Modeling the dynamics of a sand beach governed by the wave and underwater bar interaction

Abstract

Effect of bar position on underwater profile of sandy beach was studied at the timescale of one storm using the xBeach numerical model. Beach profiles were extracted from the bathymetry of the Shkorpilovtsy beach (the Bulgarian coast of the Black Sea). Computed results were verified by field measurements. The largest shoreline retreat occurred in the first hour of a storm. For the chosen wave regime (largest wave height 1.5 m, wave period 10.5 s), an equilibrium profile was formed after 6 hours. The resulting profile contained an underwater terrace with the slope close to that of the theoretical equilibrium profile. It was shown that the position of the underwater bar affects the shoreline retreat rate. The smallest and the largest shore retreat occur if bar crest is located at a distance about 0.7–0.8 and 0.5 of the deep water wavelength, correspondingly. It was found that the shoreline retreat depends on the height of infragravity waves and mean wave period: the smaller mean wave period and the higher infragravity waves near the coast, the smaller is the retreat of the coastal line. Distance of seaward sediment transfer is directly relates to the height of large waves near the shore.