Estimating Alongshore Sediment Transport and the Nodal Point Location on the Delaware–Maryland Coast
Publication: Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering
Volume 136, Issue 3
Abstract
An approach to estimating sediment transport along the Delaware–Maryland coast is described. Wave information study (second generation model, WISWAVE 2.0) hindcast frequency-direction spectra from 1980 to 1999 are used to generate a radiation stress-conserving angle for bringing offshore waves to breaking to estimate alongshore sediment transport. Using standard values for the coefficients in the United States Army Corps of Engineers’ Coastal Engineering Research Center (CERC) equation yields 20-year mean alongshore sediment transport rates between 470,942 and depending on alongshore location after shoaling waves to shore. Interannual variability is large with SDs between 95,078 and again depending on alongshore location. Alongshore sediment transport rate estimates are commensurate with past studies using WIS data but overpredict the typically cited value of near Indian River Inlet, Delaware based on sediment budget data by a factor of 3–4. This overestimation could be compensated for by altering the constant in the CERC transport equation or slight variations in the shoreline normal. The yearly estimates of the nodal point location where the sediment transport rate reverses direction were just south of the Delaware–Maryland border. The nodal point experienced interannual variability on the order of several thousand meters and is mainly attributed to the interannual variability in wave forcing. It is found that estimating alongshore sediment transport rates from offshore wave data are dependent on proper preservation of the radiation stress (using a radiation stress-conserving wave angle) and accurate determination of the shoreline normal.
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Acknowledgments
This work was funded by the University of Delaware. Thanks to Barbara Tracy and Alan Cialone for answering many questions regarding WIS. Helpful comments were provided by Nobu Kobayashi and three anonymous reviewers.
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Published In
Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering
Volume 136 • Issue 3 • May 2010
Pages: 135 - 144
Copyright
© 2010 ASCE.
History
Received: Apr 6, 2009
Accepted: Sep 21, 2009
Published online: Apr 15, 2010
Published in print: May 2010
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