Numerical Study of Sandbar Migration under Wave-Undertow Interaction
Publication: Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering
Volume 140, Issue 2
Abstract
Reliable simulation of onshore-offshore sandbar migration under various wave and current conditions has remained a challenging task over the last three decades because wave-undertow interaction in the surf zone has been neglected in the existing numerical models. This paper presents the development of an improved sandbar migration model using a phase- and depth-resolving modeling approach. This new model includes interactions between waves and undertow and an empirical time-dependent turbulent eddy viscosity formulation that accounts for the phase dependency of turbulence on flow velocity and acceleration. The authors demonstrate through extensive model-data comparisons that these enhancements resulted in significant improvements in the predictive capability of the cross-shore sandbar migration beneath moderate and energetic waves. The comparison showed wave-undertow interaction playing a crucial role in cross-shore sediment transport. Waves increased the undertow-induced suspended-load flux during offshore sandbar migration, and a weak undertow suppressed the wave-induced onshore bed-load transport during onshore sandbar migration. The proposed empirical time-dependent turbulent eddy viscosity significantly improved the prediction of onshore-directed bed-load transport during onshore sandbar migration.
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Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the O. H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory at Oregon State University and Gregory Guannel for publishing the CROSSTEX experimental data, which were used for numerical model validation in this study. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51209082, 51379071), the National Key Basic Research Development Program “973 Project” of China (Grant No. 2010CB429002), the National Key Technology Research and Development Program (Grant No. 2012BAB03B01), the 111 Project (Grant No. B12032), and the Qin Lan Project and 333 Project of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. BRA2012130). Zeki Demirbilek and Lihwa Lin are grateful for the technical support received in this activity from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Coastal Inlets Research Program (CIRP). The USACE Headquarters granted permission to publish this paper.
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Published In
Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering
Volume 140 • Issue 2 • March 2014
Pages: 146 - 159
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 1, 2012
Accepted: Jul 31, 2013
Published online: Aug 2, 2013
Published in print: Mar 1, 2014
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