BEACH CHANGES AND WAVE CONDITIONS, NEW BRUNSWICK

The coast line of Kouchibouguac Bay, New Brunswick, within the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence coastal province, consists of a barrier island system of sand beaches and low dunes. It is a relatively low energy system in a protected location with the important waves entering the bay through a narrow fetch window from the northeast. The behaviour of these wave trains and their refraction patterns within the S. Gulf of St. Lawrence and Kouchibouguac Bay were simulated by the construction of a series of refraction diagrams, from which it is possible to obtain a realistic appraisal of wave conditions at the shore. Waves entering the bay from N and NE directions are concentrated on the southern part of the barrier island system,, and those entering from the ENE and E are concentrated on the northern part. In greater detail, a series of wave refraction diagrams, based on former conditions of nearshore bathymetry at Richiboucto Inlet, help to explain the changes which have occurred there in the past 80 years. The simulation of wave behaviour in Kouchibouguac Bay has provided useful additional information which helps to explain the recent evolution of the barrier island system.