Appraisal of storm beach buffer width for cyclonic waves

The loss of beach sand from berm and dune due to high waves and surge is a universal phenomenon associated with sporadic storm activities. To protect the development in a coastal hazard zone, hard structures or coastal setback have been established in many countries around the world. In this paper, the requirement of a storm beach buffer, being a lesser extent landward comparing with the coastal setback to ensure the safety of infrastructures, is numerically assessed using the SBEACH model for three categories of wave conditions in terms of storm return period, median sand grain size, berm width, and design water level. Two of the key outputs from the numerical calculations, berm retreat and bar formation offshore, are then analysed, as well as beach profile change. After having performed a series of numerical studies on selected large wave tank (LWT) test results with monochromatic waves using SBEACH, we may conclude that: (1) Berm erosion increases and submerged bar develops further offshore as the storm return period increases for beach with a specific sand grain size, or as the sand grain reduces on a beach under the action of identical wave condition; (2) Higher storm waves yield a large bar to form quicker and subsequently cause wave breaking on the bar crest, which can reduce the wave energy and limit the extent of the eroding berm; (3) A larger buffer width is required for a beach comprising small sand grain, in order to effectively absorb storm wave energy; and (4) Empirical relationships can be tentatively proposed to estimate the storm beach buffer width, from the input of wave conditions and sediment grain size. These results would benefit a beach nourishment project for shore protection or design of a recreational beach.     

荷兰诺德维克水下抛沙修复海滩及其意义

水下抛沙养滩可以通过消减波能和持续向海滩供沙,以抵御海岸侵蚀,保持海滩稳定。荷兰诺德维克(Noordwijk)地区以发育水下双坝地形为特征,为了维护海滩和海岸的稳定,自1998年开始,共实施了3次水下养滩(1998、2002和2006年),抛沙位置都选在外沙坝的向海侧,接近当地闭合深度。养滩减缓了沙坝向海迁移的速率,内、外沙坝均出现了向岸迁移的趋势并基本保持稳定,对海岸线位置变化具有积极影响。我国目前的海滩养护工程多为向陆上滩面抛沙养滩,这种方法较昂贵、破坏性大,效果有时不佳,而水下抛沙养滩经济实惠、对环境影响小且灵活,因此,应该充分借鉴水下抛沙养滩的成功经验。基于诺德维克地区数十年的Argus视频图像和水深调查对养滩效果进行了研究和分析,总结了水下养滩的意义,以丰富和推动我国养滩业的发展。     

An investigation on the formation of submerged bar under surges in sandy coastal region

Cross-shore sediment transport rate exposed to waves is very important for coastal morphology,the design of marine structures such as seawalls,jetties,breakwaters etc,and the prevention of coastal erosion and accretion due to on-off shore sediment transportation.In the present study,the experiments on cross-shore sediment transport are carried out in a laboratory wave channel with initial beach slopes of 1/8,1/10 and 1/15.By using the regular waves with different deep-water wave steepnesses generated by a pedal-type wave generator,the geometrical characteristics of beach profiles under storm conditions and the parameters affecting on-off shore sediment transport are investigated for the beach materials with medium diameters of d50=0.25,0.32,0.45,0.62 and 0.80 mm.The offshore bar geometric characteristics are the horizontal distances from the shoreline to the bar beginning(Xb),crest(Xt),and ending(Xs) points,the depth from the bar crest to the still water level(ht),and the bar volume(Vbar).The experimental results have indicated that when the deep-water steepness(H0/L0) increased,the net movement to seaside increased.With the increasing wave steepness,the bars moved to widen herewith the vertical distances from still water level to the bar beginning(Xb),crest(Xt) and ending(Xs) points and the horizontal distances from the coast line to the bar beginning,crest and ending points increased.It was also shown from experimental results that the horizontal distances from the bar beginning and ending points to the coast line increased with the decrease of the beach slope.The experimental results obtained from this study are compared with previous experimental work and found to be of the same magnitude as the experimental measurements and followed the expected basic trend.     

不同沉积物养护海滩对台风响应的差异性研究

本文通过对厦门天泉湾人工卵石滩和会展人工沙滩在1614“莫兰蒂”超强台风影响前后的典型剖面监测,结合水文动力要素的观测和数值模拟,计算了台风影响过程的波浪场、总水位,分析了剖面形态和台风过程的剖面平均变化量。结果表明,强潮海岸人工卵石滩与人工沙滩对台风响应的特征明显不同,人工卵石滩横向上大部分卵石向岸输移堆积,滩面侵蚀,滩肩堆积形成更高的风暴滩肩,坡度明显变陡。而人工沙滩则表现为明显的沉积物离岸输运,上部滩面侵蚀,下部滩面淤积,滩面坡度明显变缓,受台风登陆后的强烈向岸风作用,滩肩顶有所夷平,滩肩高度变化很小。海滩滩肩在台风过程中是否侵蚀与台风登陆和影响过程的总水位(天文潮、风暴增水、波浪爬高)密切相关,两个人工海滩的风暴响应模式均为冲蚀;台风影响过程中,波浪能量相对强、滩面坡度相对陡的人工卵石滩比人工沙滩的剖面平均变化量小,对于台风的响应程度小,在强侵蚀高能海岸采用砾石等粗粒径沉积物进行海滩养护是减缓砂质海滩侵蚀的一种有效手段。     

Numerical Modeling of the Undertow Structure and Sandbar Migration in the Surfzone

A process-based 3D numerical model for surfzone hydrodynamics and beach evolution was established. Comparisons between the experimental data and model results proved that the model could effectively describe the hydrodynamics, sediment transport feature and sandbar migration process in the surfzone with satisfactory precision. A series of numerical simulations on the wave breaking and shoaling up to a barred beach were carried out based on the model system. Analyzed from the model results, the wave-induced current system in the surfzone consists of two major processes, which are the phase-averaged undertow caused by wave breaking and the net drift caused by both of the nonlinear wave motion and surface roller effect. When storm waves come to the barred beach, the strong offshore undertow along the beach suppresses the onshore net drift, making the initial sandbar migrate to the seaside. Under the condition of calm wave environment, both the undertow and net drift flow to the shoreline at the offshore side of the sandbar, and then push the initial sandbar to the shoreline. The consideration of surface roller has significant impact on the modeling results of the sandbar migration. As the roller transfer rate increases, the sandbar moves onshore especially under the storm wave condition.     

Bars formed by horizontal diffusion of suspended sediment

The mechanism responsible for the ubiquitous presence of convex beach profiles and shoreward migration of linear bars is examined using numerical circulation and sediment transport models. The models are validated against laboratory measurements and observed natural beach cross-sections. While not discounting the importance of infragravity and advective horizontal circulation or bed-return flow mechanisms, a robust diffusive process explains the convex profile shape and bar formation. In the presence of concentration gradients across the surf zone, a diffusive sediment flux from high to low concentration results in the transfer of sediment outwards from the breakpoint, both onshore and offshore, and the subsequent formation of a “diffusion bar” and “diffusion profile”. The profiles are characterised by single- and double-convex dome-like shapes, developing during shoreward migration of the bars by the diffusion mechanism. The mechanism explains several phenomena observed on natural beaches, including (i) convex beach profiles; (ii) shoreward migration of the bar with concomitant beach accretion under narrow-band swell; (iii) reduced propensity for bar formation on low-gradient, fine-sand beaches or under wide-band wave spectra (even though multiple bars are common on some low-gradient beaches) and (iv) offshore migration of the bar during periods of increasing wave height. The diffusion mechanism can be dependent on orbital motion alone and, as such, requires no frequency selection or strong correlation between multiple processes for bar formation.     

近岸人工沙坝保滩促淤的试验研究

借助正态波浪模型,对北戴河海滩某横断面有、无沙坝布置进行了3种水位的极限波高入射试验,测取了坝内外波高过程线及稳定后的断面地形。试验资料及理论分析显示:有无沙坝时沿岸流及波浪的挟沙能力之比与水下沙坝的波浪透射系数的平方成正比,按试验最大透射系数计算的挟沙能力亦可降50%左右,且有沙坝上涌带破波回流对岸滩的冲刷水深可以维持在平均海平面以下1 m内,说明人工沙坝的填筑很大程度促使水体挟带泥沙于掩护区域落淤有效的阻止了泥沙的离岸亏损。试验将为保滩促淤工程设计与实施提供科学依据。     

埃及阿莱曼旅游区海滩养护及硬工程作用

阿莱曼海滩位于埃及尼罗河三角洲西侧,是长约12 km的平直沙坝潟湖岸,在强劲的西向常、强浪的作用下,泥沙沿岸向东运移,引起海岸长期强烈蚀退。1998-2009年分3个阶段整治和抛沙养滩,先后建成13条丁坝组成的丁坝群,丁坝效应稳定了8.5 km的海滩,3个阶段共向滩肩抛沙116×104 m3,但是水下基岩陡斜地形导致严重沙流失,使海滩不能增宽,丁坝群尾闾效应也导致丁坝群下游3.5 km海难侵蚀更加严重,于是先后采取了分段式岸外坝群和岸外连续长潜堤加堤内丁坝格,消除了丁坝群下游岸的侵蚀。结合我国相应案例说明在那些强烈侵蚀和严重沙流失岸段养滩,必须强调丁坝、岸外坝等硬工程的作用。这些构筑物既能消散波能,又能阻拦所抛沙的流失。对于那些水下为基岩陡斜地形的海滩,更应设计一定的硬工程,埃及阿莱曼的连续长潜堤加丁坝格的设计和我国三亚三美湾的连续岸外坝丁坝加人造沙坝的经验都是十分重要的。     

复经验正交函数方法对湛江南三岛海滩剖面季节变化动态特征研究

利用复经验正交函数(CEOF)分析方法对湛江南三岛2009年2月22日至2010年4月21日期间的实测海滩剖面数据进行了分析。结果表明该海滩的季节变化有3个主要模态:第1模态是海滩风暴剖面和涌浪剖面之间的相互转换,其贡献占总方差的71.18%。其原因是海区侵蚀性风暴大浪和建设性涌浪的交替变化。第2模态是平均高、低潮线之间的地形变化,其原因是由于潮汐变化导致入射波浪冲流活动范围变化,占总方差的14.28%。第3模态是侵蚀大浪过后的水下沙坝向岸迁移,并受潮汐影响在滩面上摆动,占总方差的6.80%。最后指出必须重视风暴对华南海滩演变季节性过程的影响。     

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.     

海岸沙坝近底悬移质通量实验研究

为了研究海岸沙坝的产生和演化机理,对不规则波和波群作用下沙坝上方的近底悬移质通量进行了实验研究。分析了短波、长波和平均水流对悬移质通量的影响。结果表明:各种波况下平均水流和长波的作用始终使泥沙向离岸方向输移,而短波的作用使泥沙向岸方向运动;平均水流引起的泥沙输移始终占主要成分,长波的次之。不规则波情况下平均水流的影响较规则波的情况相对较弱,三种成分对泥沙输运的贡献属于同一量级。波群情况下长波的影响随着波浪群性的增强而加大,短波的不明显,而平均水流的影响则随着波浪群性的增强而减弱。     

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.     

Longshore current and sediment transport on composite beach profiles

Natural beaches tend to exhibit an equilibrium profile that is planar nearshore and nonplanar, concave-up offshore. The longshore current on this type of beach profile depends on the horizontal distance to the location of the intersection between the planar and nonplanar profiles. As the width of the planar beach face decreases, the location of the maximum longshore current moves closer to the shore. The dependency of the corresponding longshore sediment transport rate on the location of the intersection between the two profiles is demonstrated for two energetics-based sediment transport models. Again, a narrower beach face results in the maximum sediment transport being closer to the shore. Total sediment transport rates are also a function of the planar beach face width. This suggests that longshore transport rates are modulated by the tidal elevation.     

基于高频观测数据的徐闻青安湾海滩对台风“贝碧嘉”的响应研究

风暴是造成海滩剧烈变化的重要因子。由于观测环境的恶劣,目前极少有风暴过程中海滩响应的现场高频观测工作。本研究在2018年台风“贝碧嘉”期间对徐闻青安湾海滩开展了历时6天半的高频观测,获得了全时水动力要素和164组逐时海滩滩面高程变化数据。通过分析表明：(1)青安湾海域风暴增水及波浪受控于海南岛−雷州半岛特有的地形地貌和台风“贝碧嘉”的多变路径,增水稳定在0.38～0.5 m之间,而波高先由0.78 m衰减至0.43 m,再增加至0.56 m;(2)海滩剖面地形变化总体表现为滩肩侵蚀,形成水下沙坝,滩肩响应过程分为快速向下侵蚀、缓慢侵蚀至最大值、振荡回淤恢复3个阶段,台风期间滩肩振荡恢复幅度可达最大侵蚀深度的1/4;(3)海滩的风暴响应过程主要由4个模态耦合而成：第一模态体现大潮滩肩侵蚀生成水下沙坝过程;第二模态体现风暴滩肩侵蚀,补偿大潮滩肩侵蚀位置和进一步促进沙坝形成过程;第三模态揭示了波浪二次破碎位置的上冲流和离岸底流使泥沙发生双向输移过程;第四模态表明台风大浪使得碎波带内泥沙大量悬浮,在沿岸流和离岸流作用下部分悬沙进入深水区,可能造成海滩泥沙的永久亏损。     

楮岛沙滩不同时间尺度变化特征与波能流密度相关性探讨

在波浪和水流的作用下,泥沙在不同时间尺度下的运动会引起沙滩的冲淤演变,对海岸资源有重要的影响。因此,了解沙滩季节性演变规律,并采取针对性的防护措施,是近岸沙滩亟须解决的问题。目前,现场观测是研究沙滩剖面冲淤演变的重要方法,通过沉积物组成、岸滩坡度及波浪动力的时空变化,了解沙滩剖面的变化特性,对于沙滩管理和海岸保护具有十分重要的意义。基于2017年9月—2019年11月在荣成楮岛南岸沙滩每个月采集一次的剖面数据,以及波浪动力数据,分别探究了沙滩在不同时间尺度下的变化特征,并对沙滩变化特征与波浪动力因素的相关性进行了探讨。研究发现：楮岛南岸沙滩形态变化具有较强的季节性特征,春季沙滩比较稳定;夏季沙滩受台风影响侵蚀严重,但在风暴过后的短时间内,沙滩泥沙恢复较快;冬季沙滩恢复速度逐渐减缓并趋于稳定。在夏季和冬季期间,波能流密度的向岸分量对楮岛南沙滩的演变产生重要作用,而且波能流密度向岸分量的均值（选取数据采集前15 d的波浪条件参与计算）与沙滩体积的相关性最好,并给出了两者的线性拟合公式。     

Bayside beach dynamics: Implications for simulation modeling on eroding sheltered tidal beaches

The purpose of this paper is to compare the differences between oceanside and bayside beaches. Field data on twelve beach process and response variables were gathered from February 1972 to April 1973 on four sample beaches at Sandy Hook Spit, New Jersey. Linear correlation is used to identify the most influential process variables and determine how the interrelationships among variables differ on each beach. The analysis confirms the importance of breaker height, wave steepness and wind direction on beach response. The correlation of beach processes with their associated responses are higher on the oceanside than on the bayside beaches, indicating that local, non-storm waves may be relatively insignificant in effecting substantial beach modification.Despite the greater magnitude of processes and beach change on the oceanside sites, erosion was more persistent on the bayside during the period of study. The frequent occurrence of short, steep erosional waves on the bayside prevented onshore movement of sediment between storms, resulting in a permanent loss of material from the beach face and dune. On the oceanside, long, low, depositional waves occurring between storms replenished most of the material carried away during the storm. This fresh beach material acted as a buffer against the erosion of the dunes during the following storm.The dominant bay waves are locally generated and may therefore be simulated using meteorological variables. However, the low wave energies on the bayside sites result in an increase in the relative importance of tidal currents, wind-induced currents, and refracted ocean swell. These factors complicate the application of simplified wave process—beach response models to the study of beaches exposed to these effects.     

The infralittoral prograding wedge: a new large-scale progradational sedimentary body in shallow marine environments

A progradational sedimentary body, the infralittoral prograding wedge (IPW), has been developing from the mean fair-weather wave-base level to the storm wave-base level between the onshore (beach) and the offshore (inner continental shelf) depositional zones along the Spanish coast during the Late Holocene. The main sedimentary body is composed of large inclined master beds which prograde seawards parallel to the shoreline, formed by sediments swept offshore by waves from shallow-water littoral environments. The inclined beds downlap onto finer-grained offshore sediments and, in turn, are overlain by shoreface deposits. The IPW is generated by downwelling storm currents and associated seaward transport of sediment. It represents a new depositional model for clastic wave-dominated coasts, and its identification requires a new subdivision of the nearshore environment. Received: 10 June 1999 / Revision accepted: 15 February 2000     

NearCoM-TVD — A quasi-3D nearshore circulation and sediment transport model

The newly developed nearshore circulation model, SHORECIRC, using a hybrid finite-difference finite-volume TVD-type scheme, is coupled with the wave model SWAN in the Nearshore Community Model (NearCoM) system. The new modeling system is named NearCoM-TVD and the purpose of this study is to report the capability and limitation of NearCoM-TVD for several coastal applications. For tidal inlet applications, the model is verified with the semi-analytical solution of Keulegan (1967) for an idealized inlet-bay system. To further evaluate the model performance in predicting nearshore circulation under intense wave–current interaction over complex bathymetry, modeled circulation patterns are validated with measured data during RCEX field experiment (MacMahan et al., 2010). For sediment transport applications, two sediment transport models are applied to predict three sandbar migration events at Duck, NC, during August to October 1994 (Gallagher et al., 1998). The model of Kobayashi et al. (2008) incorporates wave-induced onshore sediment transport rate as a function of the standard deviation of wave-induced horizontal velocities. The modeled beach profile evolution for two offshore events and one onshore event agrees well with the measured data. The second model investigated here combines two published sediment transport models, namely, the total load model driven by currents under the effect of wave stirring (Soulsby, 1997) and the wave-driven sediment transport model due to wave asymmetry/skewness (van Rijn et al., 2011). The model study with limited field data suggests that the parameterization of wave stirring is appropriate during energetic wave conditions. However, during low energy wave conditions, the effect of wave stirring needs to be re-calibrated.     

Analysis of dune erosion processes in large-scale flume experiments

Large-scale physical model tests were conducted with different wave periods to examine the physical processes driving dune erosion. The model tests have been carried out in a flume (2DV) with a sandy dune exposed to extreme surge and wave conditions [Van Gent, M.R.A., Van Thiel de Vries, J.S.M., Coeveld, E.M., De Vroeg, J.H. and Van de Graaff, J., 2008. Large-scale dune erosion tests to study the effect of wave periods. Coastal Engineering. doi:10.1016/j.coastaleng.2008.04.003.]. Detailed measurements in time and space of water pressure, flow velocities and sediment concentrations were performed in the near shore area. The data revealed that both short- and long waves are important to inner surf hydrodynamics. Depth averaged flows are directed offshore and increase towards the shore line. The corresponding mean sediment concentrations rise sharply towards the dune face (up to 50 g/l near the bed). The strong increase in the mean sediment concentration towards the dune face correlates well with the maximum wave surface slope which in turn is coupled to both the pressure gradient and the near-bed wave-breaking induced turbulence. Analysis shows that the pressure gradient is only partially coupled to the flow acceleration suggesting that the latter cannot always be used as a proxy for the first. Weak correlation is obtained with the near-bed flows related to the bed shear stress. Tests with a larger wave period resulted in a larger dune erosion volume. During these tests more wave energy (combined incident and infragravity waves) reached the dune face, but more importantly, this wave energy is dissipated by fewer waves resulting in more intense wave breakers and steeper wave fronts. It is therefore expected that the wave-breaking induced near-bed turbulence increases resulting in significantly higher (O(100%)) mean sediment concentrations. In addition the mean flow velocities are comparable, yielding a substantially larger offshore directed sediment transport capacity. This increase in offshore directed transport is only partially compensated by a concurrent increase in the wave related onshore transport capacity associated with intrawave processes, resulting in a net increase in the dune erosion rate.