Abstract
The morphological and volumetric changes of a sandy beach were investigated through a series of two- monthly filed surveys carried out aver a 2-year period from April 2005 to January 2007. This paper discuss the ability of 3-D digital elevation models (DEMs) derived from high accurate data to assess and quantify beach morphodynamics in relation with wave forcing. The methodology and data acquisition are described and consist mainly in the production of interpolated DEMs from which a variety of representations can be made, including as elevation change maps, two-dimensional cross-sections of the beach, calculation of net volume. The results of the analysis highlight seasonal changes in beach morphology due to variations in wave energy. This behavior is characterized by beach erosion and bar decay under high-energy waves and net accretion and bar formation during relatively fair weather conditions. The sand budgets adjustments show that the loss of volume in the winter months is compensated for by accumulation to the beach during summer. This trend suggests that there is a mechanism which controls the beach evolution. The correlation between beach changes and wave energy variations highlights a net relation between them. The results from this in- vestigation state the value of DEMs utilized and demonstrate the efficiency of the 3-D approach employed here to assess the erosion and accretion patterns which would not be visualized using 2-D profiles.
Highlights
Sandy beaches are difficult landforms to study because of the complex interaction between morphology, sediment and hydrodynamic forcing, which makes these environments very dynamic and moving systems.Many authors have worked on the spatial and temporal evolution of beach morphology using several models, classification and indices [1]
This paper discusses the ability of 3-D digital elevation models (DEMs) derived from high accurate data to assess and quantify beach morphodynamics in relation with wave forcing
The use of digital elevation models in beach morphological analysis has expanded throughout the decade of the 1990s allowing a comparison between surveys from different times [2]
Summary
Sandy beaches are difficult landforms to study because of the complex interaction between morphology, sediment and hydrodynamic forcing, which makes these environments very dynamic and moving systems. Many authors have worked on the spatial and temporal evolution of beach morphology using several models, classification and indices [1]. Little success has been obtained when using such models because of the complexity of beach systems [2]. High-resolution techniques (satellites, aerial photographs, LIDAR, etc.) allow for improved monitoring and provide coverage of large sections of coastal systems. The excellent resolution of the data obtained, some limitations (cost, enormous data sets) restrict the use of such techniques. The most common technique used is beach topographic profiling or 3D surveying [3], which is the case of the present work
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