Beaches and
the adjacent nearshore ocean are important. Land-based sediments, chemicals,
biota, and fresh water must cross this region to enter the deep ocean.
Moreover, most people live within 100 miles of a shoreline that changes
constantly as winds, waves, and currents move sand along and across the
beach.
Our goal
is to understand and model waves, currents, and sand movement in the nearshore,
surf, and swash (eg, the beach face).
Given
weather conditions (winds, offshore waves), a map (offshore islands, canyons,
shoals, nearshore sandbars, the slope of the beach face), and sediment
characteristics, we want to predict:
-
wave
height and direction along the coastline
- current
strength and direction in the surf and swash
- beach
erosion and accretion
We test and
improve models by comparing their predictions with observations (see photos
below) of waves, currents, and beach evolution. |
 |
Cross-shore
transect of wave, current, and seafloor location sensors during a large
nor'easter storm (waves in the background at 4 m high) in 1994 near Duck, NC
(Duck94-CoOP). |
The surf
and swash zones are harsh environments. Sensors are pounded by huge waves and
sand blasted by strong, sediment- and debris-laden currents. Frames fixed to
the seafloor can be buried by moving sandbars or undermined by
erosion.
 |
Kent Smith,
Brian Woodward, and Dennis Darnell watch divers deploy a frame in the surfzone
using the FRF CRAB in 1997 near Duck, NC (SandyDuck). |
Obtaining
field observations requires a crew of specialized engineers and technicians to
design, deploy, and maintain instruments and mounts.
|
ABOVE:
Steve Elgar and Britt Raubenheimer adjusting a stack of 3 current meters
during low tide near the Scripps pier in 2000 (SWASHX). |
RIGHT:
Britt Raubenheimer adjusting a current meter in 3-m water depth in 1994
near Duck, NC (Duck94-CoOP). |
|
Carey
Humphries, Kimball Millikan, Brian Woodward, Steve Elgar, Bill Boyd, Dennis
Darnell, and Bill Schmidt about to be slammed by a breaking wave as they repair
a sensor frame near the Scripps pier in 1998 (XTREE). |
 |
Bill Boyd and
Steve Elgar returning to the SIO pier after checking sensors deployed near the
Scripps Submarine Canyon in 2000 (NCEX Pilot). |
Information
on some of our projects can be viewed using the links
on the top left.
Support
for our research is provided by:
For more
information:
please contact Steve
Elgar (elgar@whoi.edu)
or Britt
Raubenheimer (britt@whoi.edu)
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