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Laboratory measurements of the interaction between high‐frequency (HF) wind‐waves and low frequency (LF) paddle waves are presented. The measurements were made in a wind‐wave flume with wind and paddle waves propagating in the same direction. The primary objective is to examine the physical mechanisms proposed to explain the suppression of wind‐waves due to presence of swell (here paddle waves). For this purpose, the precise time scale of the temporal transition from wind‐only to wind‐plus‐paddle conditions is examined. The results reveal that the majority of wind‐wave suppression occurs too quickly to have been caused by reduced wind‐input, instead indicating that enhanced HF wave dissipation is the primary suppression mechanism. The spatial variation in HF wave energy along the LF wave phase indicates that HF suppression mainly occurs on the LF wave crest, and high on the windward face, which are the locations that experience the highest wind velocities. This observation also suggests that the reduced wind‐input is not the primary suppression mechanism. Quantification of HF wave suppression versus a broad range of wind velocities, paddle wave conditions and fetch did not reveal any critical dependence of suppression on LF wave breaking or wind separation at LF wave crests. It is concluded that suppression occurs primarily due to enhanced dissipation of HF waves near LF wave crests. This mechanism is proposed to be coupled to the wind velocity, where an increased wind velocity near LF wave crests exceeds the level of forcing that HF waves of low C/u* can withstand without breaking. Plain Language Summary: Wind action on water surface results in generation and growth of wind‐waves. Observations have shown that the presence of swell traveling in the wind direction suppresses the wind‐waves. There is however no consensus on the physical mechanisms behind this effect. In this study, the proposed mechanisms are examined through laboratory observations of the interaction between wind‐waves and paddle waves. This includes observations of the precise transition time scale as paddle waves enter an existing wind‐wave field. The rapidity of suppression indicates that wind‐waves are actively erased by paddle waves, more so than being inhibited in their growth which is a slower process. The measurements also reveal that suppression of wind‐waves mainly occurs near the crest of paddle waves, and high on their windward face, which are the locations most exposed to the wind. Both observations indicate that enhanced dissipation of wind‐waves is the primary mechanism of their suppression, while the reduction of wind energy input to wind‐waves only plays a secondary role. The enhanced dissipation of wind‐waves is suggested to be linked to the wind velocity, with wind‐waves breaking at the crest of paddle waves as the excess wind velocity at this location exceeds the threshold the wind‐waves can withstand. Key Points: Enhanced energy dissipation is the primary mechanism behind wind‐wave suppression during interaction with swellSuppression of HF waves in the presence of LF waves mainly occurs on the LF wave crest, and high on its windward faceLF wave breaking and wind separation from LF waves are not essential for HF waves suppression during swell, but may play a secondary role [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of sediment sorting extending from the Bagnold constitutive relationship for sediment under shear is examined in the context of beach placer formation. The traditional interpretation of shear sorting is found to be inconsistent with data from new granular flow experiments. A binary mixture satisfying the shear equivalence relationship displayed pronounced segregation during shear. This observation is contrary to shear sorting as applied in the literature where no such segregation for this pairing of mineral species is expected. Further experiments minimizing the potential of grain percolation of smaller grains or kinetic sieving also demonstrated sorting patterns inconsistent with the existing shear sorting interpretation. Consequently, the shear sorting process, as currently formulated, may not be an appropriate means to describe beach placer formation. Kinetic sieving appears to be a more likely mechanism in this context, enhanced by the shearing and dilation of the granular-fluid flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examines the berm formation and morphological development of beach face in Denmark. The study describes three berm development stages during a tidal cycle. The study suggests that the fast transformation of this development is caused by various factors which include the gentle slope of the cross-shore profile, the translation rates of rapid water level, overtapping of the berm and the low infiltration rates.

The sedimentation rate of sand grains in the hindered settling regime has been considered to assess particle shape effects. The behaviour of various particulate systems involving sand has been compared with the widely used Richardson–Zaki expression. The general form of the expression is found to hold, in as much as remaining as a suitable means to describe the hindered settling of irregular particles. The sedimentation exponent n in the Richardson–Zaki expression is found to be significantly larger for natural sand grains than for regular particles. The hindered settling effect is therefore greater, leading to lower concentration gradients than expected. The effect becomes more pronounced with increasing particle irregularity. At concentrations around 0·4, the hindered settling velocity of fine and medium natural sands reduces to about 70% of the value predicted using existing empirical expressions for n. Using appropriate expressions for the fluidization velocity and the clear water settling velocity, a simple method is discussed to evaluate the sedimentation exponent and to determine the hindered settling effect for sands of various shapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]