Intrawave sand suspension in the shoaling and surf zone of a field‐scale laboratory beach

Abstract

AbstractShort‐wave sand transport in morphodynamic models is often based solely on the near‐bed wave‐orbital motion, thereby neglecting the effect of ripple‐induced and surface‐induced turbulence on sand transport processes. Here sand stirring was studied using measurements of the wave‐orbital motion, turbulence, ripple characteristics, and sand concentration collected on a field‐scale laboratory beach under conditions ranging from irregular nonbreaking waves above vortex ripples to plunging waves and bores above subdued bed forms. Turbulence and sand concentration were analyzed as individual events and in a wave phase‐averaged sense. The fraction of turbulence events related to suspension events is relatively high (∼50%), especially beneath plunging waves. Beneath nonbreaking waves with vortex ripples, the sand concentration close to the bed peaks right after the maximum positive wave‐orbital motion and shows a marked phase lag in the vertical, although the peak in concentration at higher elevations does not shift to beyond the positive to negative flow reversal. Under plunging waves, concentration peaks beneath the wavefront without any notable phase lags in the vertical. In the inner‐surf zone (bores), the sand concentration remains phase coupled to positive wave‐orbital motion, but the concentration decreases with distance toward the shoreline. On the whole, our observations demonstrate that the wave‐driven suspended load transport is onshore and largest beneath plunging waves, while it is small and can also be offshore beneath shoaling waves. To accurately predict wave‐driven sand transport in morphodynamic models, the effect of surface‐induced turbulence beneath plunging waves should thus be included.