Search

The modelling of swash zone (SZ) sediment transport and the resulting morphodynamics have been areas of active research over the last decade. However, many details are still to be understood, whose knowledge will be greatly advanced by the collection of high-quality data under the controlled large-scale laboratory conditions. The research describes tests carried out in the large wave flume of the Maritime Engineering Laboratory at Catalonia University of Technology, to investigate the SZ under the storm conditions. Its main aim was to compare beach-profile responses for monochromatic waves, monochromatic waves plus free long waves, bi-chromatic waves and random waves. Both erosive and accretive conditions were considered. Results discussed here were derived from the analysis of only a part of the whole data set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research describes a unique set of experiments undertaken at the Large Wave Channel (Hannover) aimed to study the morphodynamic behaviour of a beach face containing a buried drainage system. The advantage of using a large wave flume is that scale effects that affected previous laboratory experiments are minimized. This compares the response of the undrained beach under controlled wave forcing with the response of the drained one with the same wave action. Low, medium and high levels of wave energy were used for the experiments, with significant wave heights of 0.39–0.83 m and wave steepnesses between 0.004 and 0.013. Any positive effect of the drains on the beach face was confined by the position of the cone of depression in the aquifer surface. The best performance of the system was observed with two drains operating at the same time under low to moderate wave energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]