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The morphodynamics of a swash event on an erodible beach

Zhu, Fangfang; Dodd, Nicholas

Authors

Fangfang Zhu

NICHOLAS DODD NICHOLAS.DODD@NOTTINGHAM.AC.UK
Professor of Coastal Dynamics



Abstract

A high-accuracy numerical solution, coupling one-dimensional shallow water and bed-evolution equations, with, for the first time, a suspended sediment advection equation, thereby including bed and/or suspended load, is used to examine two swash events on an initially plane erodible beach: the event of Peregrine & Williams (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 440, 2001, pp. 391–399) and that of a solitary wave approaching the beach. Equations are solved by the method of characteristics, and the numerical model is verified. Full coupling of suspended load to beach change for Peregrine & Williams (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 440, 2001, pp. 391–399) yields only slightly altered swash flows, depending on beach mobility and sediment response time; a series of similar final beach change patterns results for different beach mobilities. Suspended- and bed-load transport have distinct morphodynamical signatures. For the solitary wave a backwash bore is created (Hibberd & Peregrine, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 95, 1979, pp. 323–345). This morphodynamical bore propagates offshore initially, and leads to the creation of a beach bed step (Larson & Sunamura, J. Sedimentary Petrology, vol. 63, 1993, pp. 495–500), primarily due to bed-load transport. Its height is directly related to bed-load mobility, and also depends strongly on the bed friction coefficient. The shock dynamics of this bed step is explained and illustrated. Bed- and suspended-load mobilities are quantified using field data, and an attempt is made to relate predictions to measurements of single swash events on a natural beach. Average predicted bed change magnitudes across the swash are of the order of 2 mm, with maximum bed changes of up to approximately 10 cm at the bed step.

Citation

Zhu, F., & Dodd, N. (2015). The morphodynamics of a swash event on an erodible beach. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 762, https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2014.610

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Oct 17, 2014
Online Publication Date Dec 2, 2014
Publication Date Jan 1, 2015
Deposit Date Jul 14, 2016
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Journal of Fluid Mechanics
Print ISSN 0022-1120
Electronic ISSN 1469-7645
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 762
DOI https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2014.610
Keywords coastal engineering, sediment transport, shallow water flows
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/987595
Publisher URL http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=9444627&fileId=S0022112014006107

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