Modelling Transitions Between Barred Beach States on a Straight Coast

Abstract

The utility of numerical models of beach morphodynamics is constrained by our ability to establish that the theoretical dynamics match reality. The inherent difficulty in collecting suitable validation data for spatial and temporal bathymetric models of beach evolution has resulted in relatively few studies which perform empirical validation of nearshore morphological models. The present study addresses the validity of morphological modelling of an exposed beach by qualitatively comparing the evolution of a numerically modelled beach state transition with data observed using remote imaging. The application of the numerical model was broadly validated, in that, when forced with parameterised wave conditions, the morphological development is consistent with that observed via optical sensing.