Numerical Modelling and Computer Simulation of Longshore Sediment Transport Rate in Sandy Nearshore Zone

Abstract

Series of longshore sand transport distribution have been computed to see how the distribution depends on the various wave parameters and drag coefficients. As the breaker angle is decreased the maximum distribution shifts towards the breaker zone. This is because, as the angle decreases the longshore-current velocity decreases and the stress from the current becomes negligible compared to the stress due to the wave motion. If the longshore current velocity is particularly strong, the distribution of sand transport rate follows more closely the distribution of the current with only a small difference in which the maxima are located. The wave breaker height is also varied while holding the other parameters constant and it is seen that an increase in breaker height increases both the longshore current velocity and stress acting on the bed so that variations of breaker height in minor scale do not affect the distribution of the longshore transport as a whole.