Citation

Castelle B, Bonneton P. J. Coast. Res. 2006; (SI 39): 687-691.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, The Coastal Education and Research Foundation)

DOI

10.2307/25741665

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The influence of crescentic sand bars on time and depth-averaged wave-induced currents is investigated. Crescent patterns are one of the most common features observed in the nearshore zone, but their morphological behavior and their influence on wave-induced currents and the intertidal zone morphology are still not well-understood. The two-dimensional coastal area model MORPHODYN is coupled with the random-wave model SWAN to compute the hydrodynamics over the French aquitan coast nearshore bars. Simulations of waves and currents are done for different tide and swell conditions on an idealized crescentic system bathymetry to investigate the influence of wave refraction over the crescentic bar on the wave focalisation in the intertidal domain and the flow patterns induced. The sensitivity of our model to the tide level and the offshore wave characteristics is revealed, as the influence of the crescentic bars on the formation and the shape of the intertidal bar system.