Sediment transport and beach profile evolution induced by bi-chromatic wave groups with different group periods
File(s)CENG_CoSSedM_BedEvolution.pdf (2.59 MB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Alsina, JM
Padilla, EM
Caceres, I
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
In this paper, large-scale experimental data are presented showing the beach profile morphological evolution induced by four different bi-chromatic wave conditions characterized by very similar energy content between them but varying the modulation period. Important differences were observed in the resultant beach profiles as a function of the wave group periods. Larger variability in the profile evolution is generally observed for larger wave group periods and, more importantly, as the wave group period increases the distance between the generated breaker bar and the shoreline increases. The measured primary wave height to depth ratio (γ) increases with the wave group period, which is consistent with the observed larger wave height at the breaking location. The primary wave breaking location is also observed at increasing distances with respect to the initial shoreline as the wave group period increases. The variation in γ with wave group period is related to the selective energy dissipation of the higher primary frequency component (f1) during the wave group shoaling. Broad bandwith conditions (reduced wave group period) lead to larger dissipation of wave heights at the f1 component relative to f2 resulting in a reduction in the wave modulation and primary wave height at the breaking location. Suspended sediment fluxes obtained from collocated velocity and sediment concentration measurements in the surf zone showed a consistently larger contribution of the mean return flow to the suspended sediment fluxes compared with the wave group and primary wave components. The distinct beach profile evolution in terms of bar location is interpreted from an increasing distance of the mean breakpoint location and the location of maximum return flow with respect to the shoreline as the wave group period increases.
Date Issued
2016-05-10
Date Acceptance
2016-04-27
Citation
Coastal Engineering, 2016, 114, pp.325-340
ISSN
1872-7379
Publisher
Elsevier
Start Page
325
End Page
340
Journal / Book Title
Coastal Engineering
Volume
114
Copyright Statement
© 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Subjects
Science & Technology
Technology
Engineering, Civil
Engineering, Ocean
Engineering
Bi-chromatic wave groups
Bar morphology
Sediment transport
Suspended sediment concentration
Large scale experiments
Morphodynamics
2-DIMENSIONAL SURF BEAT
GRAVITY-WAVES
LONG WAVES
INFRAGRAVITY WAVES
NEARSHORE BARS
SWASH ZONE
BREAKING
GENERATION
DISSIPATION
BREAKPOINT
Oceanography
0905 Civil Engineering
0403 Geology
Publication Status
Published