scholarly journals Intertidal finger bars at El Puntal, Bay of Santander, Spain: observation and forcing analysis

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 349-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Pellón ◽  
R. Garnier ◽  
R. Medina
Keyword(s):  
Surf Zone ◽  
High Tide ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Sand Transport ◽  
Maximum Speed ◽  
Northern Coast ◽  
Astronomical Tide ◽  
Transport Direction ◽  
Waves And Currents ◽  
Main Candidate

Abstract. A system of 15 small-scale finger bars has been observed, by using video imagery, between 23 June 2008 and 2 June 2010. The bar system is located in the intertidal zone of the swell-protected beaches of El Puntal Spit, in the Bay of Santander (northern coast of Spain). The bars appear on a planar beach (slope = 0.015) with fine, uniform sand (D50 = 0.27 mm) and extend 600 m alongshore. The cross-shore span of the bars is determined by the tidal horizontal excursion (between 70 and 130 m). They have an oblique orientation with respect to the low-tide shoreline; specifically, they are down-current-oriented with respect to the dominant sand transport computed (mean angle of 26° from the shore normal). Their mean wavelength is 26 m and their amplitude varies between 10 and 20 cm. The full system slowly migrates to the east (sand transport direction) with a mean speed of 0.06 m day-1, a maximum speed in winter (up to 0.15 m day-1) and a minimum speed in summer. An episode of merging has been identified as bars with larger wavelength seem to migrate more slowly than shorter bars. The wind blows predominantly from the west, generating waves that transport sediment across the bars during high-tide periods. This is the main candidate to explain the eastward migration of the system. In particular, the wind can generate waves of up to 20 cm (root-mean-squared wave height) over a fetch that can reach 4.5 km at high tide. The astronomical tide seems to be important in the bar dynamics, as the tidal level changes the fetch and also determines the time of exposure of the bars to the surf-zone waves and currents. Furthermore, the river discharge could act as input of suspended sediment in the bar system and play a role in the bar dynamics.

scholarly journals Intertidal finger bars at El Puntal, Bay of Santander, Spain: observation and forcing analysis

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 673-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Pellón ◽  
R. Garnier ◽  
R. Medina
Keyword(s):  
High Tide ◽  
Tidal Range ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Maximum Speed ◽  
Northern Coast ◽  
The West ◽  
Full System ◽  
Astronomical Tide ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Main Candidate

Abstract. A system of 15 small-scale finger bars has been observed, by using video imagery, between 23 June 2008 and 2 June 2010. The bar system is located in the intertidal zone of the swell-protected beaches of El Puntal Spit, in the Bay of Santander (Northern coast of Spain). It appears on a planar beach (slope = 1.5%) with fine uniform sand (D50 = 0 .27 mm) and extends 600 m alongshore. The cross-shore span of the bars is determined by the tidal horizontal excursion (between 70 and 130 m). They have an oblique orientation with respect to the low-tide shoreline being up-current oriented with respect to the ebb-flow (mean angle of 26° from the shore normal). Their mean wavelength is 26 m and their amplitude varies between 10 and 20 cm. The full system slowly migrates to the east (opposite to the ebb-flow) with a mean speed of 0.06 m day−1, a maximum speed in winter (up to 0.15 m day−1) and a minimum speed in summer. An episode of merging has been identified as bars with larger wavelength seem to migrate slower than shorter bars. Several forcings can act on the bar dynamics being the wind, blowing predominantly from the west, the main candidate to explain the eastward migration of the system. In particular, the wind can generate waves of up to 20 cm (root-mean-squared wave height) over a fetch that can reach 4.5 km at high tide. The astronomical tide seems to be important in the bar dynamics, as the tidal range conditions the mean (daily) fetch and also the time of exposure of the bars to the marine dynamics. Furthermore, the river discharges could act as input of suspended sediment in the bar system and play a role in the bar dynamics.

scholarly journals Environmental controls on surf zone injuries on high-energy beaches

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 2183-2205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Castelle ◽  
Tim Scott ◽  
Rob Brander ◽  
Jak McCarroll ◽  
Arthur Robinet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wave Height ◽  
Surf Zone ◽  
High Tide ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Beach Morphology ◽  
Environmental Controls ◽  
Flow Activity ◽  
Incident Waves

Abstract. The two primary causes of surf zone injuries (SZIs) worldwide, including fatal drowning and severe spinal injuries, are rip currents (rips) and shore-break waves. SZIs also result from surfing and bodyboarding activity. In this paper we address the primary environmental controls on SZIs along the high-energy meso–macro-tidal surf beach coast of southwestern France. A total of 2523 SZIs recorded by lifeguards over 186 sample days during the summers of 2007, 2009 and 2015 were combined with measured and/or hindcast weather, wave, tide, and beach morphology data. All SZIs occurred disproportionately on warm sunny days with low wind, likely because of increased beachgoer numbers and hazard exposure. Relationships were strongest for shore-break- and rip-related SZIs and weakest for surfing-related SZIs, the latter being also unaffected by tidal stage or range. Therefore, the analysis focused on bathers. More shore-break-related SZIs occur during shore-normal incident waves with average to below-average wave height (significant wave height, Hs = 0.75–1.5 m) and around higher water levels and large tide ranges when waves break on the steepest section of the beach. In contrast, more rip-related drownings occur near neap low tide, coinciding with maximised channel rip flow activity, under shore-normal incident waves with Hs >1.25 m and mean wave periods longer than 5 s. Additional drowning incidents occurred at spring high tide, presumably due to small-scale swash rips. The composite wave and tide parameters proposed by Scott et al. (2014) are key controlling factors determining SZI occurrence, although the risk ranges are not necessarily transferable to all sites. Summer beach and surf zone morphology is interannually highly variable, which is critical to SZI patterns. The upper beach slope can vary from 0.06 to 0.18 between summers, resulting in low and high shore-break-related SZIs, respectively. Summers with coast-wide highly (weakly) developed rip channels also result in widespread (scarce) rip-related drowning incidents. With life risk defined in terms of the number of people exposed to life threatening hazards at a beach, the ability of morphodynamic models to simulate primary beach morphology characteristics a few weeks or months in advance is therefore of paramount importance for predicting the primary surf zone life risks along this coast.

scholarly journals Environmental controls on surf zone injuries on high-energy beaches

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Castelle ◽  
Tim Scott ◽  
Rob Brander ◽  
Jak McCarroll ◽  
Arthur Robinet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wave Height ◽  
Surf Zone ◽  
High Tide ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Beach Morphology ◽  
Environmental Controls ◽  
Flow Activity ◽  
Incident Waves

Abstract. The two primary causes of surf zone injuries (SZIs) worldwide, including fatal drowning and severe spinal injuries, are rip currents (rips) and shore-break waves. SZIs also result from surfing and body boarding activity. In this paper we address the primary environmental controls on SZIs along the high-energy meso-macrotidal surf beach coast of SW France. A total of 2523 SZIs recorded by lifeguards over 186 sample days during the summers of 2007, 2009 and 2015 were combined with measured and/or hindcast weather, wave, tide and beach morphology data. All SZIs occurred disproportionately on warm sunny days with low wind likely because of increased beachgoer numbers and hazard exposure. Relationships were strongest for shore break and rip related SZIs and weakest for surfing related SZIs, the latter being also unaffected by tidal stage or range. Therefore the analysis focussed on bathers. Shore-break related SZIs disproportionately occur during shore-normal incident waves with average to below-average wave height (significant wave height Hs = 0.75–1.5 m) and around higher water levels and large tide range when waves break on the steepest section of the beach. In contrast, rip related drownings occur disproportionally near neap low tide, coinciding with maximized channel rip flow activity, under shore-normal incident waves with Hs > 1.25 m and periods mean wave period longer than 5 s. Additional drowning incidents occurred at spring high tide, presumably due to small-scale swash rips. The composite wave and tide parameters proposed by Scott et al. (2014) are key controlling factors determining SZI occurrence, although the risk ranges are not necessarily transferable to all sites. Summer beach and surf zone morphology is highly interannually variable, which is critical to SZI patterns. The upper beach slope can vary from 0.06 to 0.18 between summers, resulting in low and high shore-break related SZIs, respectively. Summers with coast-wide highly (weakly) developed rip channels also result in widespread (scarce) rip related drowning incidents. With life risk defined in terms of the number of people exposed to life threatening hazards at a beach, the ability of morphodynamic models to simulate primary beach morphology characteristics a few weeks/months in advance is therefore of paramount importance to predict the primary surf-zone life risks along this coast.

scholarly journals Extreme water levels, waves and coastal impacts during a severe tropical cyclone in northeastern Australia: a case study for cross-sector data sharing

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 2603-2623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas R. Mortlock ◽  
Daryl Metters ◽  
Joshua Soderholm ◽  
John Maher ◽  
Serena B. Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Cyclone ◽  
Data Sharing ◽  
High Tide ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Coastal Hazards ◽  
Sand Transport ◽  
Information Platform ◽  
Astronomical Tide ◽  
Sector Data

Abstract. Severe tropical cyclone (TC) Debbie made landfall on the northern Queensland coast of Australia on 27 March 2017 after crossing the Great Barrier Reef as a slow-moving Category 4 system. Groups from industry, government and academia collected coastal hazard and impact data before, during and after the event and shared these data to produce a holistic picture of TC Debbie at the coast. Results showed the still water level exceeded the highest astronomical tide by almost a metre. Waves added a further 16 % to water levels along the open coast, and were probably unprecedented for this area since monitoring began. In most places, coastal barriers were not breached and as a result there was net offshore sand transport. If landfall had occurred 2 h earlier with the high tide, widespread inundation and overwash would have ensued. This paper provides a case study of effective cross-sector data sharing in a natural hazard context. It advocates for a shared information platform for coastal extremes in Australia to help improve the understanding and prediction of TC-related coastal hazards in the future.

scholarly journals Extreme water levels, waves and coastal impacts during a severe tropical cyclone in Northeast Australia: a case study for cross-sector data sharing

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas R. Mortlock ◽  
Daryl Metters ◽  
Joshua Soderholm ◽  
John Maher ◽  
Serena B. Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Cyclone ◽  
Data Sharing ◽  
High Tide ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Coastal Hazards ◽  
Sand Transport ◽  
The North ◽  
Astronomical Tide ◽  
Sector Data

Abstract. Severe Tropical Cyclone (TC) Debbie made landfall on the north Queensland coast of Australia on 27 March 2017 after crossing the Great Barrier Reef as a slow-moving Category 4 system. Groups from industry, government and academia collected coastal hazard and impact data before, during and after the event and shared this data to produce a holistic picture of TC Debbie at the coast. Results showed the still water level exceeded the highest astronomical tide by almost a metre. Waves added a further 16 percent to water levels along the open coast, and were probably unprecedented for this area since monitoring began. In most places, coastal barriers were not breached and as a result there was net offshore sand transport. If landfall had occurred two hours earlier with the high tide, widespread inundation and overwash would have ensued. This paper provides a case study of effective cross-sector data sharing in a natural hazard context. It advocates for a shared information platform for coastal extremes in Australia to help improve the understanding and prediction of TC-related coastal hazards in the future.

scholarly journals TOWARD AN IMPROVED EMPIRICAL FORMULA FOR LONGSHORE SAND TRANSPORT

1988 ◽  
Vol 1 (21) ◽  
pp. 88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas C. Kraus ◽  
Kathryn J. Gingerich ◽  
Julie Dean Rosati
Keyword(s):  
Oscillatory Flow ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Surf Zone ◽  
Transport Rate ◽  
Sand Transport ◽  
Longshore Current ◽  
Wave Energy Dissipation ◽  
Total Transport ◽  
Local Wave ◽  
Correction Terms

This paper presents results of two field experiments performed using portable traps to obtain point measurements of the longshore sand transport rate in the surf zone. The magnitude of the transport rate per unit width of surf zone is found to depend on the product of the local wave height and mean longshore current speed, but correlation is much improved by including two correction terms, one accounting for local wave energy dissipation and the other for the fluctuation in the longshore current. The field transport rates are also found to be compatible with laboratory rates obtained under combined unidirectional and oscillatory flow. Total transport rates previously reported for this experiment program are revised with recently determined sand trapping efficiencies.

scholarly journals SHEETFLOW SEDIMENT TRANSPORT UNDER SKEWED - ASYMMETRIC WAVES AND CURRENTS

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (33) ◽  
pp. 50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Le Phuong Dong ◽  
Shinji Sato
Keyword(s):  
Sediment Transport ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Fine Sand ◽  
Sand Transport ◽  
Phase Lag ◽  
Half Cycle ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Waves And Currents ◽  
Asymmetric Flows

Prototype scale laboratory experiments have been conducted to investigate the sheetflow sediment transport of uniform sands under different skewed-asymmetric oscillatory flows. Experimental results reveal that in most of the case with fine sand, the “cancelling effect”, which balances the on-/off-shore net transport under pure asymmetric/skewed flows and results a moderate net transport, was developed for combined skewed-asymmetric flow. However, under some certain conditions (T > 5s) with coarse sands, the onshore sediment transport was enhanced by 50% under combined skewed-asymmetric flows. Sand transport mechanism under oscillatory sheetflow conditions is also studied by comparing the maximum bed shear stress and the phase lag parameter at each half cycle. A comparison of measurements including the new experimental data with a number of practical sand transport formulations shows that the Dong et al. (2013) formulation performs the best in predicting the measured net transport rates over a wide range of experimental conditions

scholarly journals Spatio-temporal variation in surf zone fish communities at Ilha do Cardoso State Park, São Paulo, Brazil

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-253
Author(s):  
Jana Menegassi del Favero ◽  
June Ferraz Dias
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Fish Community ◽  
Surf Zone ◽  
High Tide ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Fish Fauna ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
Biological Data ◽  
Seasonal Effect ◽  
São Paulo

In order to analyze the time-space variation of the fish fauna in the surf zone fish communities at Ilha do Cardoso State Park, São Paulo, Brazil, four consecutive hauls were done over a year on three beaches with different degrees of exposure, at low and high tide. To evaluate the influence of each abiotic variable over the fish community, a Canonical Correspondence Analysis was conducted. We identified 7,286 individuals belonging to 20 families and 47 species, most specimens collected were juveniles. At low tide, the highest diversity and richness values were calculated while the highest dominance was obtained at high tide. As for the number of species collected at the three beaches, stood out for the lower values the cooler months, between June and September. Abiotic variables explained 41.3% of the variability of biological data, where 11.4% corresponds to the spatial variation. Meanwhile the temporal variables accounted for 31.9% of the variation in abundance, where 26.3% of the variance explained nycthemeral variation. Additionally two groups were clearly observed between months with low and high temperature. However in this variable, the tidal variation, excluding the seasonal effect, explained 6.2%, while seasonality, excluding tide effect, explained 26.3%. Although the main measurable seasonal changes were related to temperature, water temperature showed a low percentage of explanation in the fish fauna variability (2.7%). Finally, it is emphasized that the seasonal changes in surf zone fish community primarily reflect patterns of recruitment determined by the reproductive activity and coastal circulation.

scholarly journals Cross-Shore Suspended Sediment Transport in Relation to Topographic Changes in the Intertidal Zone of a Macro-Tidal Beach (Mariakerke, Belgium)

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelien Brand ◽  
Lars De Sloover ◽  
Alain De Wulf ◽  
Anne-Lise Montreuil ◽  
Sander Vos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sediment Transport ◽  
Suspended Sediment ◽  
Intertidal Zone ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
High Tide ◽  
Laser Scanner ◽  
Quantitative Agreement ◽  
Suspended Sediment Transport ◽  
Transport Direction ◽  
Erosion And Accretion

Sediment transport is a key element in intertidal beach morphodynamics, but measurements of sediment transport are often unreliable. The aim of this study is to quantify and investigate cross-shore sediment transport and the resulting topographic changes for a tide-dominated, sandy beach. Two fortnight-long field experiments were carried out during which hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics were measured with optical and acoustic sensors, while the beach topography was surveyed with a permanent terrestrial laser scanner. Suspended sediment was generally well-mixed and currents were largest at approximately 1.5 m above the bed, which resulted in a peak in sediment transport at 1/3 of the high tide level. The mean transport direction was onshore during calm conditions (wave height <0.6 m) thanks to tidal currents and offshore during energetic conditions due to undertow. Oscillatory transport was always onshore because of wave asymmetry but it was subordinate to mean transport. The intertidal zone showed an alternation of erosion and accretion with formation of morphological features during energetic (no storm) conditionsand smoothening of the morphology during calm conditions. A good qualitative and quantitative agreement was found between the daily cross-shore suspended load and beach volume changes, especially during calm conditions.

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