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Tidal sand waves are rhythmic bed forms found in shallow sandy coastal seas, reaching heights up to ten meters and migration rates of several meters per year. Because of their dynamic behaviour, unravelling the physical processes behind the growth of these bed forms is of particular interest to science and offshore industries. Various modelling efforts have given a good description of the initial stages of sand wave formation by adopting a linear stability analysis on the coupled system of water movement and the sandy seabed. However, the physical processes causing sand waves to grow towards equilibrium are far from understood. We adopt a numerical shallow water model (Delft3D) to study the growth of sand waves towards a stable equilibrium. It is shown that both suspended load transport and tidal asymmetry reduce the equilibrium sand wave height. A residual current results in asymmetrical bed forms that migrate in the direction of the residual current. The combination of suspended load transport and tidal asymmetry results in predicted equilibrium wave heights comparable to wave heights found in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rising sea levels are expected to cause widespread coastal recession over the course of the next century. In this work, new insight into the response of sandy beaches to sea level rise is obtained through a series of comprehensive experiments using monochromatic and random waves in medium scale laboratory wave flumes. Beach profile development from initially planar profiles, and a 2/3 power law profile, exposed to wave conditions that formed barred or bermed profiles and subsequent profile evolution following rises in water level and the same wave conditions are presented. Experiments assess profile response to a step-change in water level as well as the influence of sediment deposition above the still water level (e.g. overwash). A continuity based profile translation model (PTM) is applied to both idealised and measured shoreface profiles, and is used to predict overwash and deposition volumes above the shoreline. Quantitative agreement with the Bruun Rule (and variants of it) is found for measured shoreline recession for both barred and bermed beach profiles. There is some variability between the profiles at equilibrium at the two different water levels. Under these idealised conditions, deviations between the original Bruun Rule, the modification by Rosati et al. (2013) and the PTM model predictions are of the order of 15% and all these model predictions are within ±30% of the observed shoreline recession. Measurements of the recession of individual contour responses, such as the shoreline, may be subject to local profile variability; therefore, a measure of the mean recession of the profile is also obtained by averaging the recession of discrete contours throughout the active profile. The mean recession only requires conservation of volume, not conservation of profile shape, to be consistent with the Bruun Rule concept, and is found to be in better agreement with all three model predictions than the recession measured at the shoreline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A one-dimensional-vertical model is developed for net sheet-flow sediment transport rate under oscillatory boundary layer flows. This model couples the boundary-layer model proposed by Yuan and Madsen (2015) with new predictors for bedload and suspended-load transport rates. Sediment concentration is modeled by solving the advection-diffusion equation with a parameterized turbulence diffusivity and a bottom pick-up rate. The slope effect is included in the predictions of instantaneous bedload transport rate and sediment pick-up rate, so the model can rigorously account for wave nonlinearity (velocity skewness and asymmetry) together with a mild bottom slope. The model performance on net sediment transport rate is excellent for large grain sizes, except that the velocity-asymmetry effect seems to be moderately underestimated. For small grain sizes, the model performance deteriorates, but is still acceptable for many cases. This is possibly because the model does not consider turbulence damping due to stratification and underestimates the phase-lag effect. Using the validated model, it is found that a boundary layer streaming due to velocity skewness and/or asymmetry can be a major contributor to net transport rate, when significant sediment suspension occurs. A simple case study also suggests that a mild bottom slope can be equally important as the wave nonlinearity for producing net sediment transport rate. Model predictions show that wave-nonlinear and bottom-slope effects can be linearly superimposed, which provides a simple way for incorporating bottom slope into existing transport-rate formulas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four southern California beaches were nourished with offshore sand placed as subaerial pads several meters thick, ∼ 50 m wide, and spanning between 500 and 1500 m alongshore. Three nourishments constructed with coarser than native sand, placed in 2012 at Imperial, Cardiff and Solana Beaches, elevated subaerial sand volumes for several years even when exposed to the energetic winter waves of the 2015-16 El Niño, followed by a stormy 2016-17 winter. As these relatively resilient pads were overwashed, landward tilted subaerial profiles (accretionary crowns) formed at the eroding front face of the originally flat-topped pads and pooling occurred in the backbeach. At Imperial Beach, nourishment sand helped prevent waves from directly impacting riprap fronting houses, while groundwater flooding behind the pad was observed at a location where the pad was elevated ∼ 1.6 m above the street. As the nourishments retreated, alongshore oriented spits grew downdrift from the eroding face. The alongshore displacement of the subaerial center of mass of the 2012 nourishments is positively correlated with the seasonally varying S x y (the alongshore radiation stress component). After four years, the net southward drift of the Imperial Beach nourishment contributed to the winter 2016 closure of the Tijuana River mouth and the associated hyper-polluted and anoxic estuary conditions. Nourishment impacts on sand levels on rocky reefs were not unambiguously detectable in the background of natural variability. Over several years, gains or losses in the total sand volume (integrated from the back beach to 8 m depth, over the few km alongshore survey spans) are sometimes comparable to nourishment volumes, suggesting relatively large interannual sediment fluxes across the control volume boundaries. The clearest trend in total volume is at Torrey Pines; during 16 years since the 2001 nourishment, about 300,000 m 3 of sand has been lost. If the trend continues, the thinning veneer of sand will be removed more often from the subaerial winter beach, exposing rocks and cobbles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underneath rock slopes of rubble mound structures often one or more granular filter layers are present. These filter layers prevent base material washout. In contrast to traditional filters, geometrically open filters allow for some movement of base material. In order to design such open filters the amount of erosion and accretion of base material needs to be predicted. Based on 2D physical model tests Van Gent and Wolters (2015) presented a method to estimate the erosion and accretion of sand underneath rock slopes. Since the developed method was only valid for perpendicular wave attack, a new study has been performed to assess effects of oblique wave attack on the amount of erosion and accretion of sand underneath a rock slope. For that purpose 3D physical model tests were performed in a wave basin with 5 different wave angle between 0° (perpendicular wave attack) and 75°. Based on the test results it was shown how the effects of wave obliquity can be taken into account in the design of open filters. In addition, the effect of the storm duration on open filters has been studied. This led to an extended design method to predict the amount of erosion and accretion of sand underneath rock slopes under wave loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hurricanes have long been recognized as a strong forcing in shaping the coastal morphology, especially by redistributing sediments among coastal wetlands, bays and inner continental shelves. However, the contribution of hurricane-induced sediment transport to the sediment budget of a shelf – bay – wetland system has not been evaluated using a physics-based numerical model. There is a particular confusion on how sediment transport to coastal wetlands contributes to sediment accretion in wetlands and thus wetland adaptation to sea level rise. In this paper, we present a coupled modeling system for hurricane winds, storm surge, waves and sediment transport on the Louisiana coast, and use it to investigate two fundamental questions: (1) How much sediment is transported and deposited on coastal wetlands during a major hurricane event like Hurricane Gustav (2008), and (2) where is the source of the deposited sediment on the wetland soil surface. Our model successfully reproduced the measured basin-averaged sediment accretion in the Terrebonne and Barataria Basins after Gustav, and estimated that Hurricane Gustav imported approximately 27 million metric tons of sediment on wetlands in that area. The estimated deposition was mainly made up of mud suspended from the coastal bays, and the contribution of this sediment to wetland deposition was 88.7% in Terrebonne Bay and 98.2% in Barataria Bay within the tested range of sediment properties. This paper demonstrates a useful tool to help understand how sediment dynamics in the coastal zone during hurricane events play a significant role in the sediment budget of a deltaic coast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disequilibrium-type models for two beach profile parameters, P , the shoreline position and net bulk sediment transport, are developed for laboratory experiments that demonstrate morphological hysteresis in the evolution to equilibrium of beach profiles under sequences of different wave climates. The model principle follows the classical disequilibrium approach but with non-monotonic relationships between the forcing and the chosen beach profile parameter at equilibrium, P eq , previously verified and presented in part 1 of this work (Baldock et al., 2017). Two such relationships are required to model beach profile evolution that exhibits morphological hysteresis. The model coefficients are derived for monochromatic and random wave experiments and subsequently used to model data obtained from cyclic erosive and accretive wave conditions of shorter durations, alternating through multiple cycles. In these conditions equilibrium conditions were not reached and hysteresis does not occur. The model is used to investigate the morphological feedback between the outer and inner bars and the resulting behaviour of the bulk transport, and the relative depth over the bar crest is shown to be an attractor in this case. The model coefficients and morphological time-scales derived from the cyclic experiments are very similar to those derived from the equilibrium experiments for the bulk transport. Normalised mean square model errors range from 1% to 20% when applied to independent data. The data from the cyclic wave conditions can be inverted to derive the conditions expected at equilibrium, which match those observed, indicating a robust model relationship between the forcing and P eq . The relationship between the forcing and P eq can also be determined directly from the cyclic experiments. This approach may be more robust than determining the relationship from periods where P is stationary since, in a time-series of P versus the forcing, stationary points can occur due to changes in wave conditions, in addition to the instances when P = P eq . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors have shown previously that over very long time scales a barrier estuary or tidal inlet will tend towards one of two states, called attractors. In this paper it is shown how that analysis represents an extension and generalisation of three earlier procedures. There are three widely recognised quantitative semi-empirical procedures describing the long term equilibrium dimensions of the entrance channel of barrier estuaries and tidal inlets. The best known of these laws is the tidal prism-entrance area relation, often referred to as the O'Brien equation. The second procedure is based on the Escoffier or closure diagram, comprising a simple hydrodynamic relationship between the entrance area and the entrance velocity together with an empirical "equilibrium velocity". The third is the set of rules developed by Bruun that relate the entrance channel stability to the longshore sediment supply and the entrance channel sediment transport capacity. Each of these is based on major simplifications that restrict its utility and range of validity more than is usually recognised. The attractor analysis, while still based on a lumped model, adds sediment transport and deposition/scour equations and enables the use of more realistic entrance hydrodynamics. It predicts the rates of change and presents the results on a practical “attractor map”. The predictions of the three empirical laws are compared with the attractor map and their practical application is critically compared. The empirical laws are shown to provide broadly equivalent predictions to the attractor map, but over limited ranges of estuary conditions. In particular, none of the empirical laws identifies the entrance closure state or describes conditions near closure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results are presented from a combined experimental and numerical study aimed at comparing the flocculation behaviour of purely-cohesive (clay) and mixed (sand-clay) sediment suspensions under equivalent controlled hydrodynamic conditions. The experiments were conducted in a grid-stirred settling column and focussed on measuring the parametric influences of grid-generated shear rate and local suspended sediment concentrations on the time-evolution of the micro- and macrofloc size distributions generated in the column, as well as representative maximal and root-mean-square floc sizes. The results indicate that for kaolin clay suspensions under low-medium shear rates, initial aggregation rates and the peak or quasi-equilibrium floc sizes attained increase with the clay input concentration; this latter effect due to the larger proportion of macroflocs generated within these runs. By contrast, under high shear rates, representative floc sizes for kaolin clay suspensions remain largely unchanged over the experimental duration, with little influence from clay input or in-situ concentrations, and no macroflocs present in the resulting floc size distributions. The addition of the fine sand fraction to the kaolin clay suspensions is shown to reduce both initial aggregation rates and the representative floc sizes attained in the column for runs under low-medium shear rates, whilst having negligible effect on the flocculation behaviour for the sand-clay mixtures under high shear rates. These results suggest that the sand fraction inhibits flocculation at lower shear rates due to an additional floc break-up mechanism resulting from direct sand-clay interactions (e.g. particle-floc collisions). The importance of these inter-fractional (sand-clay) interactions diminishes, in comparison to shear-induced floc break-up, under higher shear conditions. A one dimensional vertical (1DV) model incorporating a population balance equation (PBE) that includes new representation of these multi-fractional (sand-clay) collisions is applied to simulate the kaolin clay and sand-clay settling column tests. In general, the 1DV PBE model predictions provide good agreement with the measured in-situ concentrations and quasi-equilibrium floc sizes attained, but under-predict floc sizes during the initial aggregation phase due to uncertainty with the upper boundary condition in the 1DV model domain. Furthermore, the reliance of the 1DV PBE model predictions on empirical floc break-up rates associated with shear-induced floc fragmentation and multi-fractional (sand-clay) collisions warrants further attention to better define the microscale dynamics of these processes for their improved representation in the PBE model. It is anticipated that this multi-fractional approach represents an improved basis for modelling flocculation processes within natural sedimentary environments, such as estuaries and tidal inlets, where bed sediments often consist of interacting cohesive (i.e. muds) and non-cohesive (i.e. silts, sands) fractions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large perturbations in the coastline, such as the 'Sand Motor' nourishment ( ∼ 21 million m 3 ) at the Holland coast, can initiate considerable spatial and temporal changes in the median grain size ( D 50 ) of the sea bed on the lower shoreface. The relevance of hydrodynamic conditions for the development of the heterogeneity in D 50 at large-scale nourishments was assessed with a numerical model (Delft3D), which required a validation against 2.5 years of D 50 measurements. A good representation of the observed spatial pattern of D 50 was obtained independent of a 2DH or 3D approach and initial condition for the D 50 of the bed. Five sediment size fractions and a multi-layer administration of the bed composition were used. The extent and magnitude of the coarsening of the bed is related to the velocity of the horizontal tide, while a far less pronounced coarsening takes place during energetic conditions (i.e. H m 0 ≥ 3 m). Differential suspension behaviour between the size fractions, which are all mobilized at the bed, causes a preferential transport of fine sediment (in alongshore direction) away from the Sand Motor at the lower shoreface (i.e. seaward of MSL -6 m). Storm conditions may induce a partial removal of the coarse top-layer due to mobilization of all of the size fractions and mixing with the relatively fine substrate material. Simulations also show that transport of the fine sand fraction extents to much deeper water than for the medium and coarse sand fractions. Models with multiple sediment fractions are therefore required for the assessment of environmental impacts of large-scale coastal structures or land reclamation's and sediment transport on the lower shoreface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The salt marshes of Jamaica Bay serve as a recreational outlet for New York City residents, mitigate wave impacts during coastal storms, and provide habitat for critical wildlife species. Hurricanes have been recognized as one of the critical drivers of coastal wetland morphology due to their effects on hydrodynamics and sediment transport, deposition, and erosion processes. In this study, the Delft3D modeling suite was utilized to examine the effects of Hurricane Sandy (2012) on salt marsh morphology in Jamaica Bay. Observed marsh elevation change and accretion from rod Surface Elevation Tables and feldspar Marker Horizons (SET-MH) and hydrodynamic measurements during Hurricane Sandy were used to calibrate and validate the wind-waves-surge-sediment transport-morphology coupled model. The model results agreed well with in situ field measurements. The validated model was then used to detect salt marsh morphological change due to Sandy across Jamaica Bay. Model results indicate that the island-wide morphological changes in the bay's salt marshes due to Sandy were in the range of −30 mm (erosion) to +15 mm (deposition), and spatially complex and heterogeneous. The storm generated paired deposition and erosion patches at local scales. Salt marshes inside the west section of the bay showed erosion overall while marshes inside the east section showed deposition from Sandy. The net sediment amount that Sandy brought into the bay is only about 1% of the total amount of reworked sediment within the bay during the storm. Numerical experiments show that waves and vegetation played a critical role in sediment transport and associated wetland morphological change in Jamaica Bay. Furthermore, without the protection of vegetation, the marsh islands of Jamaica Bay would experience both more erosion and less accretion in coastal storms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variations in bed friction due to land cover type have the potential to influence morphologic change during storm events; the importance of these variations can be studied through numerical simulation and experimentation at locations with sufficient observational data to initialize realistic scenarios, evaluate model accuracy and guide interpretations. Two-dimensional in the horizontal plane (2DH) morphodynamic (XBeach) simulations were conducted to assess morphodynamic sensitivity to spatially varying bed friction at Dauphin Island, AL using hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Katrina (2005) as experimental test cases. For each storm, three bed friction scenarios were simulated: (1) a constant Chezy coefficient across land and water, (2) a constant Chezy coefficient across land and depth-dependent Chezy coefficients across water, and (3) spatially varying Chezy coefficients across land based on land use/land cover (LULC) data and depth-dependent Chezy coefficients across water. Modeled post-storm bed elevations were compared qualitatively and quantitatively with post-storm lidar data. Results showed that implementing spatially varying bed friction influenced the ability of XBeach to accurately simulate morphologic change during both storms. Accounting for frictional effects due to large-scale variations in vegetation and development reduced cross-barrier sediment transport and captured overwash and breaching more accurately. Model output from the spatially varying friction scenarios was used to examine the need for an existing sediment transport limiter, the influence of pre-storm topography and the effects of water level gradients on storm-driven morphodynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mega-nourishments, aiming at providing long-term coastal safety, nature qualities and recreational space, have been applied recently at the Holland coast and are considered at various other places in the world. Methods to quickly evaluate the potential and lifetime of these coastal mega nourishments are therefore very much desired, which is the main objective of this research. Two types of mega nourishments can be distinguished: feeder-type mega nourishments may erode freely to feed adjacent coasts for a more natural, dynamic dune growth while permanent mega-nourishments are designed to preserve safety levels and need to maintain their size and shape and thus needs to be nourished themselves. The design and impact assessment studies for both types of mega nourishments require detailed morphological studies to determine the morphological evolution. In this paper 2DH (Delft3D) and 1D (UNIBEST-CL+ and LONGMOR) numerical models were calibrated using data of the Sand Motor mega-nourishment and were then applied to model a series of mega-nourishments with various width over length ratios and volumes in order to derive relations and design graphs for erosion rates, life span and maintenance volumes. These relations and design graphs can be used in project initiation phases and feasibility studies. The magnitude of the modelled wave-driven longshore sediment transport rates in 1D coastline models depend on the representation of wave refraction on the lower shoreface, since a distinction should be made between the non-rotating lower shoreface and active surfzone. It was shown that the life time of nourishments is mainly determined by the dimensions of the nourishment and incoming wave energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interplay between wave nonlinearity and mud-induced dissipation is studied here using wave and sediment transport measurements collected in winter 2008, on the Atchafalaya Shelf, Louisiana, between the 8-m and the 4-m isobaths. This study focuses on the relatively energetic storm that occurred on March 4th (2-m wave height in 8-m water depth), which caused significant bed reworking and left in its wake a 20-cm layer of hindered-settling fluid mud. While the net wave dissipation rate was maximal during the hindered-settling phase after the storm, consistent with previous observations, significant dissipation was observed throughout the storm duration, with a secondary maximum associated with the peak of the storm and the maximum bed-reworking effects. The effects of mud-induced dissipation on the nonlinear shoaling process are investigated here using TRIADS, a newly-developed spectral model for nonlinear shoaling of waves. With mud-parameter values estimated using a crude inverse modeling approach, the model was used to separate the effects of mud-induced dissipation from nonlinear transfers, during both the erosion and deposition phases of bed reworking. Numerical simulations show that nonlinear transfers are always active, even under strong dissipation regimes. Remarkably, they also suggest that heavy mud-induced dissipation causes the nonlinear energy cascade to revert direction, with bulk transfers occurring from high-frequency to low-frequency spectral bands. This supports the hypothesis that the interplay between mud-induced dissipation, which is much more significant than the bottom dissipation over sandy beds, and wave nonlinearity can drain energy from the entire spectrum, and not just from the frequency bands that interact directly with the seafloor. The decay of high-frequency variance induced by the reversal of spectral flux in effect reduces the nonlinearity of the wave field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the profile response of a mixed sand-gravel deltaic beach (Playa Granada, southern Spain) forced by storm waves from varying directions. Beach morphology was monitored over a 36-day period with variable wave conditions, and profile response was compared to model predictions using the XBeach-G model and a longshore sediment transport (LST) formulation. XBeach-G was applied over 2-day periods of low energy, south-westerly (SW) storm and south-easterly (SE) storm conditions, and was coupled to LST using a parametric approach which distributes the LST across the swash, surf and nearshore zones. A calibrated wave propagation model (Delft3D) was used to obtain the inshore conditions required to drive the XBeach-G model and the LST formulation. The storm response is clearly influenced by the free-board (difference between the height of the berm and the total run-up) and is also strongly dependent on storm-wave direction, with the SW storm eroding the surveyed area, while the SE storm induced beach accretion. Model results indicate that XBeach-G on its own is capable of adequately reproducing the response of the beach under SW storm conditions ( B S S > 0.95 ), but not under SE storms due to the higher LST gradients at the study location. The combination of XBeach-G and LST fits the measured profiles reasonably well under both SW ( B S S > 0.96 ) and SE ( B S S > 0.88 ) storms, inspiring confidence in the coupled model to predict the storm response under varying wave conditions. The combined XBeach-G/LST model was applied to the entire 6.8-km deltaic coastline to investigate the impact of extreme SW and SE storm events, and the model results reiterate the importance of cross-shore and longshore sediment transport in driving coastal storm response at this location. The approach proposed in this work can be extended to other worldwide coasts highly influenced by both cross-shore and longshore sediment transport, such as beaches with different coastline orientations and/or forced by varying wave directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A reduced-scale mobile-bed model is employed in a series of flume experiments to investigate the evolution of a submerged berm under low-energy irregular waves. Sixteen flume tests are conducted on the same submerged berm model under different wave conditions, and the bed elevations and water surface elevations are recorded along the profile during the tests. The results are analyzed comprehensively and compared to those under regular wave conditions from a previous study. Generally, no bulk evolution of the submerged berm is observed, and large wave periods lead to wavy profile shape and offshore sediment transport. The wavy profile can be found under both regular and irregular wave conditions, while the offshore transport is only observed under irregular wave conditions. Two major evolution patterns are extracted with the Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis, including the decrease of the crest elevation and offshore sediment transport to the seaward-side slope, both of which are impacted to a larger degree by wave period than wave height. A cross-shore analysis is conducted on the wave hydrodynamic parameters and sediment transport parameters, based on which the differences in the evolution of the submerged berm under small and large wave periods are explained. This paper proposes new insights on the evolution of submerged berms under low-energy irregular waves and provides a new perspective to explain different behaviors of submerged berms via a comparison with the test results under low-energy regular waves from previous studies. • The evolution of a submerged berm under low-energy irregular waves are studied via a series of flume tests. • The behaviors of the submerged berm under irregular wave and regular wave conditions are compared. • Large wave period leads to offshore sediment transport under low-energy irregular waves. • The submerged berm exhibits two major evolution patterns: a crest elevation decrease and the offshore sediment transport. • The variations in cross-shore H s , Sk v and Sk a account for the differences in the evolution of the submerged berm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study the numerical model Delft3D is implemented on high-resolution grids to evaluate beach morphological response to groins and submerged breakwaters under sea-breeze conditions. The numerical model is compared with field measurements from three sites on the northern Yucatan coast of Mexico. At these sites, relatively low energy waves with significant wave heights arrive at a steep oblique angle to the coast that drives high sediment transport rates. After calibration of the model, by adjustment of model free parameters, the model results show accurate representations of the diurnal variation of hydrodynamic conditions (wave height and current velocity) driven by the daily sea-breezes. Moreover, the morphodynamic model shows a good representation of the rapid morphological changes, particularly of the accretion pattern caused by a temporary groin and the subsequent recovery following the structure removal. However, erosion patterns at the downdrift areas of structures were not reproduced, owing to the numerical model limitations of simulating swash morphodynamics. Model validation with field observations of the beach response behind submerged breakwaters enabled the model to be used for a parametric study. Following previous work, new equations are developed in the present study that show an improvement for predicting shoreline changes near submerged breakwaters under sea-breeze conditions. Despite the limitations in reproducing downdrift erosion, overall the high-resolution modelling approach satisfactorily simulates the hydrodynamic and the updrift accretion responses to coastal structures on sandy beaches with oblique waves. • Simulations of beach change near groins and submerged breakwaters are performed. • Results are compared to measurements at three sites with high sediment transport rates. • New equations show improved prediction of shoreline change near submerged structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel series of experiments are presented that demonstrate morphological hysteresis in the evolution to equilibrium of beach profiles under sequences of different wave climates. The experiments were conducted in a wave flume at medium scale using both monochromatic and random waves, representing 2D conditions. Beach profiles were obtained with high spatial resolution at frequent intervals with a laser profiler, from which shoreline location, bar position and sediment transport rates were derived. Experiments were conducted for sequences of wave climates, where a sequence comprised of 6–13 sequential tests, each commencing with the beach profile from the preceding test. Each test was run until equilibrium conditions were obtained and had a constant wave height, increased or decreased relative to the preceding test. Cyclical conditions were also included, with erosive and accretive wave conditions of short durations alternating through multiple cycles, so that equilibrium conditions were not reached during a test. With a sequence of increasing wave heights, the relationship between the shoreline position and the bulk cross-shore sediment transport, at equilibrium, was non-monotonic, indicating a maximum in the landward sediment transport rate. For test series comprised of a sequence of increasing wave heights followed by a sequence of decreasing wave heights, morphological hysteresis was observed in the equilibrium shoreline position and bulk cross-shore sediment transport, such that shoreline recession, or offshore transport, continued in some instances after reductions in wave height. This is inconsistent with classical equilibrium type shoreline evolution models. However, when equilibrium conditions were not reached, in the cyclic sequences, no such morphological hysteresis was observed and a dynamic equilibrium is reached. The morphological hysteresis occurs because of the decay, stranding, or increased relative depth, of the breaker bar following a reduction in wave height, often in conjunction with a new breaker bar generated by further offshore transport in the inner surf zone. Similar sequences of morphological response are evident in field data and larger scale tests in the literature. Finally, it is shown that the morphological hysteresis can be explained using the classical equilibrium beach state model of Wright et al. (1985) by introducing the concept of a subsequent alternate active beach state, which may occur following a change in wave conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding of breaking and broken waves is key for the prediction of nearshore sediment transport and coastal hazards, however the difficulty of obtaining measurements of highly unsteady nearshore waves has limited the availability of field data. This paper reports on a novel field experiment designed to capture the time-varying free-surface throughout the surf and swash zones was conducted on a dissipative sandy beach using an array of 2D LiDAR scanners. Three scanners were deployed from the pier at Saltburn-by-the-Sea, UK for a 6 day period to monitor the surface elevation of nearshore waves from the break point to the runup limit at temporal and spatial resolutions (order of centimetres) rarely achieved in field conditions. The experimental setup and the procedure to obtain a continuous time series of surface elevation and wave geometry is described. A new method to accurately determine the break point location is presented and compared to existing methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This short communication considers a video-based approach to quantify near bed and sheet flow swash zone sediment particle velocities over a mobile bed in a laboratory setting and relate the profile shape to sheet thickness and a velocity that can be measured outside the sheet layer (by for instance a current meter) Near bed high speed imagery was recorded during a dam-break driven swash event in a flume with optically clear walls. Repeated swash events for two different median sediment sizes were tested. Optical Current Meter (OCM) analysis was applied to bed parallel image time stacks extracted at elevations from below the at rest bed to within the lower water column. OCM results were compared to in situ velocity measurements, where possible, obtained with an acoustic Doppler profiling velocimeter (ADPV). OCM results compared well with ADPV measurements for moderate suspended sediment concentrations (based on visual observation; sediment concentrations were not measured). Too high of a sediment concentration over saturated the image and did not provide distinct sediment particle trajectories in a consistent direction for OCM analysis. This saturation occurred during uprush for both sediment sizes. Too little of a sediment concentration provided an inadequate number of sediment particle trajectories to track, such as during flow reversal for the coarser sediment. For coarser sediment, backwash velocities were well resolved in OCM analysis with velocities comparing well (correlation coefficient > 0.8) to ADPV estimates. The dimensionless backwash sheet flow sediment particle velocity profile (normalized by the velocity at the top of the sheet) scaled with the dimensionless elevation (normalized by the sheet layer thickness) to the 0.62 power with 95% confidence intervals for the exponent ranging from 0.47 to 0.76. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new set of laboratory data is used to investigate the bathymetry change of a steep sand dune exposed to waves and high water levels, and subsequently compared to the results of numerical simulations using XBeach. Bichromatic wave boundary conditions are used to simulate a combined short-wave and long-wave field for two water level elevations corresponding to collision with the dune face, and overwashing of the dune crest. In the collision regime case, episodic slumping due to the undercutting of the dune results in sudden erosional events followed by long periods of wave-driven reshaping at the dune toe. In the overwash regime case, morphological changes are faster and sediment transport rates are higher. The XBeach model was used to simulate wave-driven erosion of the dune at the two water levels observed in the laboratory. The model was not able to precisely recreate the cross-shore spatial variability of significant wave height observed in the experiments, however near-bed wave-orbital and mean current velocities were in good agreement with observations. Following rapid initial adjustment, the model results were in agreement with measured dune morphology at successive times. XBeach was sensitive to several parameters that control the rate of erosion including the critical avalanching slope under water, the threshold water depth and the sediment transport formulation, and performed well after careful selection of the best combination of these parameters. Overall, the model predictions were in better agreement with laboratory observations for dune erosion in the overwash regime case than the collision regime case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field-tested numerical model simulations are used to estimate the effects of an inlet, ebb shoal, wave height, wave direction, and shoreline geometry on the variability of bathymetric change on a curved coast with a migrating inlet and strong nearshore currents. The model uses bathymetry measured along the southern shoreline of Martha's Vineyard, MA, and was validated with waves and currents observed from the shoreline to ~10-m water depth. Between 2007 and 2014, the inlet was open and the shoreline along the southeast corner of the island eroded ~200 m and became sharper. Between 2014 and 2015, the corner accreted and became smoother as the inlet closed. Numerical simulations indicate that variability of sediment transport near the corner shoreline depends more strongly on its radius of curvature (a proxy for the separation of tidal flows from the coast) than on the presence of the inlet, the ebb shoal, or wave height and direction. As the radius of curvature decreases (as the corner sharpens), tidal asymmetry of nearshore currents is enhanced, leading to more sediment transport near the shoreline over several tidal cycles. The results suggest that feedbacks between shoreline geometry and inner-shelf flows can be important to coastal erosion and accretion in the vicinity of an inlet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced numerical models used to predict coastal change at a variety of time and spatial scales often contain many free parameters that require calibration to the available field data. At present, little guidance (beyond the adoption of the default values provided) is available in the field of coastal engineering to inform the selection of best-fit parameter values. Common calibration techniques can often lack a rigorous quantification of model sensitivity to parameters and parameter-induced model uncertainty. Here we employ the Generalised Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) method to address these issues. The GLUE method uses Monte Carlo sampling to assess the skill of many different combinations of model parameters when compared to observational data. As a rigorous modelling framework, the GLUE method provides a series of standard tools that assist the modeller to analyse model sensitivity, undertake parameter optimisation and quantify parameter-induced uncertainty. In addition, new tools are presented here to identify where unique calibrated parameter sets are required for different observational data (e.g., should the calibrated parameter set differ between alongshore locations at a site) and investigate the convergence of GLUE estimated optimum parameter values over increasing numbers of Monte Carlo samples. As the methodology and philosophy of GLUE is well established in other fields, this paper presents a practical case study to explore the strengths and weaknesses of the method when applied to a relatively complex coastal numerical model (XBeach). The results obtained are compared to a previously reported and more ‘standard’ model calibration undertaken within the context of a coastal storm early warning system. While the GLUE method requires orders of magnitude more computational power, it is shown that its use in place of the more common one-at-a-time ‘trial-and-error’ approach to model calibration, provides: a significant improvement in predictive skill; a more rigorous evaluation of the model sensitivity to parameters; the ability to identify distinct differences in the XBeach model performance dependent on dune impact processes; and additional analysis including the quantification of parameter-induced uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents novel insights into suspended sediment concentrations and fluxes under a large-scale laboratory plunging wave. Measurements of sediment concentrations and velocities were taken at 12 locations around an evolving breaker bar, covering the complete breaking region from shoaling to inner surf zone, with particular high resolution near the bed using an Acoustic Concentration and Velocity Profiler. Wave breaking evidently affects sediment pick-up rates, which increase by an order of magnitude from shoaling to breaking zone. Time-averaged reference concentrations correlate poorly with periodic and time-averaged near-bed velocities, but correlate significantly with near-bed time-averaged turbulent kinetic energy. The net depth-integrated suspended transport is offshore-directed and primarily attributed to current-related fluxes (undertow) at outer-flow elevations (i.e. above the wave bottom boundary layer). The wave-related suspended transport is onshore-directed and is generally confined to the wave bottom boundary layer. Cross-shore gradients of sediment fluxes are quantified to explain spatial patterns of sediment pick-up and deposition and of cross-shore sediment advection. Suspended particles travel back and forth between the breaking and shoaling zones following the orbital motion, leading to local intra-wave concentration changes. At locations between the breaker bar crest and bar trough, intra-wave concentration changes are due to a combination of horizontal advection and of vertical exchange with the bedload layer: sediment is entrained in the bar trough during the wave trough phase, almost instantly advected offshore, and deposited near the bar crest during the wave crest phase. Finally, these results are used to suggest improvements for suspended sediment transport models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mega nourishments are intended to enhance growth and resilience of coastal dunes on medium to long time scales by stimulation of natural sediment transport processes. The growth and resilience of coastal dunes largely depends on the presence of a continuous supply of aeolian sediment. A recent example of a mega nourishment is the 21 Mm 3 mega nourishment known as the Sand Motor. The Sand Motor is intended to nourish the entire Holland coast over a period of two decades. Four years of bi-monthly topographic measurements of the Sand Motor domain provide an opportunity to analyze spatiotemporal variations in aeolian sediment supply using an aeolian sediment budget analysis. It appears that more than 58% of all aeolian sediment deposits originate from the low-lying beaches that are regularly reworked by waves. Aeolian sediment supply from higher beaches diminished after half a year after construction of the Sand Motor, likely due to the formation of deflation lag deposits that constitute a beach armor layer. The compartmentalization of the Sand Motor in armored and unarmored surfaces suggests that the construction height is an important design criterion that influences the lifetime and region of influence for any mega nourishment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study continues the investigation of flow and scour around a vertical pile, reported by Roulund et al. (2005). Flow and scour/backfilling around a vertical pile exposed to waves are investigated by using a three-dimensional numerical model based on incompressible Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations. The model incorporates (1) k-ω turbulence closure, (2) vortex shedding processes, (3) sediment transport (both bed and suspended load), as well as (4) bed morphology. The numerical simulations are carried out for a selected set of test conditions of the laboratory experiments of Sumer et al. (1997, 2013a), and the numerical results are compared with those of the latter experiments. The simulations are carried out for two kinds of beds: rigid bed, and sediment bed. The rigid-bed simulations indicate that the vortex shedding for waves around the pile occurs in a "one-cell" fashion with a uniform shedding frequency over the height of the cylinder, unlike the case for steady current where a two-cell structure prevails. The rigid-bed simulations further show that the horseshoe vortex flow also undergoes substantial changes in waves. The amplification of the bed shear stress around the pile (including the areas under the horseshoe vortex and the lee wake region) is obtained for various values of the Keulegan-Carpenter number, the principal parameter governing the flow around the pile in waves. The present model incorporated with the morphology component is applied to several scenarios of scour and backfilling around a pile exposed to waves. In the backfilling simulations, the initial scour hole is generated either by a steady current or by waves. The present simulations indicate that the scour and backfilling in waves are solely governed by the lee-wake flow, in agreement with observations. The numerical model has proven successful in predicting the backfilling of scour holes exposed to waves. The results of the numerical tests indicate that the equilibrium depth of scour holes is the same for both the scour and the backfilling for a given Keulegan-Carpenter number, in full agreement with observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A detailed understanding of the behaviour of waves in the nearshore is essential for coastal engineers as these waves cause beach erosion, coastal flooding and damage to coastal structures. Significantly, the influence of reflected waves is often neglected in surf zone studies, although they are known to influence wave properties and circulation in the nearshore. In this paper, a phase-resolving model is rigorously applied to model conditions from the prototype-scale BARDEXII experiment in order to examine and assess the influence of swash-based reflection on surf zone hydrodynamics at both the individual wave and time-averaged timescales. Surface elevation is separated into incoming and outgoing signals using the Radon Transform and a crest tracking algorithm is used to extract incident and reflected wave properties. It is found that on steep beaches (tanβ>1:9) the swash-based reflection - the reflection generated in the swash during the backwash - contributes significantly to the intrawave variability of individual wave properties such as the wave height to water depth ratio γ, through the generation of quasi-nodes/antinodes system. For γ expressed with individual wave heights, variations up to 25% and 40% are obtained for the modelled regular and irregular wave tests, whereas it reaches 15% when it is based on the significant wave height. The outgoing wave field-induced hydrodynamics is also found to affect time-averaged parameters: undertow and horizontal velocity skewness. The undertow is mainly strengthened, particularly in the shoaling region where the outgoing component dominates over the contribution from the incoming wave field. Offshore of the bar, an onshore-directed flow streaming close to the bed is also generated under the outgoing wave field, and is suspected to help in stabilising the bar position. This, along with the influence of the outgoing wave field on the horizontal velocity skewness and the presence of quasi-standing waves, suggests a complex contribution of the hydrodynamics induced by swash-based reflection into sediment transport rates and nearshore bar generation/migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mean (wave-averaged) cross-shore flow in the surfzone has a strong vertical variation. Good understanding and prediction of this mean velocity profile is of crucial importance, as it determines the advective transport of constituents, such as sediment, and consequently the coastal morphological evolution. Most modeling systems for coastal hydrodynamics and morphodynamics do no resolve the wave motion, and wave-current coupling is a challenging topic. This paper investigates stresses and forces that control mean surfzone hydrodynamics based on detailed wave flume velocity measurements above a fixed sloping bed including two breaker bars. The data show that the vertical distribution of normal stress below the wave trough level is fairly uniform. At the same time, the data suggest that a significant part is concentrated between the wave trough and crest level. Furthermore, it is concluded that the horizontal radiation stress gradients and the vertical shear stress gradients can be of the same order of magnitude in the vicinity of the breaker bar. Although usually ignored in 3D mean flow modeling systems, the wave Reynolds stress makes an important contribution to the mean shear stress. The normal stress below the wave trough level could be reasonably well predicted using the classical [16] expression, accounting for the contribution between wave crest and trough. The model of [39] reproduces the main trends in the wave Reynolds stresses above the bottom boundary layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reproduction of seventeen laboratory tests for dune erosion by the surf-beat mode of the two-dimensional horizontal (2DH) model XBeach for storm wave conditions showed that the model overestimates the erosion and thus the deposition volumes. This overestimation becomes particularly significant for very large overtopping rates on coastal barriers, which are commonly induced by extreme storm surges. In this paper, the recent model improvements to overcome this problem are first summarised. Moreover, two physical reasons for these overestimations are identified: (i) the wave nonlinearity effect on sediment transport, which is described in XBeach by a calibration factor for the time-averaged flow depending on the wave skewness and asymmetry and (ii) the considerable excess of the actual shear stress required to initiate the sediment particle motion as compared to that predicted by the common Shields curve. To improve the prediction capability of XBeach in terms of erosion and overwash volumes, two new improvements, related to the two aforementioned reasons for the overestimation, are introduced and implemented in the model. The improved XBeach model is then tested for dune erosion, for barrier breaching as well as for a barrier island erosion and overwash under an extreme storm surge event. The results showed a very good prediction capability of the improved model. Particularly, the second model improvement opens the way toward further model improvements to account for spatially varying soil resistance, which is crucial for reliable prediction of a barrier breaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid deterministic modelling of shoreline evolution at regional and coastal-scheme scale enables Monte-Carlo simulations by which long-term shoreline statistics can be estimated. This paper describes UnaLinea, a fast, accurate finite difference solver of the one-line sediment continuity equation. The model is verified for the evolution of an initially straight shoreline of a plane beach subject to regular breaking waves at constant angle of incidence in the presence of either a groyne or a continuous single-point feed of sediment. Grid convergence and stability tests are used to obtain accurate, stable results, with satisfactory computational efficiency. Influences of wave input filtering and event-based sediment loading are considered. The rapid deterministic model is applied to Monte-Carlo simulations of the evolution of the west coast of Calabria, Italy for different scenarios including increased sediment load from a river and selected beach nourishment. The potential role of probabilistic shoreline evolution in regional coastal flood-risk assessment is explored through application to an idealised stretch of the Holderness coastline, U.K., where flood depths and expected damage are estimated for a 1000 year return period event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A morphodynamic model based on the wave-driven alongshore sediment transport, including cross-shore transport in a simplified way and neglecting tides, is presented and applied to the Zandmotor mega-nourishment on the Dutch Delfland coast. The model is calibrated with the bathymetric data surveyed from January 2012 to March 2013 using measured offshore wave forcing. The calibrated model reproduces accurately the surveyed evolution of the shoreline and depth contours until March 2015. According to the long-term modeling using different wave climate scenarios based on historical data, for the next 30-yr period, the Zandmotor will display diffusive behavior, asymmetric feeding to the adjacent beaches, and slow migration to the NE. Specifically, the Zandmotor amplitude will have decayed from 960 m to about 350 m with a scatter of only about 40 m associated to climate variability. The modeled coastline diffusivity during the 3-yr period is 0.0021 m 2 /s, close to the observed value of 0.0022 m 2 /s. In contrast, the coefficient of the classical one-line diffusion equation is 0.0052 m 2 /s. Thus, the lifetime prediction, here defined as the time needed to reduce the initial amplitude by a factor 5, would be 90 yr instead of the classical diffusivity prediction of 35 yr. The resulting asymmetric feeding to adjacent beaches produces 100 m seaward shift at the NE section and 80 m seaward shift at the SW section. Looking at the variability associated to the different wave climates, the migration rate and the slight shape asymmetry correlate with the wave power asymmetry (W vs N waves) while the coastline diffusivity correlates with the proportion of high-angle waves, suggesting that the Dutch coast is near the high-angle wave instability threshold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sediment suspension and transport under plunging regular waves was investigated in a laboratory surf zone using the volumetric three-component velocimetry technique. The two-phase flow measurements captured the motions of sediment particles simultaneously with the three-component, three-dimensional velocity fields of turbulent coherent structures (large eddies) induced by plunging breakers. Sediment particles were separated from fluid tracers based on a combination of particle spot size and brightness in the two-phase flow images. The interactions between the large eddies and bottom sediment were investigated in the outer surf zone. The measured data showed that breaker vortices impinging on the bottom was the primary mechanism that lifted sediment particles into suspension. High suspended sediment concentrations were found in the wall-jet region where the impinging flow was deflected outward and upward. Sediment particles were also trapped by counter-rotating vortices behind the down flow. Suspended sediment concentrations were significantly lower in the impingement zone where the fluid velocities were downward, even though the turbulent kinetic energy in the down flow was very high. Suspended sediment concentration was well correlated with vertical velocity and apparent shear stresses in the deflected flow, and with vorticity magnitude in the counter-rotating vortices. A linear relationship was found between net sediment flux and net turbulent kinetic energy flux over one wave cycle. It was found that a strong deflected flow in front of the impingement zone enhanced onshore sediment transport compared to a more symmetrical flow pattern, while counter-rotating vortices kept sediment particles in suspension for transport offshore after flow reversal. Onshore sediment transport was observed in less than 20% of the breaking waves. In most wave cycles, net sediment flux was directed offshore due to advection by predominantly offshore flow velocities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A one-dimensional vertical (1DV) turbulence-closure flow model, coupled with sediment transport capabilities, is extended to incorporate graded sediment mixtures. The hydrodynamic model solves the horizontal component of the incompressible Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations coupled with k – ω turbulence closure. The sediment transport description includes both bed and suspended load descriptions. So-called high-concentration effects (turbulence damping and hindered settling velocities) are likewise included. The sediment transport model treats the bed and suspended load individually for each grain fraction, including effects associated with increased exposure of larger particles within a mixture. The suspended sediment transport model also makes use of modified reference concentration approach, wherein reference concentrations computed individually for each fraction are translated to a common level, conveniently enabling use of a single computational grid for the simulation of suspended sediments. Parametric study shows that these two effects combine to help alleviate an otherwise systematic tendency towards over- (under-) predicted transport rates for fine (coarse) sand fractions. The sediment transport model is validated against sheet-flow experimental oscillatory tunnel measurements beneath velocity-skewed wave signals, and demonstrates similar accuracy (transport rates generally within a factor of two) for both graded and uniform sands. The model is likewise validated against an extensive data set involving sheet-flow transport beneath acceleration-skewed wave signals (limited to uniform sands). It is then utilized to study potential effects of gradation on the net transport beneath such flows. The simulations suggest that gradation effects can both increase, as well as decrease, the total transport rate, depending largely on the behavior of the fine sand fraction. The model is implemented within the Matlab environment, and is freely available upon request to the corresponding author. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper treats the numerical modelling of the behaviour of a sand core covered by rocks and exposed to waves. The associated displacement of the rock is also studied. A design that allows for erosion and deposition of the sand core beneath a rock layer in a coastal structure requires an accurate prediction method to assure that the amount of erosion remains within acceptable limits. This work presents a numerical model that is capable of describing the erosion and deposition patterns inside of an open filter of rock on top of sand. The hydraulic loading is that of incident irregular waves and the open filters are surface piercing. Due to the few experimental data sets on sediment transport inside of rock layers, a sediment transport formulation has been proposed based on a matching between the numerical model and experimental data on the profile deformation inside an open filter. The rock layer on top of a sand core introduces a correction term in the Exner equation (the continuity equation for sediment and change in bed level). The correction term originates from the fact that the sand can only be deposited in the pores of the filter material. The numerical model is validated against additional data sets on the erosion and deposition patterns inside of an open filter. A few cases are defined to study the effect of the sinking of the filter into the erosion hole. The numerical model is also applied to several application cases. The response of the core material (sand) to changes in the wave period and wave height is considered. The effect of different layouts of the filter is studied in order to investigate the effect of different filter profiles on the resulting erosion. Finally, it is studied how much the design of a hydraulically closed filter can be relaxed to obtain a reduction in the design requirements of the filter thickness, while the deformation to the sand core remains acceptably small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term decadal-scale shoreline change is an important parameter for quantifying the stability of coastal systems. The decadal-scale coastal change is controlled by processes that occur on short time scales (such as storms) and long-term processes (such as prevailing waves). The ability to predict decadal-scale shoreline change is not well established and the fundamental physical processes controlling this change are not well understood. Here we investigate the processes that create large-scale long-term shoreline change along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, an uninterrupted 60 km stretch of coastline, using both observations and a numerical modeling approach. Shoreline positions for a 24-yr period were derived from aerial photographs of the Outer Banks. Analysis of the shoreline position data showed that, although variable, the shoreline eroded an average of 1.5 m/yr throughout this period. The modeling approach uses a three-dimensional hydrodynamics-based numerical model coupled to a spectral wave model and simulates the full 24-yr time period on a spatial grid running on a short (second scale) time-step to compute the sediment transport patterns. The observations and the model results show similar magnitudes (O(10 5 m 3 /yr)) and patterns of alongshore sediment fluxes. Both the observed and the modeled alongshore sediment transport rates have more rapid changes at the north of our section due to continuously curving coastline, and possible effects of alongshore variations in shelf bathymetry. The southern section with a relatively uniform orientation, on the other hand, has less rapid transport rate changes. Alongshore gradients of the modeled sediment fluxes are translated into shoreline change rates that have agreement in some locations but vary in others. Differences between observations and model results are potentially influenced by geologic framework processes not included in the model. Both the observations and the model results show higher rates of erosion (∼−1 m/yr) averaged over the northern half of the section as compared to the southern half where the observed and modeled averaged net shoreline changes are smaller (<0.1 m/yr). The model indicates accretion in some shallow embayments, whereas observations indicate erosion in these locations. Further analysis identifies that the magnitude of net alongshore sediment transport is strongly dominated by events associated with high wave energy. However, both big- and small- wave events cause shoreline change of the same order of magnitude because it is the gradients in transport, not the magnitude, that are controlling shoreline change. Results also indicate that alongshore momentum is not a simple balance between wave breaking and bottom stress, but also includes processes of horizontal vortex force, horizontal advection and pressure gradient that contribute to long-term alongshore sediment transport. As a comparison to a more simple approach, an empirical formulation for alongshore sediment transport is used. The empirical estimates capture the effect of the breaking term in the hydrodynamics-based model, however, other processes that are accounted for in the hydrodynamics-based model improve the agreement with the observed alongshore sediment transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Follet's Island (FI) is a sediment-starved barrier island located on the Upper Texas Coast; a stretch of coastline along the Gulf of Mexico that experiences on average four hurricanes and four tropical storms per decade. During Hurricane Ike, water levels and wave heights at FI exceeded the 100-year and 40-year return values, respectively, leading to significant overtopping and morphology changes of this low-lying barrier island. The physical processes governing the real-time morphodynamic response of the beach and dune system during 96 h of hurricane impact were modeled using XBeach (2D) and CSHORE (1D). Hydrodynamic boundary conditions were obtained from ADCIRC/SWAN model runs validated with measured buoy and wave gauge data while LiDAR surveys provided pre- and post-storm measured topography. XBeach displayed a decent model skill of 0.34 and provided numerical outputs of the entire 2D domain such as topography, suspended sediment load and bed load which was very useful in visualizing erosion and deposition patterns. CSHORE also displayed a decent model skill of 0.33 and was able to accurately predict the post-storm beach slope and shoreline, but was less effective at simulating the foredune morphology. Modeling results show that the complete morphodynamic response of FI to Hurricane Ike was governed by a sequence of impact regimes, including swash, collision, overwash, inundation, and storm surge ebb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sand nourishments are presently widely applied to maintain or enhance coastal safety and beach width. Over the last decades, global sand nourishment volumes have increased greatly, and the demand for nourishments is anticipated to increase further in coming decades due to sea level rise. With the increase in nourishment size and the request for more complex nourishment shapes, an adequate prediction of the morphodynamic evolution is of major importance. Yet, neither the skill of current state-of-the-art models for such predictions nor the primary drivers that control the evolution are known. This article presents the results of a detailed numerical modelling study undertaken to examine the model skill and the processes governing the initial morphological response of the Sand Engine and the adjacent coastline. The process-based model Delft3D is used to hindcast the first year after completion of the mega-nourishment. The model reproduces measured water levels, velocities and nearshore waves well. The prediction of the morphological evolution is consistent with the measured evolution during the study period, with Brier Skill Scores in the ‘Excellent’ range. The model results clearly indicate that the sand eroded from the main peninsular section of the Sand Engine is deposited along adjacent north and south coastlines, accreting up to 6 km of coastline within just one year. Analysis of model results further show that the erosional behaviour of the Sand Engine is linearly dependent on the cumulative wave energy of individual high energy wave events, with the duration of a storm event being more dominant than the maximum wave height occurring during the storm. The integrated erosion volume due to the 12 events with the highest cumulative wave energy density accounts for about 60% of the total eroded volume of the peninsula, indicating that the less energetic wave events, with a higher probability of occurrence, are also important for the initial response of the Sand Engine. A structured model experiment using the verified Delft3D model indicates that wave forcing dominates the initial morphological response of the Sand Engine, accounting for approximately 75% of the total erosion volume in the first year. The vertical tide is the second most important factor accounting for nearly 17% of the total erosion volume, with surge, wind and horizontal tide playing only a minor role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multi-dimensional Eulerian two-phase model for sediment transport, called SedFoam, is presented. The model was developed under the open-source framework via the CFD toolbox OpenFOAM. With closures of particle stresses and fluid-particle interactions, the model is able to resolve processes in the concentrated region of sediment transport and hence does not require conventional bedload/suspended load assumptions. A modified k − ϵ closure was adopted for the carrier flow turbulence. The model was validated for Reynolds-averaged steady and oscillatory sheet flows and verified with empirical formulae for scour downstream of an apron. The model was used to study momentary bed failure (or plug flow) under sheet flow conditions. Model results revealed the existence of instabilities of the near-bed transport layer when momentary bed failure criteria was exceeded. These instabilities evolved into 5–10 cm billows and were responsible for the large transport rate. The instabilities were associated with a large erosion depth, which was triggered by the combination of large bed shear stresses and large horizontal pressure gradients. Further numerical experiments confirmed the conjecture by previous studies that a criterion for onset of momentary bed failure in oscillatory sheet flow was a function of both the Shields parameter and Sleath parameter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A submerged, low-relief nearshore berm was constructed in the Pacific Ocean near the mouth of the Columbia River, USA, using 216,000 m3 of sediment dredged from the adjacent navigation channel. The material dredged from the navigation channel was placed on the northern flank of the ebb-tidal delta in water depths between 12 and 15 m and created a distinct feature that could be tracked over time. Field measurements and numerical modeling were used to evaluate the transport pathways, time scales, and physical processes responsible for dispersal of the berm and evaluate the suitability of the location for operational placement of dredged material to enhance the sediment supply to eroding beaches onshore of the placement site. Repeated multibeam bathymetric surveys characterized the initial berm morphology and dispersion of the berm between September 22, 2020, and March 10, 2021. During this time, the volume of sediment within the berm decreased by about 40%to 127,000 m3, the maximum height decreased by almost 60%, and the center of the deposit shifted onshore over 200 m. Observations of berm morphology were compared with predictions from a three-dimensional hydrodynamic and sediment transport model application to refine poorly constrained model input parameters including sediment transport coefficients, bed schematization, and grain size. The calibrated sediment transport model was used to predict the amount, timing, and direction of transport outside of the observed survey area. Model simulations predicted that tidal currents were weak in the vicinity of the berm and wave processes including enhanced bottom stresses and asymmetric bottom orbital velocities resulted in dominant onshore movement of sediment from the berm toward the coastline. Roughly 50% of the berm volume was predicted to disperse away from the initial placement site during the 169 day hindcast. Between 9 and 17% of the initial volume of the berm was predicted to accumulate along the shoreface of a shoreline reach experiencing chronic erosion directly onshore of the placement site. Scenarios exploring alternate placement locations suggested that the berm was relatively effective in enhancing the sediment supply along the eroding coastline north of the inlet. The transferable monitoring and modeling framework developed in this study can be used to inform implementation of strategic nearshore placements and regional sediment management in complex, high-energy coastal environments elsewhere. • The morphology and dispersion of a nearshore berm was quantified with repeated mulitbeam bathymetry surveys. • A three-dimensional hydrodynamic and sediment transport model was calibrated based on observations of berm morphology. • Calibrated model hindcast simulations accurately predicted observed changes in berm morphology. • Model predictions used to predict fate of berm sediment and quantify amount of sediment supplied to to eroding coastline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In shallow coastal regions, shoaling waves and current together determine the net sediment transport rate, Q n e t , which is critical for understanding coastal morphodynamics. Moderate waves produce vortex ripples on a sandy seabed, which dramatically changes local wave–current interaction. This study aims at improving our understanding of Q n e t and boundary layer flow under collinear wave–current flow over a rippled bed. Two sets of full-scale experiments were conducted using an oscillatory water tunnel, which approximates wave as sinusoidal oscillatory flow. The live-bed tests, in which 2-dimensional sand ripples were produced over a coarse-sand bed, provided measurements of Q n e t and visual observations of flow-sediment interaction. Q n e t under the same wave condition changes from against-current to following-current as the co-existing current increases, which agrees with some previous experiments. In the fixed-bed tests, which have fixed concrete model ripples covered by sandpapers, the detailed flow fields were measured using a particle image velocimetry. The results reveal that the current enlarges the spanwise coherent vortex (SCV) under the positive half cycle (wave and current velocities are co-directional), but reduces the SCV in the negative half cycle. Using turbulence intensity as a proxy for sediment concentration, how ripple-averaged sand flux changes with the current condition was discussed. Under a weak current, the two SCVs are slightly changed, and the key flow feature is still the formation-ejection process of SCVs, so an against-current Q n e t is produced due to the phase-lag effect. Under a strong current, the SCV in the positive half cycle is significantly enlarged by the current, and it brings sand to high levels before its ejection, which makes the phase-lag effect less important than the current advection, so Q n e t becomes following-current. • Full-scale live/fixed-bed tests of wave–current flow over ripples were conducted. • Spanwise vortex is enlarged/reduced when the wave flow follows/opposes the current. • Flux of turbulence is analysed to interpret the direction of net sand transport. • Phase-lag effect leads to a negative sand transport rate under a weak current. • Current advection determines a positive sand transport rate under a strong current. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal dunes provide many ecosystem services including protection of infrastructure from wave overtopping and habitat for native species. Foredunes grow at different rates and assume different forms (i.e., short and wide to tall and narrow) depending on a range of factors including pre-existing beach and dune morphology, wind, wave, and water levels, sediment grain size, and vegetation characteristics, yet the relative importance of these factors on foredune growth is understudied. Here, we quantify foredune evolution (2016–2019) and explore the relative influence of a suite of metocean, sedimentary, and ecological factors for dune growth on three barrier islands in the U.S. North Carolina Outer Banks (Cape Lookout National Seashore). We incorporate observed and hindcast wind, wave, and water level data into the process-based, coupled beach-dune evolution model, Windsurf, to explore the relative contribution of factors likely to influence foredune growth at the annual timescale (2016–2017). Our cross-shore topographic profile observations show varied interannual foredune change rates and characteristics, including horizontal retreat and progradation at the dune toe and vertical erosion and accretion at the dune crest. Model results indicate that, of the factors explored, pre-existing morphology had the greatest influence on the type of foredune growth that occurred (i.e., incipient dune development, widening of the dune, and/or vertical accretion), which dramatically altered the final shape of the dune. Variations in wind and wave climates were associated with the relative contribution of marine- and aeolian-driven bed elevation changes and were particularly influential during storms. In addition, increases in the minimum elevation of vegetation on the dune profile (analogous to the cross-shore distance between the shoreline and established vegetation line, i.e., the vegetation limit, as coined by Duran and Moore, 2013) increased dune crest height and dune volume. Moreover, variations in the minimum vegetation elevation resulted in a larger range of dune crest elevations and dune volumes than differences in the median sand grain size. We suggest that insights into the relative influence of metocean, sedimentary, and ecological factors to dune growth can assist in the development of practical coastal management strategies. • Pre-existing beach-dune morphology had the largest influence on dune growth type. • Exposure to the dominant wave direction led to increased dune volume. • Higher minimum vegetation elevation and finer sand resulted in taller dunes. • Minimum vegetation elevation influenced dune growth more than sand grain size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of a recently developed "stabilized" turbulence (k − ω) closure model, which avoids un-physical over-production of turbulence prior to wave breaking, is investigated in the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of cross-shore sediment transport and breaker bar morphology. Comparisons are made with experiments as well as results from simulations employing (otherwise identical) "standard" turbulence closure. The stabilized turbulence model is demonstrated to result in major (qualitative and quantitative) improvements of the predicted breaker bar position and height. Conversely, the established over-production of turbulence in the standard closure, coupled with associated inaccurate undertow structure in the outer surf zone, contribute to erroneous offshore migration of the breaker bar. By correcting these shortcomings, the stabilized turbulence closure model rightly predicts initial onshore morphological migration of the breaker bar without any calibration. This work thus establishes proper turbulence modeling as a prerequisite for accurate CFD prediction of cross-shore sediment transport and profile morphology. • A recently developed "stabilized" turbulence model is used to simulate morphology. • The stabilized turbulence model leads to accurate breaker bar position and height. • A standard turbulence model leads to erroneous offshore breaker bar migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-energy, non-tidal lake beaches are known to be subject to longshore morphodynamics, but little is known about how they are driven by wind and wave-driven currents. Lake Markermeer is a shallow (∼ 4 m deep), wind-dominated lake, of approximately 700 km 2. A gradient in wind-induced water level set-up at the leeward shore induces a flow from the shallower to the deeper parts of the lake, thereby generating a large-scale, horizontal circulation. Flow measurements and results from a numerical Delft3D model of the lake show that these circulations impact the nearshore currents greatly, even more than wave-driven longshore currents for most wind conditions. From nearshore measurements at the first study site in lake Markermeer, we found a clear relation between longshore sediment transport capacity and the measured longshore volume flux. The model numerical can predict flow direction and magnitude for any wind condition. Using wind statistics, the net transport capacity for a short period or a long term mean can be predicted. The relation is confirmed for a second study site, which shows a distinct net transport capacity that could not be explained from wave-driven longshore flow alone. Concluding, large-scale lake circulations are of great significance for the morphological development of low-energy, non-tidal beaches in shallow, wind-driven water bodies. Knowledge of these circulations and their dependence on wind characteristics is a crucial factor to better understand and predict sediment losses of lake beaches. • In wind-dominated lakes, bathymetrical variance causes water level set-up gradients. • In shallow lakes, set-up gradients can induce large-scale, horizontal circulations. • Large-scale lake circulations affect longshore sediment transport on lake beaches. • Longshore sediment transport has a significant impact on design and maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fractional formula is proposed for graded sediment transport in wave-driven sheet flow. The formula considers phase lag, acceleration effect and asymmetric boundary layer development. The main parameters (erosion depth, boundary layer thickness, roughness height) are common for each fraction in the fractional formula. A fractional pseudo erosion depth is introduced to determine the individual sediment amount and concentration for different fractions. The formula includes a hiding-exposure factor of exposure height, which represents the selective transport of graded sediment and influences the phase lag. Two approaches (multiple fraction approach, MFA and grading curve approach, GCA) are applied to the formula to estimate total sediment transport rate. The graded sediment is sorted into specific fractions in the MFA, while divided into several equal fractions in the GCA. The formula is verified by instantaneous and net sediment transport rate data. The predictions of MFA and GCA are basically identical for instantaneous sediment transport rate and the overall accuracy is good. The gradation effect can increase or decrease the magnitude of instantaneous sediment transport rate, which depends on the behaviors and interactions of different fractions. Fractional net sediment transport rate is estimated by the formula with the MFA, which reasonably reproduces the onshore- or offshore-directed sediment transport for each fraction compared with existing formulae and numerical model. The performance of fraction number is discussed using the GCA. The proposed formula is capable of efficiently handling the graded sediment transport in wave-driven sheet flow. • Fractional formula is proposed for graded sediment transport in wave-driven sheet flow. • Gradation effect is included through hiding-exposure factor of exposure height. • Formula incorporates phase lag, acceleration effect and asymmetric boundary layer development. • Two approaches (MFA and GCA) are employed to handle total sediment transport. • Results reproduce promotion/inhibition and onshore/offshore sediment transport for each size fraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beach accretion is the natural mechanism that allows dry beaches to recover. Human response to climate change produces hardening of the coasts and the incident marine climate, which increases beach erosion produced during winter and prevents a full recovery during summer. Beach nourishments are performed all around the world to fight coastal erosion with a nature-friendly philosophy. Softer techniques as beach scraping are also widely applied. A kind of beach scraping is proposed here as an innovative nature-assisted beach enhancement technique, that aims to accelerate naturally produced sand accretion on the beach profile. It consists of mechanically ploughing the intertidal area of a beach to create ridges and furrows. Prototype-scale laboratory experiments were performed to analyse its effectiveness under controlled conditions. Seven 1 h tests having different water levels and the same initial bottom geometry and sea state conditions (H s = 0.3 m, T p = 7 s) were performed. Sea state, sand, and initial slope characteristics assured accretive conditions. Ploughed and flatbed initial slope geometries were simultaneously tested into two sub-channels of the wave flume. The results indicate that the bottom roughness is 3.57 times larger for the ploughed geometry. Consequently, wave energy dissipation is larger for the ploughed geometry, and therefore, the significant wave height at the shoreward end of the study area is 11% smaller for the ploughed geometry. This smaller wave height under the ploughed morphology leads to more accretive conditions, as observed from the measured onshore sediment transport, which is 2.9 times larger than the natural transport, and the larger accreted sediment volume in all seven test cases. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of ploughing to enhance natural beach accretion under highly probable accretion conditions. Further research is required to define the thresholds of marine conditions in which the potential of beach ploughing can be exploded. • Working with nature. • Ploughing the intertidal area of a beach enhances natural accretion. • Real scale laboratory experiments measuring sediment transport. • Mechanically ploughing increases bed roughness. • Extra wave energy dissipation is produced by ploughing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental results involving shoreface nourishment scenarios are presented. The experiments are performed at small scale and the effects of nourishment placement and timing in relation to long-term cross-shore profile development are investigated. Four different nourishment scenarios are tested experimentally, with nourishment positioned both in the trough of a pre-developed profile as well as along the bar of the profile. The results demonstrate that under all scenarios the erosion of the shoreline slows relative to the case without nourishment. The two cases where the nourishment was placed along the bar reduced erosion of the shoreline more compared to the two cases with nourishment in the trough onshore of the bar. Compared to past experiments on nourishment presented in the literature, the present experiments were run for a longer duration, and the concepts of equilibrium profile and the development towards such an equilibrium were investigated. Curiously, the experiments showed a reversal of the sediment transport rate from being primarily offshore directed across the entire profile to onshore directed in the inner surf zone region closest to the shoreline. This reversal of transport rate occurred without changing the incoming wave conditions and resulted in deposition at the shoreline. This either questions the existence of equilibrium beach profiles or at the very least shows that the development towards such an equilibrium will not always be monotonic in time. • Shoreface nourishments are performed at model scale investigating the influence of timing and placement on long term profile development. • Placement of nourishment can disturb the cross-shore profile shape over long time. • After long time running with the same wave climate the transport rate changed from offshore directed to onshore directed in the inner surf zone. • The change in sign was related to cessation of wave-breaking and resulted in sand returning to an otherwise eroding beach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents results of complementary experimental and numerical studies involving wave-induced backfilling of current-generated scour holes beneath submarine pipelines. The laboratory experiments are conducted in a wave-plus-current flume, utilizing Laser Doppler Anemometry to measure velocities, synchronized flow visualizations using digital image technology, along with live-bed scour and backfilling measurements. Each experiment is based on a two-stage process: (1) initial scour induced by a pure current, followed by: (2) backfilling induced by pure waves (either regular or irregular). The time series of scour depths are closely monitored through video recordings. Systematic analysis of these has resulted in a closed form expression for the backfilling time scale, which is demonstrated to be a full order of magnitude greater than the well-known time scale of scour (with both governed primarily by the Shields parameter). The developed expression is strictly valid for the current-to-wave backfilling scenarios considered, while likely serving as an upper limit for more general wave-induced backfilling circumstances. The experiments are complemented by similar backfilling simulations utilizing a fully-coupled hydrodynamic and morphodynamic CFD model. The numerical simulations demonstrate the ability of the model to predict backfilling towards expected equilibrium scour depths based on the new wave climate, with time scales reasonably in line with experimental expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The understanding of cross-shore sediment sorting is of primary importance for the design of sand nourishments and for assessing the suitability of the seabed to different ecological species. In this paper, sediment sorting processes were investigated by using a combination of physical and detailed numerical modelling. Data from large-scale wave flume experiments were used to validate a 2DV cross-shore Delft3D model. The model solves coupled short-wave averaged equations for flow, sediment transport, bed composition and bed level change. The infra-gravity wave motions were explicitly resolved. In order to investigate sorting processes, eight sediment fractions were used as well as a layered bed stratigraphy. The effects of different wave conditions (high energetic and more moderate energetic waves) on the morphodynamic profile development and sorting processes were investigated. The Delft3D model reproduced the profile development and bar position very accurately. Additionally, model predictions of sediment sorting across the profile fitted very well with the available observations. The numerical model simulations showed the importance of including short-wave grouping and infragravity wave effects in order to reproduce the cross-shore profile development, especially the breaker bar dynamics and sediment sorting processes. Infragravity waves contribute to larger sediment entrainment and more offshore bar development. Besides leading to a better prediction of the bed profile, infragravity waves also lead to a better prediction of the bed composition. Model results are in agreement with experimental data, showing its capabilities in functioning as a tool to predict sorting processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flooding and erosion are among the most relevant hazards for coastal regions and although they are linked, their inherent complexity has typically led them to be addressed separately, potentially leading to highly uncertain estimates. This paper has three aims: (a) to present a methodology for coupling coastal flood projections with shoreline changes; (b) to quantify the effects of neglecting the coupling of flooding and erosion on future projections at a case study location; and (c) to analyse the relative importance of the climate-related uncertainty sources. We use a suite of statistical, process-based, and physics-based models to generate and downscale storms, compute water levels affected by storm morphodynamics and long-term profile changes and propagate flooding over topo-bathymetries that are in turn modified to incorporate the impact of sea-level rise, longshore sediment transport and storm-driven erosion. We sample climate uncertainty by considering storm variability (synthetic generation) and ensembles of radiative forcing scenarios, regional climate models, and sea-level rise trajectories. For illustration purposes, we consider a 40-km coastal stretch in the Spanish Mediterranean. We find that if the effect of erosion is neglected, the mean values of the total water level and flooded area can be either over- or underestimated by up to 18% and 22%, and up to 7% and 85%, respectively, with respect to our coupled results. The factors that most influence total water levels are storm erosion and profile geometry, highlighting the relevance of using real profiles in shoreface translation. In the flooded area, longshore transport can play a fundamental enhancing role. We also find that the coupling approach used can contribute more to the projection of flooded areas than the choice of climate models and sea-level rise trajectories even by 2100 (up to 76% versus 8% and 16%, respectively). We conclude that neglecting erosion effects on coastal flooding can have management implications, especially for urban beaches, leading to poor adaptation planning and maladaptation. • We develop coupled coastal flooding and erosion projections for 2050 and 2 100. • We consider uncertainties in scenarios, climate models, storms, and sea-level rise. • Uncoupling erosion and flooding leads to biases in water levels and flooded areas. • Coupling erosion and flooding can affect flooded areas more than sea-level rise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The boundary layer structure near the tip of dam-break waves, swash flow and tsunami, is important for understanding the shape and behavior of their tips and for sediment transport, which is observed under tips on mobile beds. In this study, the boundary layer structure near the dam-break tip on a dry, rough and horizontal bed was investigated experimentally. Horizontal velocities were obtained using advanced image processing techniques, and the concurrent bed shear stress was measured directly with a shear plate. The velocity structure is quantified in terms of the defect scale of horizontal velocity in the vertical direction δ defined by u (z) = u ∞ [ 1 − e − z δ ] , while the asymptotic velocity u ∞ is defined for each vertical so that the depth-averaged velocity equals the tip's speed of propagation. The experimental results indicate that the shape of the velocity profile changes rapidly with distance s from the contact point. The velocity profile is roughly linear very near the contact point corresponding to a rolling wheel or δ being much greater than the water depth. Further from the contact point, in our case, s / k s ≳ 0.42 , where k s is bed roughness, δ is only a fraction of the depth, and this fraction becomes constant, ca. 0.21, at distances greater than s/k s ≈ 1.67. Boundary layer growth as δ (s) ∝ s is in good agreement with the measured velocity profiles for s/k s ≳ 4. The concurrently measured bed shear stress after its peak can be well predicted with the proposed relationship δ (s) ∝ s . • A novel approach to study the boundary layer structure for the tip of highly unsteady dam-break wave using advanced image processing techniques and shear plate. • First time to derive ensemble-averaged velocity field near the tip of the unsteady dam-break wave. • The boundary layer structure δ (s) = a s − 1 + b s 0.5 was proposed, where s is the longitudinal distance from the contact point, a and b are constant. The model can provide a reasonable approximation to the measured velocities. • The exponential velocity defect in form e − z / δ with boundary layer structure δ (s) ∝ s can well predict the measured bed shear stress after its peak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]