Numerical Simulation of the Beach Response Mechanism under Typhoon Lekima: A Case Study of the Southern Beach of Chudao

Abstract

Typhoons play an important role in beach evolution. The storm surge and large waves caused by typhoons can cause significant changes in beach morphology in a short period of time. The mechanism of beach evolution and profile changes during typhoons is significantly different from that under non-typhoon dynamic conditions. The XBeach numerical model provides an effective tool for predicting the response of sandy coasts to typhoons. This study is based on field-collected long-term beach profile elevations and grain size data, which were used to establish a two-dimensional XBeach model for simulating the morphological evolution of Cudao Island Beach under Typhoon Lekima. The GSA (Generalized Sensitivity Analysis) method was used to determine the sensitivity order of several important parameters in this modeling. Four different moments of wave height variation were selected during the typhoon process to analyze and study beach evolution. The results show that Chudao South Beach is always in a state of erosion during the typhoon period. The wave water increase is apparent in the nearshore wave-breaking area. The beach shoulder in the northeastern part of the beach is short, and the profile, with a short length, responds quickly to the typhoon. The eroded sediment is mainly deposited in the lower part of the intertidal zone or even transported outside of the wave-breaking zone, and a small part is transported to the shore and deposited in the high-tide zone. The continuous sediment transport along the coast of Chudao Beach is an important factor that influenced the evolution of each profile during Typhoon Lekima.