Acoustical Studies of Sediment Dynamics in the Surf Zone: SandyDuck'97
Abstract
The central goal of this project is a deeper understanding of the dynamic adjustment of mobile sandy sediments to fluid forcing in and near the surf zone at small (1cm to 10m) and intermediate (10m to 100m) horizontal scales. The effort is motivated by the dual need to develop more realistic models of fluid-sediment interactions in the nearshore zone, and for suitable in situ measurement techniques to make the observations necessary to adequately test the models. The primary objectives of this project are: (1) to study the role of bedforms of different characteristic spatial pattern and scale in the local sediment flux and momentum balances, and (2) to investigate bedform genesis, growth, migration, and decay in relation to the fluid forcing conditions and predicted sediment transport rates. Of particular interest are the relationships between sediment fluxes, bedform properties, and asymmetries in the fluid motions. A key initial objective was to obtain a comprehensive set of measurements of bed adjustment through time, as a function of cross-shore position, and over a period of several months. This data set was obtained in SandyDuck, and is providing a basis for determining cross-shore differences in response synoptically, and for differences in the response trajectories through time and between forcing events, over a suitably wide range of conditions.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA609925
Entities
People
- Alex E. Hay
Organizations
- Dalhousie University