 1:100 and 1:40 are made. The cross-shore distributions of longshore current velocities and wave heights are given and the influences of wave heights, wave periods and beach slopes on the longshore currents are discussed. The discussion is also made for the influences of different eddy viscosity coefficients on the numerical results of longshore current velocities.     

Longshore Currents of Random Waves on Different Plane Beaches

1 .IntroductionWhenwavespropagateobliquelytotheshorelineandbreak ,ameancurrentisgeneratedflowingparalleltothecoast.Thegenerationoflongshorecurrentscanbeexplainedasfollows .Withbreakingwaveheightdecreasing ,themomentumofwavemotionwillchangecorrespondingly .Accordingtothemomentumconservationtheory ,thechangesofthemomentumwillbeaccompaniedwithadditionalforcesactingonfluid .Longuet Higgins ( 1 970 )usedtheconceptofradiationstresstodescribetheaboveadditionalforceactingonfluidduetothechangeofwavemo…     

Abundance,Tidal Movement,Population Structure and Burrowing Rate of Emerita analoga (Anomura,Hippidae) at a Dissipative and a Reflective Sandy Beach in South Central Chile

Abstract. To evaluate the effects of beach morphodynamics upon the abundance, tidal movement, population structure and burrowing rate of the crab Emerita analoga (Stimpson) (Anomura, Hippidae) we sampled two beaches in south central Chile (ca. 42° S), Mar Brava and Ahui with dissipative and reflective characteristics, res­pectively. The swash zone at the dissipative beach was 5 – 6 times wider than that of the reflective beach. A at the dissipative beach, upwash speeds were higher and the number of effluent line crossings were lower by more than an order of magnitude. To examine the tidal movement of E. analoga, we collected crabs from 5 to 6 tidal levels of each beach every 2 h across 12 h of the tidal cycle. The intertidal distribution of crabs differed between beaches; i. e., at the dissipative beach they were primarily located at the swash zone, while at the reflective beach they were mostly located at the low tide level and shallow subtidal. The change in position of crabs was pronounced across the tidal cycle at the dissipative beach (Mar Brava), with most of the animals remaining in the active swash zone. Body size data were used to construct size frequency distributions for each population. Crabs from the dissipative beach reached larger sizes than those at the reflective beach. Sediments were coarser at the latter versus the former beach. Crabs burrowed at similar rates in the sand from both beaches, a result which supports the idea that E. analoga is a “sediment generalist” capable of burrowing successfully in a wide range of sediment types. This characteristic is likely a key to the broad success of this species on the full range of beach morphodynamic types along the coasts of South and North America.     

The role of bore collapse and local shear stresses on the spatial distribution of sediment load in the uprush of an intermediate-state beach

Spatial variations in sediment load in the swash uprush and textural properties of sediment in transport were evaluated to investigate the mechanisms responsible for sediment transport during wave uprush. Four streamer traps were deployed at 2.0-m intervals across the swash zone of a sheltered, microtidal sandy beach at Port Beach, Western Australia, over a 4-day period. During these trapping experiments, offshore significant wave heights were 0.3–0.5 m and wave periods were about 10 s. The average width of the uprush zone was 6.9 m and the average uprush duration was 5.9 s. Cross-shore distributions of sediment load for 70 uprush events reveal a maximum in sediment load landward of the base of the swash (at about 20% of swash width) during single events and a maximum closer to mid-swash (at about 40% of swash width) during multiple events characterized by swash interactions. Settling velocity distributions of trap samples during individual uprush events are similar to distributions found on the beach surface, with the lowest settling velocities (finest sediments) near the base of the swash zone and maximum settling velocities (coarsest sediments) around the mid-swash position. It was found that sediment transport during wave uprush occurs through two distinct mechanisms: (1) sediment entrainment during bore collapse seaward of the base of the swash zone and subsequent advection of this bore-entrained sediment up the beach by wave uprush; and (2) in situ sediment entrainment and transport induced by local shear stresses during wave uprush. Both mechanisms are considered important, but the first mechanism is considered most significant during the early stages of wave uprush when sediment is transported mainly in suspension, while the second mechanism is likely to dominate the mid- to later stages of wave uprush when sediment is transported mainly by sheet flow. The relative importance of the two mechanisms will vary between different beaches with the morphodynamic state of the beach (reflective versus dissipative) expected to play a major role.     

沙坝海岸沿岸流速度剖面特征研究

通过对两个坡度沙坝地形沿岸流实验测量和基于能量方程的沿岸流数值模拟,研究了沙坝海岸平均沿岸流速度剖面的双峰剖面特征,重点分析了第二个峰值的特征和两峰值的比值。综合考虑入射波高、入射波类型和坡度对波生沿岸流垂直岸线速度剖面的影响。结果表明,平均沿岸流速度剖面出现双峰剖面特征:第一峰值发生在沙坝向岸侧面的中部,第二个峰值发生在靠近岸线处;同一坡度情况两个峰值的位置和比值,不受入射波类型、入射波高的影响。数值模型中包括了侧混、底摩擦和水滚等因素,其数值模拟结果和实验值拟合较好,并讨论了有无侧混和水滚对速度剖面的影响。     

Laboratory and numerical study of dambreak-generated swash on impermeable slopes

New laboratory experiments have produced detailed measurements of hydrodynamics within swash generated by bore collapse on a steep beach. The experiments are based on a dambreak rig producing a highly repeatable, large-scale swash event, enabling detailed measurements of depths and velocities at a number of locations across the swash zone. Experiments were conducted on two beaches, differentiated by roughness. Results are presented for uprush shoreline motion, flow depths, depth-averaged velocity, velocity profiles and turbulence intensity. Estimates of the time- and spatially-varying bed shear stress are obtained via log-law fitting to the velocity profiles and are compared with the shear plate measurements of Barnes et al. (2009) for similar experimental conditions. Experimental results are compared with model predictions based on a NLSWE model with momentum loss parameterised using the simple quadratic stress law in terms of the depth-averaged velocity. Predicted and measured flow depths and depth-averaged velocities agree reasonably well for much of the swash period, but agreement is not good at the time of bore arrival and towards the end of the backwash. The parameterisation of total momentum loss via the quadratic stress law cannot adequately model the swash bed shear stress at these critical times.     

Large-scale experiments on beach profile evolution and surf and swash zone sediment transport induced by long waves,wave groups and random waves

New large-scale laboratory data are presented on the influence of long waves, bichromatic wave groups and random waves on sediment transport in the surf and swash zones. Physical model testing was performed in the large-scale CIEM wave flume at UPC, Barcelona, as part of the SUSCO (swash zone response under grouping storm conditions) experiment in the Hydralab III program (Vicinanza et al., 2010). Fourteen different wave conditions were used, encompassing monochromatic waves, bichromatic wave groups and random waves. The experiments were designed specifically to compare variations in beach profile evolution between monochromatic waves and unsteady waves with the same mean energy flux. Each test commenced with approximately the same initial profile. The monochromatic conditions were perturbed with free long waves, and then subsequently substituted with bichromatic wave groups with different bandwidth and with random waves with varying groupiness. Beach profile measurements were made at half-hourly and hourly intervals, from which net cross-shore transport rates were calculated for the different wave conditions. Pairs of experiments with slightly different bandwidth or wave grouping show very similar net cross-shore sediment transport patterns, giving high confidence to the data set. Consistent with recent small-scale experiments, the data clearly show that in comparison to monochromatic conditions the bichromatic wave groups reduce onshore transport during accretive conditions and increase offshore transport during erosive conditions. The random waves have a similar influence to the bichromatic wave groups, promoting offshore transport, in comparison to the monochromatic conditions. The data also indicate that the free long waves promote onshore transport, but the conclusions are more tentative as a result of a few errors in the test schedule and modifications to the setup which reduced testing time. The experiments suggest that the inclusion of long wave and wave group sediment transport is important for improved near-shore morphological modeling of cross-shore beach profile evolution, and they provide a very comprehensive and controlled series of tests for evaluating numerical models. It is suggested that the large change in the beach response between monochromatic conditions and wave group conditions is a result of the increased significant and maximum wave heights in the wave groups, as much as the presence of the forced and free long waves induced by the groupiness. The equilibrium state model concept can provide a heuristic explanation of the influence of the wave groups on the bulk beach profile response if their effective relative fall velocity is larger than that of monochromatic waves with the same incident energy flux.     

Alongshore fluid motions in the swash zone of a sandy and gravel beach

Field experiments were conducted on a low-gradient, high-energy sandy beach (Truc Vert, France) and a steep, low-energy gravel beach (Slapton, UK) to examine alongshore-directed currents within the swash zone. At Truc Vert, data were collected over 33 tidal cycles with offshore significant wave heights of 1–4 m and periods of 5–12 s. At Slapton data were collected during 12 tides with wave heights of 0.3–1 m and periods of 4–9 s. The swash motion was predominantly at infragravity frequencies at Truc Vert and incident frequencies at Slapton.     

On the displacement of marked pebbles on two coarse-clastic beaches during short fair-weather periods (Marina di Pisa and Portonovo, Italy)

The aim of the investigation was to define the mechanisms of sediment transport in the swash zone of microtidal coarse-clastic beaches in the very short term by evaluating the displacement rates of marked pebbles under low-energy wave conditions. Tests were performed at two sites (Marina di Pisa, Ligurian Sea, and Portonovo, central Adriatic Sea) to check the consistency of the data over a range of different grain sizes. Two recovery campaigns were carried out at both sites, one 6 h and the other 24 h after the injection. During the experiments wave action was at a minimum (wave heights never exceeded 0.3 m). The results show that 20% of pebbles ranging in diameter from 30–90 mm moved significantly (more than 0.5 m) already 6 h after the injection, with some tracers being lost (3%). After 24 h, 40% of the pebbles were significantly displaced and 10% were lost. The preferential downslope movement of tracers, which suggests that coarse sediment movement under low-energy conditions is mainly controlled by gravity processes enhanced by steep beachface slopes, represents the novelty of the results reported here. It would appear that swash processes on low-energy beaches cause a significant rate of pebble displacement through the destabilization induced by wave uprush and backwash. Despite the microtidal range, the position of the mean water level plays a major role in changing the beach level at which swash processes can actually trigger pebble movement. The results of this study show that considerable, and mostly seaward-directed, coarse sediment transport takes place even during short fair-weather periods.     

Cross-shore hydrodynamics within an unsaturated surf zone

This paper concerns the hydrodynamics induced by random waves incident on a steep beach. New experimental results are presented on surface elevation and kinematic probability density functions, cross-shore variation in wave heights, the fraction of broken waves and velocity moments. The surf zone is found to be unsaturated at incident wave frequencies, with a significant proportion of the incident wave energy remaining at the shoreline in the form of bores. Wave heights in both the outer and inner surf zones are best described by a full Rayleigh distribution [Thornton, E.B., Guza, R.T., 1983. Transformation of wave height distribution. J. Geophys. Res. 88, 5925–5938], rather than a truncated Rayleigh distribution as used by Battjes and Janssen (1978) [Battjes, J.A, Janssen, J.P., 1978. Energy loss and setup due to breaking of random waves. Proc. 16th Int. Conf. Coastal Eng. ASCE, New York, pp. 569–588]. A new parametric wave transformation model is outlined which provides explicit expressions for the fraction of broken waves and the energy dissipation rate within the surf zone. On steep beaches, the model appears to offer improved predictive capabilities over the original Battjes and Janssen model. Cross-shore variations in the velocity variance and velocity moments are best described using Linear Gaussian wave theory, with less than 20% of the velocity variance in the inner surf zone due to low frequency energy.     

On the cross-shore profile change of gravel beaches

This paper investigates cross-shore profile changes of gravel beaches, with particular regard to discussing the tendency for onshore transport and profile steepening in the swash zone. The discussion includes observed morphological changes on a gravel beach from experimental investigations at the Large Wave Flume (GWK) in Hanover, Germany. During the tests all the profile changes occurred in the swash zone, resulting in erosion below the still water line (SWL) and formation of a berm above the SWL. We investigate the profile evolution evaluating the transport rates from a bed load sediment transport formulation coupled with velocities calculated from a set of Boussinesq equations that have been validated for its use in the surf and swash zones [Lynett, P.J., Wu, T.-R., and Liu, L.-F., P., 2002. Modelling wave runup with depth-integrated equations. Coastal Engineering, 46, 89–107; Otta, A.K., and Pedrozo-Acuña, A., 2004. Swash boundary and cross-shore variation of horizontal velocity on a slope. In: J.M. Smith (Editor), Proceedings 29th International Conference on Coastal Engineering. World Scientific, Lisbon, Portugal, pp. 1616–1628]. We discuss the influence of bottom friction on the predicted profiles, using reported friction factors from experimental studies. It is shown that the use of a different friction factor within a realistic range in each phase of the swash (uprush and backwash) improves prediction of the beach profiles, although quantitative agreement between the measured and computed profile evolutions is not satisfactory. Furthermore, if the friction factor and the transport efficiency (C) of the sediment transport formulation are kept the same in the uprush and backwash, accurate representation of profile evolution is not possible. Indeed, the features of the predicted profiles are reversed. However, when the C parameter is set larger during the uprush than during the backwash, the predicted profiles are closer to the observations. Differences between the predicted profiles from setting non-identical C-values and friction factors for the swash phase, are believed to be linked to both the infiltration effects on the flow above the beachface and the more accelerated flow in the uprush.     

Relationships Between Community Structure of the Intertidal Macroinfauna and Sandy Beach Characteristics Along the Chilean Coast

Abstract. Eight sandy beaches were seasonally sampled along the coast of Chile, from ca. 21 to 42° S (about 3000 km) to study the relationship between community structure of the intertidal macroinfauna and beach characteristics. Sediment samples (0.1 m², 30 cm deep) were collected (July – September 1998 and December 1998 – January 1999) with plastic cylinders at 15 equally spaced levels along three replicated transects extending from above the drift line to the swash zone. The sediment was sieved through a 1 mm mesh and the organisms collected stored in 5 % formalin. To define beach types, Dean's parameter (Ω) was calculated from wave heights and periods, and fall velocity of sand particles from the swash zone. Crustaceans (mainly peracarids) were the most diverse group with 14 species, followed by polychaetes with 5 species. The talitrid amphipod Orchestoidea tuberculata , the cirolanid isopods Excirolana braziliensis and E. hirsuticauda and the anomuran decapod Emerita analoga were the most widely distributed and common species. Regression analyses between species richness, abundance and biomass of the whole macroinfauna versus sediment characteristics, beach face slopes and morphodynamic beach states showed no significant relationships. Thus, macroinfaunal community characteristics did not increase linearly from lower intermediate to higher intermediate or dissipative beach states as had been found before in Chile or in other coasts. A comparative analysis with data from sandy beaches of other world regions showed that the number of species inhabiting Chilean sandy beaches was generally lower, whereas total population abundances were generally higher compared with values reported elsewhere.     

Morphodynamics of structurally controlled headland-bay beaches in southeastern Brazil: A review

This paper presents a comprehensive review on the interaction between hydrodynamic processes, beach morphology and sedimentology at large scale coastal behaviour along the coastline of Santa Catarina, between Laguna and São Francisco Island, a microtidal east coast swell environment with headland and bay geomorphologies. The parabolic bay shape equation has proven to be a convenient and practical tool for studying the stability of the headland-bay beaches, tombolos, and salients in Santa Catarina. The beaches exhibit different patterns of sediment removal as a function of the degree of beach curvature. In highly curved beaches, there is a well-developed shadow zone and a range of morphodynamic conditions, from a sheltered low-energy beach adjacent to the downdrift headland to a high-energy exposed beach on the straight end of the headland-bay beach. The less curved beaches instead, tend to show more uniform behaviour since they are directly exposed to incident waves. There is no obvious relationship between average wave height and mean grain size, showing the importance of sediment source to characterize the sedimentary distribution patterns in the study area. The analysis of beaches showed that beach morphodynamics and sequence profiles for a bay–headland coast in a microtidal east coast environment is a function of geological inheritance (e.g., distance between headlands and orientation, nearshore and inner shelf morphology, coastal plain morphology, and sediment source), and hydrodynamic factors (wave conditions, oceanic wave exposure and relative tidal range).