Geomorphic and Sedimentologic Evidence for Net Littoral Drift — A Review

Author(s):  
Terry Healy
Keyword(s):  
Author(s):  
J. P. Coakley ◽  
H. A. Savile ◽  
M. Pedrosa ◽  
M. Larocque
Keyword(s):  

Shore & Beach ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 14-36
Author(s):  
Gary Griggs ◽  
Kiki Patsch ◽  
Charles Lester ◽  
Ryan Anderson

Beaches form a significant component of the economy, history, and culture of southern California. Yet both the construction of dams and debris basins in coastal watersheds and the armoring of eroding coastal cliffs and bluffs have reduced sand supply. Ultimately, most of this beach sand is permanently lost to the submarine canyons that intercept littoral drift moving along this intensively used shoreline. Each decade the volume of lost sand is enough to build a beach 100 feet wide, 10 feet deep and 20 miles long, or a continuous beach extending from Newport Bay to San Clemente. Sea-level rise will negatively impact the beaches of southern California further, specifically those with back beach barriers such as seawalls, revetments, homes, businesses, highways, or railroads. Over 75% of the beaches in southern California are retained by structures, whether natural or artificial, and groin fields built decades ago have been important for local beach growth and stabilization efforts. While groins have been generally discouraged in recent decades in California, and there are important engineering and environmental considerations involved prior to any groin construction, the potential benefits are quite large for the intensively used beaches and growing population of southern California, particularly in light of predicted sea-level rise and public beach loss. All things considered, in many areas groins or groin fields may well meet the objectives of the California Coastal Act, which governs coastal land-use decisions. There are a number of shoreline areas in southern California where sand is in short supply, beaches are narrow, beach usage is high, and where sand retention structures could be used to widen or stabilize local beaches before sand is funneled offshore by submarine canyons intercepting littoral drift. Stabilizing and widening the beaches would add valuable recreational area, support beach ecology, provide a buffer for back beach infrastructure or development, and slow the impacts of a rising sea level.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 789-801 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Senthilkumar ◽  
K. Murali ◽  
V. Sundar
Keyword(s):  

2011 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. I_1123-I_1128
Author(s):  
Kentaro HAYASHI ◽  
Takayuki SASAKI ◽  
Akihiro YAMAMOTO ◽  
Syogo TOMABECHI ◽  
Akiyoshi NAKAYAMA ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 91 (3) ◽  
pp. 262-295
Author(s):  
BRIAN J. WILLIS ◽  
TAO SUN ◽  
R. BRUCE AINSWORTH

Abstract Process-physics-based, coupled hydrodynamic–morphodynamic delta models are constructed to understand preserved facies heterogeneities that can influence subsurface fluid flow. Two deltaic systems are compared that differ only in the presence of waves: one river dominated and the other strongly influenced by longshore currents. To understand an entire preserved deltaic succession, the growth of multiple laterally adjacent delta lobes is modeled to define delta axial to marginal facies trends through an entire regressive–transgressive depositional succession. The goal is to refine a facies model for symmetrical wave-dominated deltas (where littoral drift diverges from the delta lobe apex). Because many factors change depositional processes on deltas, the description of the river-dominated example is included to provide a direct reference case from which to define the impact of waves on preserved facies patterns. Both systems display strong facies trends from delta axis to margin that continued into inter-deltaic areas. River-dominated delta regression preserved a dendritic branching of compensationally stacked bodies. Transgression, initiated by sea-level rise, backfilled the main channel and deposited levees and splays on the submerging delta top. Wave-dominated deltas developed dual clinoforms: a shoreface clinoform built as littoral drift carried sediment away from the river month and onshore, and a subaqueous delta-front clinoform composed of sediment accumulated below wave base. Although littoral drift in both directions away from the delta axis stabilized the position of the river at the shoreline, distributary-channel avulsions and lateral migration of river flows across the subaqueous delta top produced heterogeneities in both sets of clinoform deposits. Separation of shoreface and subaqueous delta-front clinoforms across a subaqueous delta top eroded to wave base produced a discontinuity in progradational vertical successions that appeared gradual in some locations but abrupt in others. Littoral drift flows away from adjacent deltas converged in inter-deltaic areas, producing shallow water longshore bars cut by wave-return-flow channels with associated terminal mouth bars. Transgression initiated by sea-level rise initially led to vertical aggradation of wave-reworked sheet sands on the subaqueous delta top and then retreating shoreface barrier sands as the subaerial delta top flooded. Pseudo inter-well flow tests responded to local heterogeneities in the preserved deposits. As expected, abandoned channels in the river-dominated case defined shoreline-perpendicular preferential flow paths and wave-dominated delta deposits are more locally homogeneous, but scenarios for development of more pronounced shore-parallel heterogeneity patterns for wave-influenced deltas are discussed. The results highlight the need to consider the dual clinoform nature of wave-dominated delta deposition for facies prediction and subsurface interpretation.


Author(s):  
Masumeh Sabet ◽  
Mehdi Naseri ◽  
Hosein Sabet

Prediction of littoral drift with Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System The amount of sand moving parallel to a coastline forms a prerequisite for many harbor design projects. Such information is currently obtained through various empirical formulae. Despite so many works in the past, an accurate and reliable estimation of the rate of sand drift has still remained a problem. It is a non-linear process and can be described by chaotic time-series. The current study addresses this issue through the use of Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS). ANFIS is about taking an initial fuzzy inference system (FIS) and tuning it with a back propagation algorithm based on the collection of input-output data. ANFIS was developed to predict the sand drift from a variety of causative variables. The structure and algorithm of ANFIS for predicting the rate of sand drift is described. The Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System was validated by confirming its consistency with a database of specified physical process.


1974 ◽  
Vol 1 (14) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
V.F. Motta ◽  
J.V. Bandeira

The total annual volume of littoral drift on either side of the mouth of Sergipe estuary, in the Northeast of Brazil, has been de_ termined by applying Caldwell's, Castanho's and Bijker's methods to the wave characteristics that had been recorded at a twenty-metre depth of water, over a whole year, for the design of an offshore oil terminal. The three computation methods yielded the same order of maj> nitude which was found to amount to about 80000Om^/year. The dominant drift is s outhwes tward, and its predicted amount is 660000m-*/year. It was also found that although the three methods lead to total re suits of the same order of magnitude, they do not agree as to the vari^ ation of littoral drift over the year for the s ame waves. An eight-metre deep shipping channe 1 has been dredgedaccross the bar. The channel was surveyed in December 1971, August and Decem ber 1972, and a cubature of the deposits was made after the littoraldrift computations had been carried out. As the latter had been per formed on a monthly basis, a comparison became possible between pre dieted and actual volumes of deposits for the same lengths of time. The predicted volumes for the whole year were found to be from 34 to 46% greater than the actual results. However, for the time interval August-December 1972 a remarkable agreement was found be^ tween predicted and actual results.


2001 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. POULOS ◽  
G. CHRONIS

Coastal configuration depends upon the equilibrium between available sediment budget and prevailing nearshore wave and current conditions. Human activities often disturb this natural equilibrium by altering the sources of beach material and littoral drift pattern. In the coastal zone of NW Peloponnese, an essentially tideless environment, the oblique approach of wind-induced waves implies an overall longshore drift from east to west. On an annual basis, the potential longshore sediment transport rates at the different sections of the study area (Kato Achaia) is estimated to vary between 0.02 10-3 m3/s and 5 103 m3/s and to fluctuate seasonally. The construction of a port and the extraction of aggregates from the R. Peiros have changed significantly the pattern of sediment transport inducing dramatic changes on coastline configuration; thus, the part of the coastline west to the port had retreated as much as 70 m eliminating a touristic beach, while the entrance of the port was silted inhibiting navigation. Coastal engineering measures, such as modification of port-breakwaters and construction of groins have had only minimal contribution in beach recovery. Hence, coastal management plans should consider this dynamic equilibrium and protect the natural coastal system from the arbitrary human activities.


2007 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
ABO BAKER.I. ABO ZED

This study evaluates the effect of prevailing dynamic factors on the sedimentation process in Damietta Harbour along the Nile delta coast of Egypt. The monitoring program spanned the period between 1978 and 1999 and included measurements of waves, currents and bathymetric profiles. The evaluation was based on determination of erosion and accretion rates, current regime, sediment transport, wave characteristics and wave refraction. Results revealed that the predominant wave direction from N-NW sector (86 %) throughout the year is responsible for generation of a longshore eastward current. Less frequent waves from the N-NE sector generate an opposing longshore westward current. The refraction pattern for the prevailing wave direction indicates that the harbour and its navigation channel are located within a divergence of wave orthogonal and in an accretion sediment sink area. The annual net rate of littoral drift on the western side of the harbour is about 1.43 * 105 m3 (accretion), while the annual net rate of littoral drift on the eastern side is about 2.54 * 105 m3 (erosion). Currents fluctuate tremendously in speed and direction, especially during the winter months. Hence, sediment transport takes place in offshore, eastward, and onshore directions. Progressive vector diagrams show that the largest near bottom offshore, onshore and easterly net drift occurs during summer, spring and winter respectively. The onshore sediment transport generated during spring and summer plays an important role in the redistribution of eroded sediments during the winter. The overall study of dynamic factors indicated that the harbour site is characterized by eastern, western, offshore and onshore sediment movements. Therefore, the north-south orientation of the navigation channel, with its depth greater than the surrounding area, interrupts sediment drift from different directions and reduces the current speed. Consequently, the sediments sink within the navigation channel from different directions. The sources of sediments contributing to the siltation process of the harbour and its navigation channels are mainly derived from the Rosetta promontory, Burullus beaches, Damietta promontory and from offshore and the dumping area.


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