Wave-Sediment Interactions on an High Energy Beach System

Abstract

Please click here to download the map associated with this article. The North coast of Northern Ireland is exposed to high-energy swells and frequent storm events and therefore beach systems found along this coast tend largely to be dissipative in character. Bedrock-framed coastlines formed by basalt cliffs, shore platforms and smaller sandy embayments dominate this study area. West Strand beach at Portrush (located 55°12′N/6°40′W) is a high-energy system shaped by a headland-embayment with a sandy beach to the north and boulder beach to the south. It is characterised by a microtidal regime and predominant local winds are west and south westerly. The research work aims to examine this high-energy beach under multiple storm scenarios and to investigate hydrodynamic and morphodynamic behaviour at the site. For the analysis, a wave propagation model was used to compare wave energy dissipation from storm wave events as well as examining currents and sediment transport through the analysis of the spatial distribution of radiation stress. Real data from deep-water wave parameters (significant wave height, period and direction), wind direction and speed, and recent high-resolution bathymetry data were used as an input to the propagation model. The methodology was applied to West Strand beach (9 km2) at a scale of 1:250.