Shingle beach transport models

The development of models, databases and guidance to predict sediment movement and help manage shorelines more effectively.

From:
Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Research and Development Programme and Environment Agency
Published
12 February 2021
Category:
Understanding risks from all sources of flooding
Topics:
Coast, Coastal erosion, Ecosystem service benefits, Flood forecasting, Flood risk assessment, Hydrology, Modelling, Natural capital, Sustainability, Understanding physical processes
Project status:
Completed
Project code:
W5B-013
Date of completion:
31 March 2002

Documents

Shingle beach transport - summary (125KB) PDF

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Details

Background

Managing shorelines effectively depends on understanding the way the shape of beaches change over time. This includes being able to predict how sediment moves both along and across the shore, either in single events such as storms or over longer periods of time.

Much of the existing scientific and engineering literature on these processes concentrates on sand beaches due to their international importance. Around the UK, coarse grained beaches are as important as sand beaches, but the ability to predict how they’ll respond is less well developed.

Approach

The Shingle Beach Transport Project aimed to analyse short-term data about sediment transport from a co-ordinated series of field experiments. It aimed to use this data to verify and / or develop existing or new transport models for shingle beaches. It also obtained and analysed data relating to long-term, large scale changes in the shape of a range of shingle beaches. This was to compare this long-term data with the short-term data obtained from the field experiments, and develop techniques for beach managers to use to make predictions.

Findings

The project resulted in:

  • an extensive database of field measurements
  • a comparison of existing equations used in numerical prediction models
  • development of a new conceptual model for longshore transport
  • initial development of a physics based cross-shore model - including the effects of a permeable beach on wave run-up and an improved representation of bottom friction
  • new guidance on using field equipment - including using GIS to create digital ground models to use transport calculations
  • guidance on analysing or predicting long-term / large scale shoreline change

The output of this project was fed into the subsequent project (reference: FD1901): Development of predictive tools and design guidance for mixed beaches.

The project started in 1996 and was completed in 2002.

Published 12 February 2021