The effect of temporal wave averaging on the performance of an empirical shoreline evolution model

The effect of using time-averaged wave statistics in a simple empirical model for shoreline change is investigated. The model was first calibrated with a six-year time series of hourly wave conditions and weekly shoreline position at the Gold Coast, Australia. The model was then recalibrated with the hourly waves averaged over intervals up to 1 year. With wave averaging up to 2 days, model performance was approximately constant (squared correlation r² ~ 0.61–0.62), with only small changes in the values of empirical model parameters (e.g. the beach response coefficient c varied by less than 4%). With between 2 and 40 day averaging, individual storms are not resolved; model skill decreased only modestly (r² ~ 0.55), but c varied erratically by up to 40% of the original value. That is, optimal model coefficients depend on wave averaging, an undesirable result. With increased averaging (> 40 days) seasonal variability in the wave field is not resolved well and model skill declined markedly. Thus, temporal averaging of wave conditions increases numerical efficiency, but over-averaging degrades model performance and distorts best-fit values of model free parameters.