Truc Vert Beach Research Articles

Satellite-derived equilibrium shoreline modelling at a high-energy meso-macrotidal beach

Modelling and predicting the future of sandy shorelines is a key challenge in coastal research and is critical for sustainable coastal management. However, currently the most skillful shoreline models strongly rely on data to calibrate the free parameters, and are thus restricted to a few well monitored sites in the world. Here we address the challenges and opportunities offered by optical satellite imagery to provide useful information for equilibrium shoreline model calibration on cross-shore transport dominated sites. We focus on Truc Vert beach, southwest France, where previous work showed good equilibrium model skill to reproduce shoreline change from the time scales of hours (storms) to decades. Satellite derived waterlines are extracted over 11 years (2009–2020) and further transformed into satellite derived shorelines (SDS) with different water level corrections (e.g. tide and/or run up) and varying alongshore averaging lengths, and thus different uncertainties, in order to test model performance. Successively the timeseries duration and sampling frequency required for model calibration were also investigated. The model calibrated using the SDS data showed similar skill as the model calibrated using in-situ alongshore averaged shoreline positions, even for the uncorrected SDS dataset which Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) are approximately 30 m. Alongshore averaging was found to be the only necessary processing of the SDS data while any other site-specific corrections did not significantly improve model skill. Finally to further investigate the effect of sampling frequency and noise in the dataset we performed an analysis using a synthetic shoreline. Our results suggest that the effect of noise is negligible as long as the sampling frequency remains high (dt ≤ 30 days). Pending further validation, results show the strong potential of using uncorrected SDS dataset for shoreline model calibration at cross-shore transport dominated sandy coasts.

Carbon dynamics driven by seawater recirculation and groundwater discharge along a forest-dune-beach continuum of a high-energy meso-macro-tidal sandy coast

High-energy tidal beaches are exposed to strong physical forcings. The submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) that occurs in intertidal sandy sediments includes both terrestrial, fresh groundwater flow and seawater recirculation, and plays a significant role in regulating biogeochemical cycles in some coastal zones. In this transition zone between land and sea, complex biogeochemical reactions alter the chemical composition of pore waters that discharge to the coastal ocean. Recent studies highlight that SGD can be a significant source of carbon to the coastal ocean but very few have investigated SGD in high-energy environments. We have characterized the dissolved carbon dynamics in such a high-energy environment (Truc Vert Beach, SW France) through pore-water sampling in key compartments of the SGD system. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC), pH, total alkalinity (TA), and the isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon (δ13C-DIC) were measured in pore waters sampled at regular intervals between 2011 and 2014 in the intertidal zone of the beach, the mixing zone of the subterranean estuary (STE), and the freshwater aquifer upstream from the beach. Results reveal that SGD exports dissolved carbon mostly as DIC to the Aquitaine coast, some of which originates from the aerobic respiration of marine organic matter within the beach aquifer. This is highlighted by the reverse spatial trend of DOC, which is consumed, and DIC, which is produced. Saline pore waters expelled from the beach through tidally-driven recirculation of seawater provide about 4400 tons of carbon per year to the coastal zone of the 240-km long Aquitaine sandy coast. Terrestrial groundwater, characterized by high pCO2 values, is also a significant contributor to the DIC flux to the coastal ocean (16,200 tons per year). This flux is abated by CO2 evasion in the upper beach, at the onset of the salinity gradient in the STE, and within the surficial freshwater aquifer along the forest-beach transect below the coastal foredune. Accordingly, the DIC:TA ratio evolves to below 1, suggesting that this SGD increases the buffer capacity of coastal seawater against acidification. This study demonstrates that high-energy beaches are active vectors of DIC from the land to the coastal ocean as well as significant sources of CO2 to the atmosphere, and must therefore be taken into consideration in SGD carbon budgets.

Uncertainties in Shoreline Projections to 2100 at Truc Vert Beach (France): Role of Sea‐Level Rise and Equilibrium Model Assumptions

AbstractSandy shorelines morphodynamics responds to a myriad of processes interacting at different spatial and temporal scales, making shoreline predictions challenging. Shoreline modeling inherits uncertainties from the primary driver boundary conditions (e.g., sea‐level rise and wave forcing) as well as uncertainties related to model assumptions and/or misspecifications of the physics. This study presents an analysis of the uncertainties associated with future shoreline evolution at the cross‐shore transport dominated sandy beach of Truc Vert (France) over the 21st century. We explicitly resolve wave‐driven shoreline change using two different equilibrium modeling approaches to provide new insight into the contributions of sea‐level rise, and free model parameters uncertainties on future shoreline change in the frame of climate change. Based on a Global Sensitivity Analysis, shoreline response during the first half of the century is found to be mainly sensitive to the equilibrium model parameters, with the influence of sea‐level rise emerging in the second half of the century (∼2050 or later), under several simulated scenarios. The results reveal that the seasonal and interannual variability of the predicted shoreline position is sensitive to the choice of the wave‐driven equilibrium‐based model. Finally, we discuss the importance of the chronology of wave events in future shoreline change, calling for more continuous wave projection time series to further address uncertainties in future wave conditions. Our contribution demonstrates that unmitigated climate change can result in shoreline retreat of several tens of meters by 2100, even for sectors that have been stable or slightly accreting over the last century.

IMPACT OF UNCERTAINTIES IN MODEL FREE PARAMETERS AND SEA LEVEL RISE ON SHORELINE CHANGES: A 20-YEAR HINDCAST AT TRUC VERT BEACH, SW FRANCE

Chronic erosion of sandy coasts is a continuous potential threat for the growing coastal communities worldwide. The prediction of shoreline evolution is therefore key issue for robust decision making worldwide, especially in the context of climate change. Shorelines respond to various complex processes interacting at several temporal and spatial scales, making shoreline reconstructions and predictions challenging and uncertain, especially on long time scales (e.g. decades or century). Despite the increasing progresses in addressing uncertainties related to the physics of Sea Level Rise, very little effort is made towards understanding and reducing the uncertainties related to wave driven coastal response. To fill this gap, we analyse the uncertainties associated with long-term (2 decades) modelling of the cross-shore transport dominated high-energy sandy coast around Truc Vert beach, SW France, which has been surveyed semi-monthly over the last 12 years.Recorded Presentation from the vICCE (YouTube Link): https://youtu.be/_NBJ2v-koMs

16 years of topographic surveys of rip-channelled high-energy meso-macrotidal sandy beach

Sandy beaches are highly dynamic environments buffering shores from storm waves and providing outstanding recreational services. Long-term beach monitoring programs are critical to test and improve shoreline, beach morphodynamics and storm impact models. However, these programs are relatively rare and mostly restricted to microtidal alongshore-uniform beaches. The present 16-year dataset contains 326 digital elevation models and their over 1.635 × 106 individual sand level measurements at the high-energy meso-macrotidal rip-channelled Truc Vert beach, southwest France. Monthly to bimonthly topographic surveys, which coverage progressively extended from 300 m to over 2000 m to describe the alongshore-variable changes, are completed by daily topographic surveys acquired during a 5-week field campaign. The dataset captures daily beach response at the scale of a storm to three large cycles of interannual variability, through the impact of the most energetic winter since at least 75 years and prominent seasonal erosion/recovery cycles. The data set is supplemented with high-frequency time series of offshore wave and astronomical tide data to facilitate its future use in beach research.

Beach-dune Recovery from the Extreme 2013-2014 Storms Erosion at Truc Vert Beach, Southwest France: New Insights from Ground-penetrating Radar

Robin, N.; Billy, J.; Castelle, B.; Hesp, P.; Laporte-Fauret, Q.; Nicolae-Lerma, A.; Marieu, V.; Rosebery, D.; Bujan, S.; Destribats, B., and Michalet., 2020. Beach-dune recovery from the extreme 2013-2014 storms erosion at Truc Vert Beach, Southwest France: New insights from ground-penetrating radar. In: Malvárez, G. and Navas, F. (eds.), Global Coastal Issues of 2020. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 95, pp. 588–592. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Foredunes are efficient natural coastal defenses acting as protective barriers during storm events. A striking example is the response of coastal dunes along the Aquitaine Coast (SW France) to the 2013-2014 winter, which was the most energetic winter since at least the mid-20th century in most of the NE Atlantic. The aim of this study is to analyze the (partial) foredune recovery from the 2013-2014 winter at Truc Vert beach using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and through the coastal dune internal structure. Geophysical data was compared with semi-monthly DGPS topographic data of the beach, UAV-photogrammetry and Airborne LiDAR surveys of the coastal dune. Three main recovery phases were identified from the 2013-2014 winter: (i) aggradation of the upper-beach and dune front-crest during the post-storm summer; (ii) distinct phases of incipient dune-foot development with dune-crest stability during the following year, and (iii) since 2016, aggradation of both dune-foot and dune front-crest tending towards an equilibrium profile. This study shows that GPR surveys, combined with chronological topographic data, is an efficient tool to provide comprehensive understanding of the beach-dune system evolution at a decadal scale. This approach opens new perspectives to document foredune recovery timing and magnitude along sandy coasts.

Coastal Dune Morphology Evolution Combining Lidar and UAV Surveys, Truc Vert beach 2011-2019

Laporte-Fauret, Q.; Castelle, B.; Marieu, V.; Bujan, S.; Michalet, R., and Rosebery. D., 2020. Coastal dune morphology evolution combining Lidar and UAV surveys, Truc Vert beach 2011-2019. In: Malvarez, G. and Navas, F. (eds.), Global Coastal Issues of 2020. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 95, pp. 163–167. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.In the context of climate change, coastal dunes, which provide significant ecosystem services, are one of the most vulnerable coastal environments. Moreover, the lack of high resolution and large spatial scale data limits our understanding of coastal dunes, which are subject to important morphological variations over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. This study is focused on combining non-intrusive remote sensing methods including a series of historical aerial photographs, airborne Lidar and UAV surveys in order to better understand the coastal dune morphodynamic on a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. On the time scale of decades, aerial photos indicate a reasonably stable coastal dune position, with large anthropogenic reprofiling and vegetation planting resulting in a reasonably alongshore-uniform morphology. On shorter time scales, the combination of Lidar and UAV 4-km surveys between 2011 and 2019 shows a quasi-steady dune volume increase by approximately 64 m3/m, associated with a foredune crest growth and a landward migration reaching 1.1 m and 0.54 m in average, respectively. On the other hand, the dune foot shows a more complex dynamics, dominated by a large landward migration (shoreline erosion) of approximately 20 m during the outstanding winter of 2013/2014 followed by a slow seaward migration (recovery). This study provides new insight into coastal dune morphological changes driven by both Aeolian and marine processes from the time scale of storm to approximately a decade, highlighting the relevance of UAV surveys for such applications.

Impact of model free parameters and sea‐level rise uncertainties on 20‐years shoreline hindcast: the case of Truc Vert beach (SW France)

AbstractShoreline change is driven by various complex processes interacting at a large range of temporal and spatial scales, making shoreline reconstructions and predictions challenging and uncertain. Despite recent progress in addressing uncertainties related to the physics of sea‐level rise, very little effort is made towards understanding and reducing the uncertainties related to wave‐driven shoreline response. To fill this gap, the uncertainties associated with the long‐term modelling of shoreline change are analysed at a high‐energy cross‐shore transport dominated site. Using the state‐of‐the‐art LX‐Shore shoreline change model, we produce a probabilistic shoreline reconstruction, based on 3000 simulations over the past 20 years at Truc Vert beach, southwest France, whereby sea‐level rise rate, depth of closure and three model free parameters are considered uncertain variables. We further address the relative impact of each source of uncertainty on the model results performing a Global Sensitivity Analysis. This analysis shows that the shoreline changes are mainly sensitive to the three parameters of the wave‐driven model, but also that the sensitivity to each of these parameters is strongly modulated seasonally and interannually, in relation with wave energy variability, and depends on the time scale of interest. These results have strong implications on the model skill sensitivity to the calibration period as well as for the predictive skill of the model in a context of future climate change affecting wave climate and extremes. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Relative Contribution of Wave Setup to the Storm Surge: Observations and Modeling Based Analysis in Open and Protected Environments (Truc Vert beach and Tubuai island)

Pedreros, R.; Idier, D.; Muller, H.; Lecacheux, S.; Paris, F.; Yates-Michelin, M.; Dumas, F.; Pineau-Guillou, L., and Senechal, N., 2018. Relative contribution of wave setup to the storm surge: observations and modeling based analysis in open and protected environments (Truc Vert beach and Tubuai island). In: Shim, J.-S.; Chun, I., and Lim, H.S. (eds.), Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2018 (Busan, Republic of Korea). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 85, pp. 1046–1050. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Recent events like the Xynthia (2010, France) storm illustrate the potentially devastating effect that storm surges can have on the coasts. Nearshore storm surges at the result mainly from two processes: atmospheric surges and wave setup. This paper investigate the relative wave setup contribution in the storm surge signal for energetic events and focusing on two cases: an open beach (Truc Vert beach, France) and a high island protected by a reef lagoon (Tubuai, French Polynesia). The two selected events are the Johanna storm (March'08), for the Truc Vert site, and the Oli cyclone (February'10), for Tubuai. The data analysis shows that the maximum total storm surge reaches 1.2 m on the Truc Vert site and 1.1 m in the Tubuai lagoon. On the Truc Vert beach, the ECORS'08 in-situ measurements allow estimating a wave setup contribution of 80% of the total storm surge, at the time of maximum storm surge. The relative contribution of the wave setup is investigated a bit further, using the modeling approach. The modeling relies on the joint use of a shallow-water (MARS 2DH) and wave (SWAN) models. It shows an heterogeneous distribution of the wave setup in the Tubuai lagoon and a longshore variability close to the waterline for Truc Vert (~ 30%). In both cases, the wave setup contribution to the whole storm surge is predominant, with relative values ranging from 71 to 120% of the total maximal storm surge. Values larger than 100% occur on the Tubuai site when the atmospheric storm surge is negative.

UAV monitoring of 3-year Foredune Partial Recovery from a Severe Winter: Truc Vert Beach, SW France

Guillot, B., Castelle, B., Marieu, V., Bujan, S., and Rosebery, D., 2018. UAV Monitoring of 3-year foredune partial recovery from a severe winter: Truc Vert beach, SW France. In: Shim, J.-S.; Chun, I., and Lim, H.S. (eds.), Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2018 (Busan, Republic of Korea). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 85, pp. 276–280. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.The recent development of ultra-light civil UAVs and photogrammetric techniques provides new and efficient means to remotely sense the coastal topography at high spatial and temporal resolutions along spatially extensive areas. Truc Vert, SW France, is a high-energy meso-macrotidal beach backed by a preserved high and wide coastal dune system. This coastal dune system, which had been relatively stable over the last 70 years, was severely eroded during the winter of 2013/2014 with 800-m long and up to 8-m high cuspate erosion scarps. Since then, the foredune has been slowly recovering. This 3-year period was characterized, at the early stage, by the destabilisation of the scarped dune by trough blowouts, scarp slumping and filling and seasonal beach berm dynamics. The onset of foredune recovery occurred subsequently, and was characterized by the development of a dune ramp. This ramp provided efficient conduit for beach-dune delivery/exchange of sediment by the end of the study despite the high-energy winter of 2015/2016 drove localized dune erosion. The coastal dune did not fully recover with an approximately 60% average recovery within 3 years, an overall accretion due primarily to incipient foredune formation and foredune growth in height. The timing and magnitude of the incomplete recovery sequence from the UAV surveys provide an outstanding measure of coastal dune resilience to severe storms in this region of the world.

Simulating wave setup and runup during storm conditions on a complex barred beach

The purpose of this study is to assess the ability of the SWASH model to reproduce wave setup and runup in highly dissipative stormy conditions. To proceed we use data collected during the ECORS Truc Vert’08 Experiment, especially during the Johanna storm in the winter of 2007-008 (wave setup under Hs= 8.2m and Tp= 18.3s and runup under 6.4m and peak period up to 16.4s). We test different model settings (1D and 2D mode) and model forcing (spectral and parametric) to reproduce sensor measured wave setup at several locations in the nearshore area and video measured runup on two beach profiles. For the whole tested configurations, the wave setup is reproduced accurately. Results considering all the sensor locations in the near shore area in 1D and 2D are significantly correlated to the observations with respectively ρ²=0.66 and 0.81; RMSE=0.13m and 0.08m without any significant bias. Observations and simulations of runup are investigated in terms of spectra and statistic component. 1D simulations produces an overall overestimation and no significant improvement is obtained by modifying the breaking parameters. The results for 2D simulations are fairly satisfactory reproducing significant swash height (S), but are significantly improved with spectral forcing than parametric with respectively ρ²=0.73 and 0.71, RMSE=0.19m and 0.43m. Generally, the model reproduces accurately the infragravity component but tends to overestimate the incident component, leading to an overestimation of the energy density for moderate wave conditions and more accurate results for higher-energy wave conditions. Results in 2D with spectral forcing show a saturation of the infragravity component with a threshold around Hs=4 to 5m, which is comparable to the observations collected at Truc Vert Beach. As regards the conventional statistical parameter for runup estimation (R2%) three methods are applied to derive the 2% exceedence value for runup from observed and simulated shoreline vertical elevation time series. When R2% is based on the sum of wave setup and half of the significant swash height, results provided by the model are close or even better than estimations provided by empirical formulas from the bibliography. Defining R2% as the exceeded 2% values of the time, derived considering the cumulative distribution function of the entire water-level time series also provide fairly good results. Results using only runup maxima time series are less satisfactory. In the two last cases, R2% is slightly underestimated for moderate wave conditions (Hs<4m; Tp ≈ 14s) and overestimated for higher-energy wave conditions. Generally results shows that where extreme wave conditions are concerned, the model setting must be considered carefully because the simplification of 1D (rather than 2D), or the use of parametric wave description (rather than spectral), can be a source of significant inaccuracy or overestimation in simulated run-up values.

Statistical modeling of interannual shoreline change driven by North Atlantic climate variability spanning 2000–2014 in the Bay of Biscay

Modeling studies addressing daily to interannual coastal evolution typically relate shoreline change with waves, currents and sediment transport through complex processes and feedbacks. For wave-dominated environments, the main driver (waves) is controlled by the regional atmospheric circulation. Here a simple weather regime-driven shoreline model is developed for a 15-year shoreline dataset (2000–2014) collected at Truc Vert beach, Bay of Biscay, SW France. In all, 16 weather regimes (four per season) are considered. The centroids and occurrences are computed using the ERA-40 and ERA-Interim reanalyses, applying k-means and EOF methods to the anomalies of the 500-hPa geopotential height over the North Atlantic Basin. The weather regime-driven shoreline model explains 70% of the observed interannual shoreline variability. The application of a proven wave-driven equilibrium shoreline model to the same period shows that both models have similar skills at the interannual scale. Relation between the weather regimes and the wave climate in the Bay of Biscay is investigated and the primary weather regimes impacting shoreline change are identified. For instance, the winter zonal regime characterized by a strengthening of the pressure gradient between the Iceland low and the Azores high is associated with high-energy wave conditions and is found to drive an increase in the shoreline erosion rate. The study demonstrates the predictability of interannual shoreline change from a limited number of weather regimes, which opens new perspectives for shoreline change modeling and encourages long-term shoreline monitoring programs.

Recovery Assessment of Two Nearby Sandy Beaches with Contrasting Anthropogenic and Sediment Supply Settings

ABSTRACT Senechal, N.; Pavon, J.; Asselot, R.; Castelle, B.; Taaouati, M.; Ferreira, S., and Bujan, S., 2016. Recovery assessment of two nearby sandy beaches with contrasting anthropogenic and sediment supply settings. In: Vila-Concejo, A.; Bruce, E.; Kennedy, D.M., and McCarroll, R.J. (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th International Coastal Symposium (Sydney, Australia). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 75, pp. 462–466. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The aim of this study is to provide the preliminary results of the comparisons of two field sites exposed to the same environmental conditions but with contrasting beach management strategies. Truc Vert beach and Biscarrosse beach are both low sandy beaches situated on the 250km long linear French coast exposed to the Atlantic swells and are about 35km distant. While Truc Vert beach is a fully natural beach, Biscarrosse beach is in an urban area where several coastal defences have been deployed. Data indicate that Biscarrosse beach is l...

Morphodynamical modelling of field-scale swash events

In the present work, data for three single swash events are selected from those available for an accretive tide that occurred at Le Truc Vert beach (France) during a measurement field campaign at that location. These events are primarily chosen because of the different final bed change they produced, namely variable accretion, seaward erosion/landward deposition and variable erosion along the swash zone. These data are compared to results obtained from a ‘state-of-the-art’ numerical fully-coupled 1D morphodynamical shallow water solver, driven by measurements made of those events in the lower swash/inner surf zone.It is found that the hydrodynamics is reasonably well represented, although the computed results exhibit reduced maximum inundations in comparison with the observed ones. The model reproduces the correct order of magnitude of the morphodynamic change after each event, and sometimes the pattern of erosion and deposition, but this change is generally underestimated.Sensitivity analyses are conducted with respect to more uncertain physical parameters and assumed initial conditions. They suggest that initial spatial distributions for velocity and pre-suspended sediment concentration play a key role in the quantitative and qualitative prediction of the bed change.

Shape of the shallow aquifer at the fresh water–sea water interface on a high-energy sandy beach

Inland aquifers are connected to the ocean through permeable coastal sediments. The mixing zone between sea water and fresh-groundwater forms a so-called subterranean estuary. The dynamics and the shape of this interface influence fluxes of fresh water to the coastal zone. On tidal sandy beaches, tide and waves actions lead to the formation of an intertidal saline circulation cell that complements the structure of the subterranean estuary between sea water and fresh water. The upper beach corresponds to the recharge zone, where large volumes sea water penetrate the sediment at high tide, whereas the lower beach corresponds to the discharge zone of older pore water that remains in the sand for several tidal cycles. The objective of our study was to characterize the shape and the evolution of this saline cell in a high-energy macro-tidal beach, the Truc Vert beach (SW France). In order to assess the distribution of saline, brackish and fresh water in this high-energy beach aquifer, we conducted electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) measurements from the lower beach face to the sand dune in winter 2012–2013. We also measured water table elevation and salinity in three piezometers situated at the base of the dune and in pore waters at low tide on tidal cross-shore transects. Results show that the intertidal saline plume can be identified and localized with the ERT method. The fresh-saline water interface is almost vertical in the upper beach. The saline circulation cell occupies the upper part of the tidal beach over a thickness of 5 m deep. Below this saline cell, a brackish water flows to the ocean: about 30% of fresh water was found in pore water in the lower part of the beach. Shifting of the vertical front between saline and fresh waters of about 2–5 m occurred during the spring–neap tidal cycle. This migration is small relative to the beach size, suggesting that the transition zone is relatively stable. The variations in salinity of the circulation cell suggest that the position of the saline plume is controlled by the spring tide level. Our results differ slightly from studies based on modelling and piezometric measurement made in less exposed micro-tidal sandy beaches. Our data would allow to better constrain numerical models that would enable to quantify water residence time and solute fluxes in subterranean estuaries of high-energy beaches.

Impact of the winter 2013–2014 series of severe Western Europe storms on a double-barred sandy coast: Beach and dune erosion and megacusp embayments

The winter of 2013/2014 was characterized by a striking pattern of temporal and spatial extreme storm wave clustering in Western Europe. The 110-km long Gironde coast, SW France, was exposed to the most energetic wave conditions over the last 18years. The period was outstanding in terms of the available energy to move sediment and cause large-scale erosion with the 2-month average significant wave height (Hs) exceeding 3.6m, just below the 0.95 quantile, and 4 distinct 10-year return period storms with Hs>9m. These storm waves caused unprecedented beach and dune erosion along the Gironde coast, including severely damaged sea defences at the coastal towns. At the end of the winter, dune erosion scarp height was highly variable alongshore and often exceeded 10m. Megacusp embayments were observed along the Gironde coast with an average alongshore spacing of 1000m in the south progressively decreasing to 500m in the north, with an average cross-shore amplitude of 20m. While beach megacusps were previously observed to systematically couple to the inner bar along the Gironde coast during low- to moderate-energy wave conditions, severe storm-driven megacusp embayments cutting the dune were found to be enforced and coupled to the outer crescentic bar. A detailed inspection of the 1500m-long bimonthly topographic surveys of Truc Vert beach shows that in early January 2014 the outstanding shore-normal incident storm swell ‘Hercules’, with Hs and peak wave period Tp peaking at 9.6m and 22s, respectively, triggered the formation of a localized megacusp embayment with the erosion scarp height exceeding 6m in its centre where the dune retreat reached 30m. The subsequent storms progressively smoothed the megacusp by the end of the winter, mostly through severe erosion of the megacusp horns. Because of the very long period (16s<Tp<23s) storm waves with persistent shore-normal incidence, the well-developed outer crescentic bar observed prior to the winter did not straighten. Instead, the outer-bar three-dimensionality developed further, particularly during ‘Hercules’. Our observations indicate that both the antecedent outer sandbar morphology and storm wave characteristics, including period and angle of incidence, govern patterns of beach and dune erosion along open multiple-barred sandy coasts during severe storms.

A wave-by-wave analysis for the evaluation of the breaking-wave celerity

The paper gives an overall description of the breaking-wave celerity on the basis of a wave-by-wave analysis that has been performed by using field data collected during the ECORS Project (Truc Vert Beach, France, 2008). Data coming from two pressure sensors have been analyzed with the aim to correlate, after a zero-crossing analysis, each wave of both signals. The method is based on a first correlation between 10′ time windows of both signals and, then, on the individuation of the correct time lag for each wave. Such data, which reveals a quasi-gaussian behavior of the breaking wave celerity, have also been used to relate the wave celerity with suitable wave characteristics, and comparisons are made with the most common formulas that can be found in the literature. The wave-by-wave method, validated by means of suitable laboratory test data, gives good results in the evaluation of the celerity, especially when it is made to depend on both a velocity scale and the wave non-linearity parameter. Further, a comparison with literature models used for the prediction of breaking wave celerity suggests good performances of both solitary-wave (correlation coefficient R2=0.79) and shock-wave (R2=0.71) theories, that give results well matched to the field data.

Equilibrium shoreline modelling of a high-energy meso-macrotidal multiple-barred beach

Abstract 8-year time series of incident wave energy and monthly alongshore-averaged beach surveys at the high-energy meso-macrotidal multiple-barred Truc Vert beach are analysed. We apply two behaviour-oriented equilibrium shoreline models that relate the rate of cross-shore shoreline displacement to the wave energy and the wave energy disequilibrium between the wave energy and the equilibrium wave energy that would cause no change to the present shoreline location. The two models show similar skill. Results show that the equilibrium shoreline model concept works on meso-macrotidal multiple-barred beaches, with similar skill when applied to non-barred and/or micro-mesotidal beaches, provided that a relevant shoreline proxy is used. Simulations show that Truc Vert beach responds predominantly at seasonal timescales rather than at individual storm frequency. The first winter storms drive the most pronounced erosion events because both the wave energy disequilibrium and erosion change potential are large. The best shoreline proxy at Truc Vert beach is the mean high water level, where the inner-bar and berm dynamics have little influence on the shoreline cross-shore displacement. Implications for shoreline monitoring through video imagery on this type of beach are discussed. Results also reveal that the equilibrium shoreline concept can be extended to an equilibrium beach profile concept pending further improvements.

Vulnerability of sandy coasts to climate variability

CR Climate Research Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsSpecials CR 57:19-44 (2013) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/cr01153 Vulnerability of sandy coasts to climate variability Déborah Idier1,*, Bruno Castelle2, Marc Poumadère3, Yann Balouin1, Raquel Bohn Bertoldo3, Frédéric Bouchette4, Faiza Boulahya1, Olivier Brivois1, Daniel Calvete5, Sylvain Capo2, Raphael Certain6, Elodie Charles1, Eric Chateauminois7, Etienne Delvallée1, Albert Falqués3, Paul Fattal8, Manuel Garcin1, Roland Garnier9, Arnaud Héquette10, Philippe Larroudé11, Sophie Lecacheux1, Gonéri Le Cozannet1, Mohamed Maanan8, Cyril Mallet1, Aurélie Maspataud10, Carlos Oliveros1, Martin Paillart12, Jean-Paul Parisot2, Rodrigo Pedreros1, Nicolas Robin6, Marc Robin8, Emmanuel Romieu1, Marie-Hélène Ruz10, Jérôme Thiébot1, Charlotte Vinchon1 1Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières, Direction DRP, 3 avenue C. Guillemin, 45060 Orléans cedex 2, France 2Environnements et Paléoenvironnements Océaniques et Continentaux, Université Bordeaux I, avenue des Facultés, 33405 Talence, France 3SYMLOG, 262 rue St Jacques, 75005 Paris, France 4GEOSCIENCES, CC 60 Université Montpellier 2, 34095 Montpellier cedex 5, France 5Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, C/ Jordi Girona 1-3, Modul B4/B5, despatx 103, 08034 Barcelona, Spain 6Centre de Formation et de Recherche sur les Environnements Méditerranéens, UMR5110, Université de Perpignan Via Domitia, Bat.U, 52 avenue Paul Alduy, 66860 Perpignan cedex 9, France 7BRLi, 1105 avenue Pierre Mendès France, BP 4001, 30001 Nîmes cedex, France 8Littoral - Environnement - Télédétection - Géomatique, UMR CNRS 6554, Pôle Mer et Littoral, Université de Nantes, BP 8122, 44312 Nantes, France 9Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Caminos de Caminos, Universidad de Cantabria, Avenida de los Castros s/n, 39005 Santander, Spain 10Laboratoire d’Océanologie et de Géosciences, UMR CNRS 8187, Université du Littoral Côte d’Opale, 32 avenue Foch, 62930 Wimereux, France 11Laboratoire des Ecoulements Géophysiques et Industriels, BP 53, 38041 Grenoble cedex 9, France 12Communauté de Communes de l’Île de Noirmoutier, BP 714, rue de la Prée au Duc, 85330 Noirmoutier-en-l’Île, France *Email: d.idier@brgm.fr ABSTRACT: The main objective of the VULSACO (VULnerability of SAndy COasts to climate change and anthropic pressure) project was to investigate present day and potential future vulnerability of sandy coasts at the 2030 horizon, i.e. on a time scale related to climate variability. The method, based on a multidisciplinary approach bringing together geologists, geographers, physicists, social psychologists, engineers and stakeholders, was structured around 4 axes: field data analysis; numerical modelling; analysis of governance and stakeholder perceptions; and development of vulnerability indexes. This approach was designed to investigate vulnerability at a local scale and was applied to 4 contrasting beaches located in France: Sète Lido (Mediterranean Sea), Truc Vert and La Tresson beaches (Atlantic Ocean), and Dewulf (English Channel). The results focus on decadal and multi-annual beach trends at the Truc Vert beach site. There is almost no trend in beach volume at Truc Vert beach, although there is a variation in this parameter on a cycle of 2 to 3 yr, with variations related to wave energy and probably to indexes of climate variability. Numerical modelling identified the sensitivity of beach responses to changes in wave height and direction, especially in terms of subtidal morphology and the potential development of shoreline instability. Together with the observed offshore wave angle at the Biscay Buoy, these model results suggest that a potential change in wave angle due to climate variability could significantly modify the bars’ morphology. The combination of data analysis and numerical modelling contributed to the development of vulnerability indexes designed for sandy coasts, which take into account climate-dependant variables such as waves. This allowed the differentiation of the sites in terms of vulnerability to erosion: Sète Lido and Truc Vert beach were the most and least vulnerable sites, respectively. These indexes help in identifying the dominant components of beach vulnerability, and provide potential for the study of how anthropogenic factors affect vulnerability. The study of stakeholder perceptions and decision-making with regard to climate-related risk also highlighted potential anthropogenic effects on beach vulnerability, and identified possible site-specific outcomes. KEY WORDS: Sandy beach · Modelling · Field data · Stakeholders · Index · Truc Vert · France Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Idier D, Castelle B, Poumadère M, Balouin Y and others (2013) Vulnerability of sandy coasts to climate variability. Clim Res 57:19-44. https://doi.org/10.3354/cr01153 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in CR Vol. 57, No. 1. Online publication date: June 13, 2013 Print ISSN: 0936-577X; Online ISSN: 1616-1572 Copyright © 2013 Inter-Research.

Aerobic respiration in a high-energy sandy beach

Wave and tide dominated beaches are composed of medium to coarse sandy sediments depleted in organic matter. In these sediments, the availability of organic matter limits benthic heterotrophic respiration processes. This study shows that oxygen consumption linked with nutrient recycling occurs in sands and that the intensity of this process follows a seasonal pattern. Furthermore, substantial seawater exchange occurs through intertidal sandy sediments during each tide. During floods, seawater penetrates sandy sediments, filling the pore spaces with dissolved oxygen and marine organic matter. Water expelled from the sediment during ebb is depleted in oxygen and enriched in nitrate. In order to quantify the extent of respiration processes, we collected pore waters at low tide on tidal cross-shore transects on the Truc Vert beach (France) every two weeks over 20months. Temperature, salinity and oxygen saturation were recorded in situ and nutrient concentrations were determined from collected samples. The seasonal monitoring showed that aerobic respiration occurred in sands. Organic matter supplied by the seawater entering the pore spaces during floods was trapped long enough to be mineralized. An efficient recycling of nutrients was thus found to occur in tidal sandy beaches. The intensity of the respiration processes varied seasonally. The strongest oxygen depletions occurred in spring, when planktonic organic matter was abundant, as well as in summer when we observed occasional denitrification. Nitrate concentration of recycled seeping seawater reached values up to 40μM. According to our calculations, the 240-km-long Aquitanian beach recycles 3500t of carbon and releases 600t of N-nitrate to the adjacent coastal zone each year. Since phosphorus is readily adsorbed on particles, the N:P ratio of recycled nutrients released to the seawater was much higher than the Redfield ratio.