Dynamics of beach scarp formation behind detached breakwaters

Abstract

Detached (offshore) breakwaters are widely used as beach stabilization measures. However, there is potential for erosion at the openings between detached breakwaters, which may result in the formation of beach scarps. This study evaluated the formation of beach scarps around breakwaters using field surveys and numerical simulations. The evaluation was conducted using a combination of a recent advanced field survey method and a numerical modelling system combining GPV-MSM, SWAN, and XBeach. The unmanned aerial vehicle photogrammetry results revealed the height of the beach scarp generated behind the detached breakwaters to be approximately 3.0 m at Aoyama beach, Niigata coast, Japan, although sand deposition occurred below sea level towards the detached breakwaters. The numerical simulation using the results of the field survey showed that a combination of high waves and increased water level owing to radiation stress between the shoreline and breakwaters resulted in a steeper slope in the beach morphology. Second, avalanching occurred on the beach, leading to the formation of beach scarps. This study showed that detached breakwaters may lead to high water levels, resulting in the generation of beach scarps behind the breakwaters. This study implied that large beach scarps can be generated even when detached breakwaters are constructed.