A synthetic review of remote sensing applications to detect nearshore bars.

Abstract Nearshore bars are important morphologic features associated with intermediate and dissipative natural beaches. Bars impact the direction, magnitude, and patterns of sediment transport in the nearshore. They serve as a buffer against extreme and meso-scale events. In this review article, we investigate remotely-based observations, specifically near-Earth and satellite imagery, which have been used to investigate nearshore bars. Several recent advances in technology and techniques allow the remote measurement of bar width and height, beach slope, shoreline orientation, and bar count. Video monitoring imagery is presently the most popular method to derive these data. However, spatial prediction models using satellite imagery can also provide reliable bar morphodynamic information. Highlights • Synthesis of remote sensing techniques used to identify bar characteristics. • Remote sensing allows for longer temporal and larger spatial scale studies. • Video monitoring is the most popular method used to study bar characteristics. • Reliable bar morphodynamic data can be obtained from satellite imagery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]