Peak longshore sediment transport for storm waves

Abstract

Beach sediments are suspended by breaking waves and dissipate across/along the shore under oblique wave action. With horizontal behavior in their transport, they play an important role in longshore sediment transport and shoreline change. Instead of applying the conventional approach derived from wave energy flux, a new model for the peak longshore sediment transport rate (LSTR) is described, considering the horizontal behavior of suspended sediment, along with storm wave scenarios. Additionally, this paper presents a general LSTR derived from the derived peak LSTR equation. The general equation for the LSTR is then validated by comparing it with five conventional equations, notably the famous CERC (1984)and Kamphuis (1991), using observed values of waves, sediment, and the LSTR collected from 12 beach sites in the United States. Good agreement is found in the comparison, which enhances the applicability of the new model for LSTR. Furthermore, the proposed model is applicable for predicting peak LSTR during episodic storms.