Differences between breaker bar evolution under high energy (erosive) and
subsequent mild energy (accretive) wave conditions are studied based on
three data sets from large-scale morphodynamic experiments. Under ero-
sive wave conditions, a clear linear relationship between the height and the
cross-shore location of the breaker bar is observed. The similar cross-shore
shape of the sediment transport magnitudes underlines the similarity of the
bar evolution under erosive wave conditions. Under the subsequent accretive
wave conditions, two major evolution patterns are observed during onshore
migration (decaying or non-decaying breaker bar). In the presented data,
the feedback between the wave conditions and the beach morphology deter-
mines if a bar decays during onshore migration. This feedback involves that
the wave breaking location depends on the morphology and the wave con-
ditions resulting in differences in sediment transport patterns between the two types of onshore bar migration. A comparison against numerous other
experimental beach profile data sets strongly supports the linear relationship
between bar height and bar location under erosive wave conditions. For ac-
cretive wave conditions, the number of comparable data sets is very limited.
The comparison underlines that breaker bar evolution under accretive wave
conditions cannot be condensed to a single pattern as under erosive wave
conditions.